Call Number:

C1659

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

0.2 linear feet (1 half manuscript box)

Date:

circa 1874

Creator:

Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870 and Dumas, Alexandre, 1824-1895

Abstract:

Consists of hand-corrected proofs of Alexandre Dumas père's 1854 play, La Jeunesse de Louis XIV, as revised by Alexandre Dumas fils, circa 1874. Written by Dumas père while he was in exile in Belgium, the play was rejected by censors in Paris. Although it was published in the Michel Lévy's edition of Dumas père's Théâtre Complet, the play had only been performed in Brussels, Belgium. This version by Dumas fils contains rewrites, additions, and cuts throughout, and was performed in Paris in 1874.

Alexandre Dumas, also known as Alexandre Dumas père, was a French writer. Prolific in several genres, Dumas began his career by writing plays. After the election of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in 1851, Dumas fell from favour and left France for Belgium, where he stayed for several years before moving to Russia and then Italy. He returned to Paris in 1864.

Alexandre Dumas fils was a French author and playwright. He was the son of Alexandre Dumas père, who was also a well-known playwright and author. Dumas fils' work dominated the serious French stage for most of the second half of the 19th century.

Consists of hand-corrected proofs of Alexandre Dumas père's play, La Jeunesse de Louis XIV, comédie en 5 actes. The proofs are pages of the printed text of Théâtre Complet D'Alex Dumas by Michel Lévy pasted onto paper, with extensive annotations and additions made by Alexandre Dumas fils for a separate edition published in 1874. The revisions include large cuts, rewrites, new passages, and a different structure. Although the play was performed and published in 1854 in Brussels, it wasn't until Dumas fils' revised version that the play was performed in Paris.