In London, in 1770, Chatterton, a penniless young poet, occupies a room with the wealthy industrialist John Bell.The precariousness of his living conditions hampers his creative genius and the comfort provided by the love of Kitty Bell is not enough to save him from despair. This romantic drama, which Vigny described as a "drama of thought", offers one of the first representations of the figure of the "accursed poet" in the face of materialism and the individualism of society.
The prefacer Oliver Rohe, contemporary novelist, returns, in his preface, to the figure of the writer in the grip of isolation which still haunts literature today.
The dossier By Sophie Vanden Abeele, lecturer in 19th century literature at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne. Three reading tracks: 1. The structure of the play, 2. The characters: martyrs and executioners, 3. A drama of thought.
