^6S SANSCULLOTISED LITERATURE IN FRANCE. 



Was this not exactly the opposite of what was naturally 

 to be expected? In the face of the astounded world, the men of 

 '89 and "93 had proclaimed the principles of renewed society ; and 

 in the soil of France, waging as she was the epic struggle for 

 liberty against combined royalty, the mysterious flower called 

 " patriotism " germinated. What more inspiring subject could 

 there be for a poet than the glorious deeds of a new-born 

 repulDlic? What purer source for an artist to drink from than 

 the one that was to regenerate the world and mankind? Alas, 

 art also had to obey the law of antithesis, the law that proved so 

 cruel and pitiless tow'ards French genius. The effect of the 

 Revolution on French literature was of a ihighly destructive 

 nature. Alany years before the outbreak proper, the barriers, 

 which in the preceding century had been so carefully erected, 

 had already been shaken and hauled down ; a breeze of levellism 

 had risen and mixed U]) pell-mell what formerly was jealously 

 kept asunder. The drama, for example, instead of remaining 

 w:hat it then was, a work of objective and serene art. was turned 

 into an implement of action and political propaganda. It is no 

 longer the noble entertainment and diversion of a would-be 

 elite : it must now be an enjoyment and an object-lesson accessible 

 to all and everybody. Consequently, the authors, in order to 

 please imagination of the audience, and stir their feelings, must 

 cast about for appropriate novel subjects and expedients. This 

 meant nothing less than a revolution in the history of the 

 drama: a revolution not easily accomplished, for a host of deep- 

 rooted prejudices, much ruffled self-love, hostile criticism, and,, 

 above all, the spirit df the times, had to be taken into account. 

 Of course, this new popular drama did not supersede o'ld tragedy 

 at one fell sw^oop. Around tragedy, wbich itself had badly fallen 

 into the sear, into the yellow leaf, but which was not yet dead, 

 all sorts of bold novelties gradually arose : as, for instance, the 

 amusing comedies of La Chaussee ; the bourgeois dramas started 

 by Diderot ; the anodyne, virtuous harlequinades of Florian ; 

 and quite a torrent of comic, historical, pastoral operas, panto- 

 mimes and marionets, pieces full of childish fancies and of 

 blatantly edifying morality, as some of the silly titles clearly 

 show—" Le Voleur converti par la Dame Secourable." " Le 

 Pardon imprevu de la Niece maiheureuse." etc. However, tO' 

 make the popular drama rise victorious above these first pitiful 

 and feckless attempts, a decisive, critical attempt was necessary. 

 And that event arrived : it was the Revolution. In the average 

 handbook on the history of French literature, it says that the 

 period from 1789- 1827, the year in which appeared the preface 

 of V. Hugo's " Cromwell," is, as far as the drama is concerned, 

 a period of barrenness, a mere blank. We get under the impres- 

 sion that, between the last tragedies of Voltaire and Ducis and the 

 publication of the first pieces of V. Hugo aaid A. Dumas, no 

 drama whatever existed except a few tame, soporific and colour- 

 less tragedies by Chenier and Luce de Lancival, and some paltry, 

 ludicrous comedies i)v Ivtienne and Colin D'Harleville. This is 



