Birth marks
Subtitle: the tragedy of primogeniture in Pierre Corneille, Thomas Corneille, and Jean Racine
By: Richard E. Goodkin.
Series: New cultural studies
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Philadelphia
Language: eng
Number of pages: 281
Subjects: Corneille, Pierre, 1606-1684 -- Tragedies.; Corneille, Thomas, 1625-1709 -- Criticism and interpretation.; Racine, Jean, 1639-1699 -- Criticism and interpretation.; French drama (Tragedy) -- History and criticism.; French drama -- 17th century -- History and criticism.; Primogeniture in literature.
Description: "Birth Marks reexamines the body of French classical tragedy from the perspective of recent theories about the sibling bond and, in particular, birth order. Through a study of the evolution of inheritance issues in seventeen tragedies written over half a century by the Corneille brothers, Pierre and Thomas, and by Jean Racine, the book questions the pervasive assumption that classical tragedy, a form written for the aristocracy, is informed exclusively by an aristocratic ethic.".

"Instead, a fresh reading of both canonical and noncanonical texts demonstrates that even the most formal body of literature produced by French classical writers expresses a conflict between a declining aristocratic hierarchy based on inherited privilege and a rising capitalistic ethic that favors competition and enterprise."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [271]-276) and index.