Heroism and Passion in Literature: Studies in Honour of Moya Longstaffe (Internationale Forschungen zur Allgemeinen und Vergleichenden Literaturwissenschaft 77)

This volume, prompted by the publication in 1999 of Moya Longstaffe’s remarkable study, Metamorphoses of Passion and the Heroic in French Literature: Corneille, Stendhal, Claudel, further investigates and analyses the multiple appearances of Passion and Heroism in literature. It pursues the exploration of these themes in a variety of cultures (English, French, German, Spanish), genres, and critical approaches. In addition, the chronological span represented is extremely wide. Contributions range from La Fontaine, Moli?re and Voltaire to Rimbaud and Camus; from Baudelaire to Beckett; from Wagner to Goytisolo. This very diversity gives necessary context, providing scope for reflection and analysis. Although passion seems timeless, can heroism have any real meaning – apart from an individual and existential one – in our postmodern age? Has a notion at the centre of European culture for so many centuries really disappeared from our intellectual and cultural universe? This volume will be of interest to all students of literature, whatever their critical or linguistic allegiance, since it focuses on the varying manifestations of two vital ingredients of all societies and cultures. Moya Longstaffe: A Tribute -- The Early Modern Period -- Heroic Discourse? A Note On Racine's Berenice / H.t. Barnwell -- The Lost Heroine And The Memetics Of Cultural Inscription In Euripides's Hippolytus And Racine's Phedre / Angela Ryan -- The Twilight Of Heroism: Ambition And Ambitions In La Princesse De Cleves / John Campbell -- Le Heros Molieresque Et Les Pieges Du Langage / Robert Mcbride -- A Passion For The Scriptures: The Biblical Sonnets Of Laurent Drelincourt / Jane Mckee -- La Fontaine: Anti-hero Or Reluctant Hero? / Marite Oubrier -- Voltaire's L'ingenu, The Journal Chretien And Saint-foix: A New Source For Hercule De Kerkabon? / Graham Gargett -- The Nineteenth Century -- A Germanic Hero Par Excellence? Richard Wagner In Paris / Brian Keith-smith -- Stendhal's Style And The Expression Of Passion And Heroism / Anne Judge, Solange Lamothe -- Heroes Of The Mind: The Intellectual Elite In The Work Of Ernest Renan / Elisabeth M. Lillie -- Heroism And Villainy In Les Fleurs Du Mal / John Mccann -- Bel-ami: Posterite D'un Heros / Henri Godin -- The Twentieth Century -- Rimbaud, Claudel: La Passion Du Voyage / Marie-josephine Whitaker -- The 'last Great Voice Of Soldierly Heroism' And The Philosophy Of Rationalism: Peguy On Descartes / Alan Gabbey -- The Passion Of Adam Von Trott: The Heroic Stance Of The Foreign Minister Of The German Resistance / Michael R. Jones -- Camus's Passionate Heroes / John H. Gillespie -- (un)sung Heroes In The Drama Of Samuel Beckett / Gerard M. Macklin. Edited By Graham Gargett. Festschrift. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 15 English, 3 French Contributions. This volume, prompted by the publication in 1999 of Moya Longstaffe's remarkable study, Metamorphoses of Passion and the Heroic in French Literature: Corneille, Stendhal, Claudel, further investigates and analyses the multiple appearances of Passion and Heroism in literature. It pursues the exploration of these themes in a variety of cultures (English, French, German, Spanish), genres, and critical approaches. In addition, the chronological span represented is extremely wide. Contributions range from La Fontaine, Molière and Voltaire to Rimbaud and Camus; from Baudelaire to Beckett; from Wagner to Goytisolo. This very diversity gives necessary context, providing scope for reflection and analysis. Although passion seems timeless, can heroism have any real meaning - apart from an individual and existential one - in our postmodern age? Has a notion at the centre of European culture for so many centuries really disappeared from our intellectual and cultural universe? This volume will be of interest to all students of literature, whatever their critical or linguistic allegiance, since it focuses on the varying manifestations of two vital ingredients of all societies and cultures. Strangely enough, for someone who has made such an impression on me, I have forgotten exactly when I first met Moya Longstaffe.