The Whole Art of the Stage

Fran\u00e7ois H\u00e9delin, abb\u00e9 d\u2019Aubignac, was a 17th-century French critic and playwright who influenced dramatic standards. His most significant work, La Pratique du th\u00e9\u00e2tre (1657), translated as The Whole Art of the Stage, argued that stage action must be credible to the audience. Aubignac proposed that plays should occur within a limited timeframe, avoid scene changes, and have a restricted number of actors to prevent confusion. Despite low sales, his work was influential in shaping French Classical taste, particularly for playwrights like Corneille and Racine. He also advocated for reorganizing French theatre to elevate the status of comedies.1