In the following excerpt, Lowenthal discusses the writings of three French dramatists within the context of the emergence of the middle class during the seventeenth century.

In the following excerpt, Lough discusses the changing social status of the theatre during the seventeenth century and the composition of theatre audiences, observing that the middle classes were strongly represented.

In the following excerpt, Gethner contends that a political dimension is typically present in seventeenth-century French tragicomedies and is often closely related to other elements of the plot.

In the following excerpt, Phillips examines the debate between the religious moralists and the dramatic theorists concerning the morality of seventeenth-century comic drama.

In the essay that follows, Caldicott examines several common "burlesque" features of seventeenth-century comedy.

In the following excerpt, Gethner discusses the use of moral and religious conventions in seventeenth-century tragicomedy.

In the essay that follows, Forsyth describes the principles of classical doctrine and how these rules were upheld by seventeenth-century French dramatists.

In the excerpt that follows, Barras describes the opposition of the Roman Catholic Church to seventeenth-century theatre.

Brereton is an English scholar who has written extensively on French literature of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. In the following excerpt, Brereton analyzes the lack of development within the genre of tragedy during the end of Louis XIVs reign.

In the following excerpt, Lancaster provides an analysis of the works of two women who were among the most prominent female French tragedians of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

In the following excerpt, Jourdain discusses the development of comedy by Molière's successors.

In the following excerpt, Herrick examines several tragicomedies by mid-seventeenth-century dramatists Pierre Du Ryer and Jean de Rotrou.

In the following excerpt, Daniel analyzes the treatment of history and the use of classical form in historical tragedies, arguing that while French history offered the potential for theatrical exploitation, the public did not approve of dramatists' departures from classical ideas.

In the following excerpt, Lockert discusses the weaknesses of several critics' assessments of French neo-classical tragedies and argues that greater consideration should be given to the works of minor dramatists of the time.

An English historian and critic, Dobrée distinguished himself both as a leading authority on Restoration drama and as a biographer who sought, through vivid depiction and style, to establish biography as a legitimate creative form. In the following excerpt, Dobrée comments on the relationship between comedy and political change, and describes what he considers to be the three distinct types of comedy.

In the essay that follows, Baudin discusses the depiction of popular sentiment in seventeenth century French tragedy in relation to the changing political atmosphere of the time.

In the following excerpt, Lancaster explains the decline of French tragicomedy in the late seventeenth century.