An electrifying clash of love and power. Passion collides with bitter politics. Victor Hugo's Ruy Blas, presented in Edwin Booth's edition, is a nineteenth century drama that embodies the intensity and moral spectacle of a classic French play. Poetic in ambition and dramatic in form, it reads as both a romantic tragedy book and a study in political intrigue themes. At its heart lies a courtly love story braided into public scandal, where questions of honour, loyalty and social place unfold with consequences of betrayal and redemption. Hugo's rhetorical energy and theatrical staging make Ruy Blas a touchstone among romantic era classics, often cited in discussions of Victor Hugo adaptations and revivals. Students of literature will find rich material for analysis: themes, rhetoric and the play's challenge to dramatic conventions; casual readers will be held by the emotional momentum and clear dramatic stakes. As a piece of 1800s French literature, it maps the ambitions and anxieties of its age without losing immediate dramatic urgency; stage directors and theatre practitioners continue to draw on its intensity. For collectors and libraries this edition belongs in any literature students collection and will also serve as a considered theatre enthusiasts gift, appealing both to those new to Hugo and to seasoned admirers of nineteenth-century drama. Even readers whose tastes run to Paris historical setting narratives will recognise the period textures and moral theatre that made Hugo's plays so influential. Long admired for its bold emotional register and its critique of social hierarchies, Ruy Blas occupies a distinct place in Hugo's oeuvre and in the history of nineteenth-century drama, illustrating the Romantic impulse to fuse poetry with political commentary. Presented here under Edwin Booth's name, the edition invites fresh attention to the play's theatrical possibilities and to the continuing relevance of its moral and political dilemmas. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest
everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We
deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15.
ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.