Mythes et contes populaires dans La Princesse Maleine

La Princesse Maleine is the first play by Maurice Maeterlinck. It was written in 1889, and was a great success as early as 1890. It was acclaimed as the landmark of the birth of symbolist drama, and Octave Mirbeau declared it superior to Shakespeare's plays. More than a century later, what remains from Princesse Maleine? The novelty of Symbolism has, of course, long subsided, and the reader is left with a work a century old. This play actually has stood the test of time, thanks to the very personal tone and technique that the author used in it. In addition, it presents all of the fundamental themes that were to be developed in plays such as Alladine and Palomides or Pelleas and Melisande. More particularly, myth and folklore are very important subtexts that we propose to analyze: a study of these two themes is of paramount importance for the understanding of Maeterlinck's theater. This study, entitled "Mythes et conte populaire dans La Princesse Maleine," will show the esoteric elements of the play, and how it prefigures all of Maeterlinck's later drama. (P-EC)