The goal of this research project is to produce a critical edition of a 16th-century play for Les Éditions Classiques Garnier. The text to be edited is Adrien d’Amboise’s 1580 tragedy Holoferne, which features the character Judith, an Old Testament heroine. The tragedy was published at a time when comedy and tragedy—theatre genres developed during Greco-Roman antiquity—were seen as innovative compared to the medieval forms that were then being staged. Adrien d’Amboise’s Holoferne reflects the tragic model as it evolved in the second half of the 16th century, while addressing the political issues of a period that was marked by the Wars of Religion.
The purpose of a critical edition is to reconstruct as accurately as possible the text of an often-rare and hard-to-find work based on a collection of documents. This requires a rigorous, meticulous approach. This research project offers students hands-on experience with the practical and epistemological issues involved in critical editing—such as selecting the source text, the principles of text reconstruction, handling textual variants and writing annotations—while developing their ability to read and understand a 16th-century play.
As part of this project, the student will develop the following skills:
- A basic understanding of the principles of critical edition
- The use of basic documentary research tools (directories, databases, bibliographies, etc.)
- The ability to read and understand a play written in Middle Franch
- Expanded knowledge of the tragedy genre
- Enhanced knowledge of the history of theatre.