Abstract
Jean Rotrou’s Le Véritable Saint Genest, one of the rare successful martyrdom tragedies produced for the 17th-century French commercial stage, is often interpreted as a proto-postmodern play about the confusing nature of reality and the indeterminacy of faith. Structural details of both plot and characterization, however, validate a Christian reading of this play. By carefully constructing a contrast between the world of Christian faith and the world without faith, Rotrou attempts to create for his audience the sense of an encounter with the divine and a realization of the urgency of a commitment to God.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
