Gautier, Théophile
Gautier, Théophile (1811–72).One of the most perspicacious literary critics of his time period, Théophile Gautier advocated the graphic realism of Shakespearian dramatic expression, all the while deploring the lack of historical veracity in French adaptations which tended to border on the ridiculous due to exaggerated exotic details. More significantly, Gautier was one of the few critics to understand fully that the success of French adaptations depended largely upon textual modifications—purifying the language, plotting, and characterization—quintessential elements for creating symmetrical works in harmony with the implacable logic of the French temperament.
Alice Clark
Bibliography
Gautier, Théophile, ‘Hamlet’ in Histoire de l'art dramatique (6 vols., 1858–9), vol. iv.
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