In Passing Judgement, Hélène Bilis examines how an overlooked character-type—the royal judge—remained a constant of the tragic genre throughout the 17th century.

Hélène E. Bilis is an assistant professor in the Department of French at Wellesley College.

"This book is an excellent addition to scholarship on both humanist and classical French theater."

Hélène Visentin, Department of French, Smith College:

“In Passing Judgement, Hélène Bilis proposes a new study on the evolution of French tragedy. She eloquently shows how the tragic genre is permeable to various aesthetics and does not necessarily bind to a set of rigid rules.”

Harriet Stone, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Washington University in St Louis:

“Bilis writes with admirable clarity as she traces a fine line of research and thinking about dramatic history and court culture during this period. She makes a valuable contribution to seventeenth-century French studies and to theatre history.”