Product Description

Molière combined all the traditional elements of comedy – wit, slapstick, spectacle and satire – to create richly sophisticated and enduringly popular dramas. The Miser is the story of Harpagon, a mean-spirited old man who becomes obsessed with making money out of the marriage of his children, while The Hypochondriac, another study in obsession, is a brilliant satire on the medical profession. The School for Wives, in which an ageing domestic tyrant is foiled in his plans to marry his young ward, provoked such an outcry that Molière followed it with The School for Wives Criticized – a witty retort to those who disapproved of the play’s supposed immorality. And while Don Juan is the darkest and most tragic of all the plays in this collection, it still mocks the soullessness of the skinflint with scathing irony.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #305700 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-27
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Molière was born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin in Paris in 1622. He began studying law but gave it up in favour of an acting career. A gifted actor, director and writer, he is remembered as the creator of French classical comedy. He died in 1673 aftera performance of The Hypochondriac. John Wood was involved with theatrical productions of Molière as a producer and translator. David Coward is a Professor of French at the University of Leeds. He has translated many French novels and plays.

Customer Reviews

A Good Laugh
The introduction to this book helps put the plays in their correct context with the times they were written and the traditions of the French theatre. Moliere was an actor-manager/ playwright who wrote farces and satires that still please audiences today. His characters are three dimensional and believable, and he shows great insight into psychology and observational comedy. The great thing about reading these plays is the scarcity of stage directions making it is to read without loads of distractions. The plays are full of scintillating dialogue and the characters play off each other. In this book you have farces on marriage, satires on the medical profession and making money, along with his great satire 'The School for Wives Criticized' where he mocks intellectual pretensions and verbiosity. This book is an enjoyable read that shows the range of Moliere, and that he knew what the paying public want.