Tragic Muse

March 29, 1993
Regarding her subject as a "cultural construct," Brownstein ( Becoming a Heroine ) inquires into the life of Rachel (nee Elisa Felix), the legendary 19th-century French actress (1821-1858), in a book that is less a biography than a scholarly study of the image Rachel presented to the world as the leading tragedienne of the French stage for more than 20 years. Brownstein examines the paradox of the uneducated daughter of Jewish peddlers reviving classical tragedy and performing the works of Corneille and Racine to great critical acclaim in a climate of virulent anti-Semitism. Audiences who thrilled to Rachel's performances also referred to her as money-grubbing and ignorant. Presenting Rachel through the eyes of fans, critics and novelists such as Henry James, Brownstein analyzes the phenomenon of stardom and describes how Rachel used her fame and fortune to enrich her life and rescue her family from poverty. Her long illness and early death from tuberculosis enhanced her reputation as the "tragic muse." Illustrations not seen by PW.

April 15, 1993
Before Sarah Bernhardt, the French stage was illuminated in the mid-19th century by the actress known only as Rachel. Not beautiful, the daughter of a poor Jewish peddler, Rachel was alternately idolized and castigated by the fickle public. Her early death from tuberculosis served to further her legend as the great tragedienne and the ultimate celebrity of her time. In addition to the spate of biographies that followed her death in 1858 (and continued well into the 20th century), such writers as Charlotte Bronte and Henry James immortalized her in their novels. In this thoroughly researched and scholarly examination, Brownstein does not so much try to discover the true Rachel as to examine the myths involved in creating "La Grande Rachel." This will be a useful addition to serious theater collections.-- Marcia L. Perry, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass.

Copyright 1993 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 1993
Brownstein provides an insightful biography of Rachel, high priestess of French drama from the late 1830s until her death in 1858. The daughter of itinerant Jewish peddlers, Rachel rose from relative poverty and obscurity to become the reigning queen of the legendary Comedie Francaise. Due to her remarkable brand of raw talent and her enormous popular appeal, she is credited with almost singlehandedly reviving the moribund genre of classical tragedy. Though her roles were traditional, both her theatrical interpretations and her life-style choices were often wildly romantic. As an accomplished artist and a complex individual she embraced a number of seemingly irreconcilable contradictions, which considerably enhanced her professional and personal magnetism. Rachel's stunning success as one of the first legitimate stars of the stage serves as a striking illustration of the fractured nature of popular culture in nineteenth-century France. ((Reviewed May 15, 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)