L’Âme en folie by François de Curel: In search of a new dramatic paradigm

The author of the article studies Curel’s play, which testifies to the crisis of traditional drama, announced at the turn of the 20th century. Curel seems to destroy the canonical form of “drama-in-life”, based on a dramatic progression of the action and on the character as an active agent ensuring this same progression, by proposing a new paradigm of “drama-of-life”. The latter moves away from classic prerogatives to focus on the inner life of the protagonist. Instead of focusing on episodes that inevitably lead to disaster, the French writer attempts to embrace the evolution of the characters’ souls. This is how he passes from “agonistic drama” to an “ontological” one.

The author of the article studies Curel’s play, which testifies to the crisis of traditional drama, announced at the turn of the 20th century. Curel seems to destroy the canonical form of “drama-in-life”, based on a dramatic progression of the action and on the character as an active agent ensuring this same progression, by proposing a new paradigm of “drama-of-life”. The latter moves away from classic prerogatives to focus on the inner life of the protagonist. Instead of focusing on episodes that inevitably lead to disaster, the French writer attempts to embrace the evolution of the characters’ souls. This is how he passes from “agonistic drama” to an “ontological” one.