Heroines in French drama of the romantic period, 1829-1848

A study of the lead female roles in French drama from 1829-1848. It addresses conventional traits of these 'heroines, ' their relation to the audience, the idealization of their roles, the use of historical figures and characters in new plays, and the ways in which they revealed the need for social reform. Acknowledgments Contents Introduction 1 . Conventional Traits of the Romantic Heroine 2. The Romantic Heroine and Her Eighteenthcentury Elders 3. Idealized and Sentimentalized Heroines 4. The Unhappy Victim 5. Historical Figures Reincarnated 6. Old Heroines in New Plays 7. Religion in the Lives and Times of Romantic Heroines 8. The Need for Social Reform as Illustrated by Romantic Heroines 9. Criticisms of Heroines by Contemporaries Conclusion Chronological List of Plays Studied Notes Sources Cited Index