Literary Sociability and Literary Property in France, 1775-1793: Beaumarchais, the Société des Auteurs Dramatiques and the Comédie Française

by Gregory S. Brown

Overview

The first full-length, scholarly study of the Société des auteurs dramatiques (SAD), this book focuses on the first professional association for creative writers in European history. Brown traces how Beaumarchais led this group's fight for literary property legislation and worked to raise the status of men of letters. This study focuses on the form and meaning of eighteenth-century literary sociability, at the intersection of political reform, commercial theater, and writers' anxieties about their public identities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138272903
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/26/2016
Series:	Studies in European Cultural Transition , #33
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Gregory Brown is Associate Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA. He is author of A Field of Honor: Writers, Court Culture and Public Theater in French Literary Life from Racine to the Revolution and The French Revolution: Cultures in Conflict.

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface; Introduction: Men of letters and literary sociability in 18th-century France; An association of men of letters: the formation of the Society of Dramatic Authors; Beaumarchais at court: on the civility and cultural power of Gens de lettres; Playwrights, print and publicity: the success and failure of the SAD in 1780; Literary sociability and the Revolution: social interests, politics and literary property, July 1789-January 1791; From liberty to patriotism; Conclusion: copyright, community and enlightenment; Select bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'An important, enormously intelligent book, grounded in exhaustive original research, that will make a major contribution to more than one field. A model of cutting-edge cultural history.' Professor David A. Bell, Johns Hopkins University, USA 'Gregory S. Brown's challenging interpretation of the Société des auteurs dramatiques provides a new, convincing analysis of this fascinating institution and writes a new chapter in the biography of Beaumarchais, the most important playwright of the late Old Regime.' Professor Jeffrey S. Ravel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA ’[Gregory Brown's] detailed treatment of eighteenth-century institutions, society, and attitudes is a valuable contribution to the literature and one that writers and librarians will find useful and interesting.’ Libraries and the Cultural Record ’Brown's study will be essential reading for everyone interested in Beaumarchais the man, French theatre history, and the development of the status of the author in society.’ Modern and Contemporary France ’Brown has uncovered a wealth of new material on the activities of the Society of Dramatic Authors, which enables him to offer an original interpretation of its cutural role.’ H-France Review ’Brown's study is solidly documented and sheds much light on the role of sociability in the cultural politics of late eighteenth-century France.’ Journal of Modern History

From the Publisher