Eighteenth-Century Literature

Richer, Henri (1685–1748)

Coriolan, Tragédie [Roman History Reimagined for the French Stage]

Paris: Chez Barrois, Quai des Augustins, à la Ville de Nevers, 1748.

THE FRENCH CLASSICAL TRADITION REVISITS ANCIENT ROME THROUGH THE STORY OF CORIOLANUS.
Issued during the reign of Louis XV, Coriolan is Henri Richer's dramatic retelling of the life of the Roman general Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Drawing upon Plutarch's Lives, the tragedy reflects the continuing influence of classical antiquity on eighteenth-century French theater, where Roman history served as a vehicle for exploring questions of honor, civic duty, political conflict, and personal ambition.

Published the year of Richer's death, the work represents one of the final dramatic contributions of a writer better remembered for his fables and verse translations but respected during his lifetime as a member of France's literary establishment.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Octavo; approximately 8 inches tall; viii, 53, [3] pages. Printed in French on laid paper. Rebound during the late nineteenth century in quarter black cloth over blue marbled boards with gilt spine title. Woodcut title vignette, decorative headpieces, ornamental initials, and tailpieces throughout. Complete with the publisher's errata leaf at the rear. An attractive scholarly rebinding that has preserved the textblock well.

CONDITION: Very Good. The bindings are tight and square. Text clean with light, even age-toning throughout. Moderate shelf handling with rubbing to the edges and corners of the boards. A sound, well-preserved copy.

LITERARY SIGNIFICANCE: 
Although overshadowed today by Voltaire and Crébillon, Henri Richer occupied a respected place in eighteenth-century French letters. His tragedies, translations, and especially his fables enjoyed repeated publication during his lifetime. Coriolan belongs to the long French classical tradition inspired by Plutarch and Roman history, interpreting the conflict between republican virtue and political power for contemporary audiences.

A SCARCE SURVIVAL.
This first edition appears to survive in remarkably few institutional collections. OCLC records examples at Harvard University, Princeton University, and the Eastman School of Music, with additional holdings likely at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Such limited institutional representation reflects the relative scarcity of Richer's dramatic works in today's marketplace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Henri Richer abandoned a legal career after studying at the University of Caen to pursue literature in Paris. He published verse translations of Virgil and Ovid, several collections of fables, historical studies, and a handful of tragedies performed at the Comédie-Française. Modern scholarship continues to recognize him as one of the more accomplished French fabulists of the eighteenth century.

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS
+++ First edition published in Paris in 1748.
+++ Printed on laid paper with decorative woodcut ornaments.
+++ Complete with errata leaf.
+++ Classical French tragedy based on the Roman general Coriolanus.
+++ Attractive nineteenth-century scholarly rebinding.

Subjects: Henri Richer; Coriolan; Coriolanus; French Tragedy; French Drama; Roman History in Literature; Classical Antiquity; Plutarch; Louis XV France; Paris Imprints; Eighteenth-Century Printing; Laid Paper; First Editions; French Theater; Comédie-Française, French Literature; Classical Drama; Eighteenth-Century Literature; Antiquarian Books; Theatre History.

Item #22195

Price: $225.00