The purpose of this thesis is to examine evidences of dramatic technique in Diderot's three major fictional works, "La Reliieuse," "Le Neveu de Rameau," and "Jaccues le fataliste." The management of dialogue, setting, and gesture is of particular concern, along with style and structure and the recurrent theme of the actor. The conclusion reached is that the influence of dramatic technique is everywhere present in the three works under consideration. Diderot enlists the reader's visual and auditory participation by the use of fast-paced dialogue, striking gestures, and dynamic settings. He also borrows certain stylistic and structural devices from the theater and enhances the dramatic impression by presenting many of his main characters as actors playing their own special roles.

The study is a comparative analysis of Stendhal's romantic interpretation and Flaubert's realistic interpretation of outdated myths. The first purpose of the study is to reveal the linear development of Julien Sorel and Emma Bovary in quest of their respective myths. The second is to reveal technical devices used by the authors that lead to diverse interpretations of the myths. The sources of data used in the study are Le Rouge et le noir and Madame Bovary and secondary materials concerning the two novels. The study is divided into five chapters including an introduction, two chapters that develop Julien's and Emma's respective myths, a chapter concerning technical devices used in the novels and a conclusion.