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century ballets, and this tradition was to continue throughout the cen­
tury, with such authors as- Saint-Evremond, Thomas Corneille, La
Fontaine, Racine, Dancourt, and Fontenelle joining the host of authors
who wrote ballets for the court. We will see that some poets wrote
ballets against their better judgment, but felt that it was necessary to
gain favor at court. Nevertheless, it comes as a surprise to most
students of literature to discover that so many illustrious authors con­
tributed to this genre which is so neglected today, due to its often
topical nature, and to the fact that scenic requirements and a lack of
knowledge of the production techniques of the period have caused these
ballets to fall into oblivion.
Thus, a real form of lyric drama was again formed, still
called the ballet 3. entries, but now much more dramatic and literary.
Du Tralage, in his history of French theatre, defines the elements of
this drama: "L'usage des opera n'ayant pas encore este introduit en
France, le roy faisoit faire tous les ans de fort grands spectacles
qu'on nommoit balets. II y avoit un corps de sujet, represents par un
g
grand nombre d'entrees meslees de recits. " Indeed, the recit took
its place again as a unifying factor in the ballet, invading even the
entrees themselves in the form of charming airs of love and other
6. Jean Nicolas Du Tralage, Notes et documents sur l'histoire
des theatres de Paris au XVIIe si&cle: extraits (written c. 1698, pub.
Paris: Librairie des Bibliophiles* 1880), p. 73.