«Tout ce qui se chante vaut la peine d’être dit». Ernest Legouvé e la lettura in azione fra teatro e parola

The essay deals with the theoretical production of the French playwright Ernest Legouvé (1807-1903) in the development of declamation as a pedagogical field. The essays on "L'art de la lecture" (1877), "La lecture en action" (1881), "La lecture en famille" (1882) propose a practical and theoretical normative system intended for both the stage and the civil context. In collaboration with some famous French and Italian actors and actresses of the time, Legouvé developed one of the most systematic contributions on the art of reading in the French-speaking world, achieving an international success as well. In the French socio-political context of the second half of the century, this interest culminated in the introduction of the teaching of declamation in the sphere of the public instruction and gave birth to a generation of theatre enthusiast even beyond the theatrical sphere.