Séjour’s Spectacles

Abstract

Abstract Victor Séjour was an important Black American dramatist who lived in Paris and wrote in French, both factors that contribute to his comparative neglect by US literary scholars. Séjour wrote many plays, and their recurrent theme is the problem of tyranny. This chapter focuses on two works, Richard III and Les Volontaires de 1812, demonstrating how they develop his argument that monarchy, as represented by the Napoleons, is tyranny’s most effective antidote. Crucial context for understanding Séjour’s dramatic priorities is established through the history of the melodrama and the French dramatic tradition, as well as reference to his early years in New Orleans. Across his dramatic works, Séjour explores how to curb tyranny’s perversions, proposing that dominated persons can prevail only when they unite around communal, rather than individual, interests.