Les adaptations mélodramatiques des romans de François Guillaume Ducray-Duminil

The aim of the present paper is to examine the relations between the novels, published by François Guillaume Ducray-Duminil (1761–1819), and their melodramatic adaptations, w ith a particular emphasis being set on the works of René-Charles Guilbert de Pixerécourt (1773–1844). After comparing fragments of the novels with certain extracts of the melodramas, the article focuses on the similarities between the two sets of texts as well as on Ducray-Duminil’s attitude towards the fact that countless playwrights used to draw on his works in order to create their melodramas. The paper concludes with a short analysis of reasons why Ducray-Duminil’s novels were so popular amongst the dramatic writers of his times.