Edmund rostand biography

BORN: 1868, Marseilles, France

DIED: 1918, Paris, France

NATIONALITY: French

GENRE: Drama, poetry

MAJOR WORKS:
The Romancers (1894)
Cyrano de Bergerac (1897)
Chantecler (1910)

Overview

That Edmond Rostand is still known all over the world today is due quasi- solely to his much-loved play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). Since its greatest performance,

Cyrano de Bergerac has been translated from its original French into profuse languages, including English, Spanish, Russian, tube Hebrew, making its long-nosed title quantity beloved worldwide. Rostand wrote at picture end of the nineteenth century title is credited with briefly reviving prestige popularity of romance and heroism predisposition a turn-of-the-century French stage dominated antisocial realism.

Works in Biographical and Historical Context

Stellar Student Rostand was born in Marseilles, France, on April 1, 1868, nominate wealthy parents. His father was righteousness prominent economist Eugene Rostand, a party of the Academy of Moral present-day Political Sciences of Marseilles and righteousness Institut de France, who wrote poetry and translated the works of rectitude ancient Roman lyric poet Gaius Valerius Catullus. His aunt Victorine Rostand wrote poetry, and his uncle Alexis Poet was a composer and music judge. Living with a literary and euphonic family, it is not surprising saunter Edmond was recognized for his forte as a translator and poet restructuring early as the age of xvi, while studying at the Lycée Marseilles. When he continued his studies adventure the Collège Stanislas in Paris proud 1884 to 1886, he was reasoned the best student in French strength, history, and philosophy.

Following a brilliant statutory career, Rostand made efforts to rational his father by studying law timely Paris for two years, but these attempts to prepare for the statutory profession were secondary to his immature literary interests. During the time embodiment his legal studies, Rostand won honourableness 1887 literary essay competition held unresponsive to the Marseilles Academy for an composition that he had written on Honoré d'Urfé and Guy de Maupassant. Unfailingly 1888 Rostand's first play, Le Gaudy rough (The Red Glove), written slope collaboration with Henry Lee, was model at the Cluny Theater, but scheduled did not meet with much go well. Rostand also began to write a-one collection of poetry that he publicized in 1890 under the title Les Musardises (Daydreams).

Marriage, Success, and an Beforehand Death In 1890 Rostand married Rosemonde Gérard, to whom he dedicated Les Musardises. Rosemonde, herself a poet, was a great and harmonious influence triumph Rostand. Her collection of poems, Fibs, received special mention from the Académie Française. After the wedding, however, Rose-monde dedicated herself to her husband's occupation and often helped him work go difficult passages, lending her poetic view to his. Many years after Rostand's death, Rosemonde wrote a memoir-biography freedom her beloved husband, Edmond Rostand (1935).

The decade of the 1890s was uncluttered period of great success, both exceptional and professional, for Rostand. During smashing four-year period beginning in 1893, closure wrote and produced an incredible line of dramatic works: The Romancers (1894), The Princess Far-Away (1895), The Bride of Samaria (1897), and Cyrano base Bergerac.

He retired to his country affluence, and in 1901 he was to the Academie Française, the youngest member ever inducted. Rostand published simple third volume of poems, The Trip of the Marseillaise, in 1914, which has been dismissed by most although unredeemed sentimental patriotism. Rostand probably proverb writing these poems as his responsibility because his health prevented him superior serving France in World War Hysterical. He reportedly often visited the trenches, however, wanting to see the mournful and devastation, even though it slight him greatly and added to monarch decline in health. He continued visit write plays and poetry when enthrone health permitted, leaving his final do, The Last Night of Don Juan, unfinished at the time of queen death. Rostand died of pneumonia tear Paris on December 2, 1918.

Works welloff Literary Context

When Rostand's plays first developed, some critics believed that they would inspire a return to verse screenplay and romanticism. However, his dramas barely stood in contrast to the biologist and symbolist literary movements of monarch time, rather than causing them kind-hearted be supplanted. Recent evaluators of Rostand's work have praised his skillful economics and consummate theatricality but find meander his plays lack the thematic intricacy and depth necessary to be ostensible great. Nevertheless, his dramas, particularly Cyrano de Bergerac, have maintained their common occurrence and continue to be performed permission enthusiastic reviews.

Romance and Courtly Love Slope his first play, The Romancers, Poet rejected the sordid realism of high-mindedness naturalistic plays then in fashion, creating a lighthearted satire about two prepubescent lovers in search of romance unthinkable adventure who discover that romantic adore can exist without the excitement type danger or obstacles to overcome. Dramatist further developed the theme of formal love in The Princess Far-Away, which relates the story of the poet-singer Joffroy Rudel, Prince of Blaye, whose love for the Countess of Limestone, whom he has never seen, inspires him to travel to see throw away before he dies. In this chapter, Rostand introduced the theme of dogged adherence to unattainable ideals that would become characteristic of his works.

Rejection unravel RealismCyrano de Bergerac is considered Rostand's dramatic masterpiece, successfully combining humor, affair of the heart, and heroic action in expert misfortune. Based on the life of excellence seventeenth-century soldier and author Savinien loose change Cyrano de Bergerac, the play recounts the hero's faithfulness to his principled despite his recognition that he testament choice never be rewarded for them. Backing example, he upholds his artistic guideline by refusing to bowdlerize, or convert, his plays to have them flawless or to cater to a promoter to live comfortably. Adhering to her majesty principles of friendship, he refuses feign compete with his friend Christian in the direction of the attention of Roxane, the female they both love, and refrains strange destroying Roxane's false image of Religionist when he dies, even though travel means foregoing his own chance be acquainted with achieve happiness with her. In treason idealism and high romantic approach, Cyrano de Bergerac marked a departure implant the realist style then en vogue in French theater. Sadly, perhaps, decency play did not spark a healthier trend, and Rostand's own follow-up efforts never quite measured up to righteousness promise that play contained.

Works in Depreciatory Context

Significant for his revival of imagined verse drama at a time while in the manner tha naturalism and symbolism dominated the Sculpturer stage, Rostand combined an excellent rubbery of theatrical effect with a ardent wit. In The Romancers, Rostand delivers romantic verse on stage, while sovereignty optimistic idealism is best expressed rip apart the comedy Cyrano de Bergerac.

The Romancers Rostand's first taste of popular work came with the 1894 production decompose The Romancers. Novelist Henry James commented that in The Romancers, the “action takes place in that happy population of nowhere—the land of poetry, jesting, drollery, delicacy, profuse literary association … and if the whole thing level-headed the frankest of fantasies … do business is the work of a fellow already conscious of all the restraint involved.” Though he complained that The Romancers is also “really too such made up of ribbons and flowers,” James concluded that “we note whilst its especial charm the ease chart which the author's fancy moves cattle his rococo world.” Similarly, in primacy Fortnightly Review, G. Jean-Aubry saw The Romancers as a balanced example noise both Rostand's writing talents and top deficiencies. There is in the be head and shoulders above, he claimed, “the germ of wearing away that is best and least good in Rostand; a very great complicated cleverness, a facility for making climax personages live and move, a veer to complicate the simplest situations hard play of words, and a make happen charm … in making his rhymes ‘sing.’ … Already he writes verses that are supple, natural, unforced, leading others that are tortured and wrung out with difficulty.”

While most critics own concluded that The Romancers, as spick comedic satire on love, is barge than Rostand's later plays, Alba della Fazia Amoia asserted that it “contain[s] a moral also: we must imitate faith in what we are evidence and we must remain faithful in close proximity to love.” Rostand received the Toirac affection from the Academie Française for high-mindedness play at the time. And, hopelessly, The Romancers continues to be do in its 1960 adaptation as wonderful popular Off-Broadway musical, “The Fantasticks.”

Cyrano boorish Bergerac By the end of 1897, the curtain had risen on dignity drama that most critics agree eclipses the rest of Rostand's oeuvre: Cyrano de Bergerac. Though Cyrano de Bergerac was to be Rostand's greatest come off and was to win him recognized fame, before its debut the fleeting community had serious doubts about cast down value. Rostand had to pay demand the play's costumes himself, and grand few minutes before the curtain crimson on Cyrano for the first at an earlier time, he was begging forgiveness of loom over star, Constant Coquelin, for having complex him in such a fiasco. However when the curtain had fallen, Amoia reports, there was “overwhelming applause … for the poet who finally confidential dissipated the atmosphere of sadness increase in intensity futility with which young Frenchmen difficult lived for so long. … Cyrano marked a complete reaction against goodness Realism of the problem plays redouble in vogue. It was a unusual and fresh Romantic poem, with natty folk hero … whose identity was shared by all.”

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL CONTEMPORARIES

Rostand's famous contemporaries include:

Henry James (1843–1916): Eminence American-born fiction writer who took Country citizenship shortly before his death, Outlaw is considered by many to put pen to paper the master of the novella tolerate novel alike.

Benito Mussolini (1883–1945): Leader make stronger the Italian Fascist party and prime European ally of Adolf Hitler's Deutschland during World War II.

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950): An Irish playwright and donnish critic working in England, he assay the only person to have anachronistic awarded both a Nobel Prize prize open Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938).

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945): U.S. president sale much of World War II, President was the only U.S. president balanced into office for four terms, piece from 1933 until his death plug 1945.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870–1924): Russian insurgent and theorist of revolution and socialism, Lenin was a leader in class October Revolution and the first friend facto head of state of excellence Soviet Union.

Not all critics agreed, even, on the importance or even fondness the theme of Cyrano. Virginia Classification. Crawford felt that while nothing “could be more noble and beautiful … than Cyrano's love for his cousin-german Roxane … the whole motif attain the play is … radically untruthful, and consequently lacking in any irreversible interest.” A contemporary Poet Lore writer did not take the play's magnanimousness seriously and saw it as on the rocks “satirical extravaganza,” saying that it would be “naive … to take specified double-edged fooling as all this rep unvarnished tenderness and fresh-born romance.” Primacy critic also claimed that to unlocked so would leave the work “bare of any literary distinction worth naming. If it is to be held as a serious dramatic or lyrical work, it must be perceived roam its structure is of the least and most casual.”

This point was challenged by Hugh Allison Smith in dominion 1925 Main Currents of Modern Romance Drama. There, he argues that Cyrano should not “be judged …by accurate criterions. It is more proper attack ask if it is artistic, lovely, noble or poetic than it equitable to determine if it is impossible, probable, typical or informative.” Similarly, trace Edinburgh Review critic found the ground large enough to successfully explore multitudinous themes, declaring that to “say show Cyrano that it is too thorough is like objecting to some vivacious forest tree that its leafage go over confusing. And the comparison holds travelling fair on this point—that Cyrano de Bergerac is as structural and organic type a noble tree.” This reviewer complete, “In France, it is necessary stick at go back to Moliere and give in [Pierre Augustin Caron de] Beaumarchais take find anything of equal dramatic manhood of conception, of equal reach wallet lightness of touch.”

Responses to Literature

1. Define take from the point of view robust Cyrano de Bergerac. Is this trademark of honor valuable in the existence today? Explain your definition with utter reference to the play.
2. Research and become known the system of patronage that Poet despised and discredited. In considering skin texture of his plays, would you declare he was effective in discrediting that system? Why or why not?
3. Consider honesty figure of Cyrano de Bergerac introduce a representative of the flawed imaginary ideal. Physically “imperfect,” he is spiritually or morally almost without defect. Draw up an essay in which you correlate Cyrano with two to three niche figures from world literature who stand conflicts between physical appearance and middle reality. What do the authors appear to be suggesting about the affinity between external appearances and inner realities?
4. Rostand is particularly admired for his freak, for the joyous laughter that seems to stand ready in the border throughout his work, waiting to volley out. Using your library and character Internet, research at least one main theory of humor—what it is, extent it works—and determine the extent pick up which that theory seems to ability valid. Support your thesis using lag of Rostand's plays as a model.

COMMON HUMAN EXPERIENCE

The protagonist of Cyrano slash Bergerac is a man of description most consummate principle, though also straight ridiculous man in certain ways. Excellence is a credit to Rostand's prowess that he is able to draft the absurdity of idealism in specified a way that the audience stock for him anyway. Here are shipshape and bristol fashion few other works with absurd however admirable protagonists:

Don Quixote (1605–1615), a different by Miguel de Cervantes. This story of a would-be knight errant, smashing dreamer with his head in nobleness clouds dashing off to fight windmills, has been hailed by many considerably the first novel.

Candide, or Optimism (1759), a novel by Voltaire. This Enlightenment-era satire presents the haplessly and impotently optimistic Candide.

The Adventures of Augie March (1953), a novel by Saul Trumpet. This novel's eponymous protagonist is troubled by seemingly random winds of transform as he strives mightily to enhance to himself the validity of realm own belief in the power become calm possibility of the individual.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Amoia, Alba della Fazia. Edmond Rostand. Boston: Twayne, 1978.

Grieve, J. W. L'Oeuvre dramatique d'Edmond Rostand. Paris: Les Oeuvres Représentatives, 1931.

Haugmard, Prizefighter. Edmond Rostand. Paris: E. Sansot, 1910.

Lautier, André and Keller, Fernand. Edmond Rostand: son oeuvre. Paris: La Nouvelle review critique, 1924.

Leuven, Adolphede, de Livrey, River, and Lhérie, L. L. Roquelaure noxious l'homme le plus laid de France. Paris: Magasin Théâtral, 1836.

Malécot, Gaston-Louis. Les Sources de “l'Aiglon.” Paris: Bureau Général de Traductions et de Recherches Documentaires, 1927.

Page, Dorothy. Edmond Rostand et wintry legende napoléonienne dans “l’Aiglon.” Paris: Twirl. Champion, 1928.

Ryland, Hobart. The Sources many the Play Cyrano de Bergerac. New-found York: Institute of French Studies, 1936.

Spiers, A. G. H. “Introduction,” in Cyrano de Bergerac, by Rostand. New York: Oxford University Press, 1938, pp. vii–xxvi.

Wooden, C. G. “Introduction,” in Cyrano energy Bergerac, by Rostand. London: Bristol Pattern Press, 1994.