Drama in five acts, written in colaboration with Anicet Bourgeois.
From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: A prose drama in five acts.
Dumas states in his "Mémoires" that he gave the idea to Anicet Bourgeois, but that this latter supplied the consumptive quality of Muller, that is to say, the profoundly melancholy aspect of the work. Quérard claims this play to have been drawn from Dumas' well-known story, "Le Cocher de Cabriolet."
Comparing "Angèle," "Antony" and "Comte Hermann," Dumas says of the first : " 'Angèle' is the drama of materialism ; d'Alvimar is intoxicated, says too much and dies. . . ."
After the disastrous failure of "Le Fils de l'Emigré," some sixteen months before, it fell to the lot of "Angèle" to rehabilitate Dumas, alike with managers and the public.
Writing to Napoleon III., on the occasion of the interdiction of his play, "Les Mohicans de Paris," in 1864, Dumas speaks of "Angèle" having also been stopped by the censor, after three hundred performances, a veto which endured for six years.
Elsewhere its author describes this piece as a drama of manners.
It was first performed at the Porte Saint Martin Théâtre on December 28th, 1833.
Original edition : Paris, Charpentier, 1834, yellow wrapper, pp. 254, then one page, not numbered, bearing the following thanks to the actors :—
"Aux acteurs qui ont joué dans ANGÈLE. Mes amis, nous avons eu un succès de famille ; prenons et partagons. À vous, Alex. Dumas." (1)
The reverse of the page bearing this inscription is blank. It is followed by four pages of Charpentier's catalogue, in which one notices the announcement of an edition of Dumas' "Œuvres Complètes," of which Charpentier only issued the first six volumes of the plays. There, too, may be seen the notice, as "In the press," of "Poésies d'Alexandre Dumas." 1 vol., 8vo. (2)
(1) "To the actors who played ANGELE. My friends, we have had a family success; let us take it and share it. Yours, Alex. Dumas."
(2) At the same time these poems were announced in Brussels. They did not appear, in fact there has never appeared an edition in print. The best so available is that gathered together by M. Glinel in his work on Dumas.
This first edition carries an etched frontispiece by Célestin Nanteuil.
In 1834 "Angèle" appeared also in Vol. IV. of the collected plays issued by Charpentier.
In the following year, 1835, it was reprinted in the "Magasin Théâtral," Paris, Marchant, large 8vo. of two columns, pp. 36.
It is now obtainable in the "Théâtre Complet" issued by Calmann-Lévy, in Vol. III. of the 15 Vol. edition, and in Vol. IV. of that in 25 Vols.
Pamphlets, etc. :—
"Angèle, drame, vengé des critiques et des détracteurs," Paris, Sétier, 1834, pp. 8.
"Angèle, drame en cinq actes, narré et commenté par Mme. Gibou à ses commères Mmes. Pochet, La Lyonnaise, etc." (Par M. Roberge.) Paris, Marchant, Laisné, 1834, 8vo., pp. 56.
References :—
Dumas: "Mes Mémoires," Chapter CCXLV. Quérard: "Supercheries Littéraires Dévoilées," Vol. I., Columns 1065,1093.
Parigot: "Le Drame d'Alexandre Dumas," pp. 365-75. Parran: "Bibliographie d'Alexandre Dumas," pp. 25, 32.
"Etudes sur la Littérature Française au XIXe. Siècle," par A. Vinet; Paris, Ducloux, 1849-51, 2 vols. Contains a criticism of "Angèle," in Vol. II., pp. 569-574.
