heath's Modern Language Series RACINE'S ATHALIE EDITED WITH AN INTRODUCTION, CONTAINING AND WITH NOTES BY CHARLES A. EGGERT, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF MODERN LANGUAGES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA BOSTON, U.S.A. D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS DEPARTMENT OF EDUC LELAND STANFORD JUNIO PREFACE. RACINE'S Athalie is one of those works that must have a place in every curriculum which recognizes the study of French. It is not simply a masterpiece, but it is the masterpiece of one of the greatest literary artists known. Such a work cannot be fully appreciated without some knowledge of the author, and without a commentary on its most characteristic features. The attempt has been made in this edition to supply both in a form neither cumbersome nor superficial, and sufficient for the purposes of school or college. The justly admired beauty and artistic finish of Racine's versification, nowhere so varied as in Athalie, may justify the addition of a brief treatise on versification especially prepared for this edition. It is a truism that poetry should be read as poetry, but thus far very little has been done to present the subject of French versification for practical use in the class-room. In the notes every subject of interest, and all grammatical difficulties, have received attention. While brevity was aimed at, extreme care has been taken to make this part of the edition all that can be desired. The text of this edition is based on that contained in the series of "Les Grands Écrivains de la France," by Paul Mesnard, but slight changes in punctuation and spelling, such as have been made by French editors of the work for |