Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Athalie
France, invited him to his charge with the intention of having him admitted to orders and endowing him with a church living. Racine, however, had no desire for the vocation. He corresponded from Uzes with his friends, and continued the composition of light verse. There were also many claimants for the livings the bishop of Uzes controlled, so that after some two years' residence in Lan guedoc he returned to Paris and his former associations. It was in 1663 that Racine began his serious work as an author. An Ode sur la eonvaleseenee (in Roi in that year was rewarded by a grant of money, which the poet acknowledged in a second ode, Zn Renonzmee aux Muses. But a more important task was the preparation of his tragedy, in which Moliere's company performed on June 20, 1664. Here Racine combined his knowledge of the Greek and Latin drama, Euripides and Seneca, with a' half conscious imitation of French writers, Corneille who affected his style, Rotrou who had brought out a tragedy on the same subject. While working on In T ne bai'a'e, Racine had met Moliere and Boileau, and had formed with the latter a lifelong friendship which was to be of great benefit to himself. The play was a success and encouraged Racine to further efforts. On December 4, 1665, he gave Alexandre to the public by means of the same troupe. The material for Alexandre had been sug gested by the historian, Quintus Curtius. Its model was Corneille still. Though generally considered too gallant and romanesque for tragedy, Alexandre was a greater suc cess than let. And as Racine was dissatisfied with Moli'ere's production and had it also staged by the actors of the Hotel. De Bourgogne, who made a specialty of tragedy, it occupied for a time both the theaters of Paris. The.
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