Molière
A Theatrical Life
$47.99 (P)
- Author: Virginia Scott, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Date Published: June 2002
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521012386
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47.99
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Paperback
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Molière's long-lost trunk of letters and manuscripts has yet to be found amidst the dust of some Parisian attic, but in spite of that, a story of his life can be told from documentary evidence, reminiscence, gossip and innuendo, and inferences from his plays. He was very much a man of his time and place, and this new biography, the first to be written in English since 1930, places the great actor/playwright in his historical context as the son of well-to-do bourgeois and student at the Jesuit College de Clermont in the 1630's, as one of a group of stage-struck hopefuls and as a vagabond actor in the provinces in the 1640's and 50's, and--from 1658 to his death in 1673--as a clever courtier, a faithful friend, a not-so-faithful lover, a successful and controversial playwright striking out against hypocrisy in religion and medicine, and a cynical survivor of the literary, cultural, and marital wars. Virginia Scott is Professor of Theater at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has published numerous articles in Theater Survey, Theater Journal, and Theater Research International as well as writing the book The Commedia dellÀrte in Paris, which won the George Freedley Award for the best book in theater studies in 1991.
Read more- Was the first full-length biography about Molière to be written in English since 1930
- Scott writes for the specialist as well as for the general reader. The potential audience will include undergraduates, graduates, scholars and theatre enthusiasts
- Biography of a widely studied and performed playwright
Reviews & endorsements
"The strength of her [Scott's] book...lies less in its portrait of Moli`ere himself than in the densely researched and pervasive background against which she is able to situate him....What she does do is arrestingly illuminate the complex world of theatre and court, both in Paris and elsewhere, that finally constitutes almost all that can really be known of Moli`ere's life." Economist
See more reviews"In the first biography of MoliD'ere in English since 1930, [Scott] threads her way gracefully and wittily through this tangle of information to build up a credible portrait of the playwright... Scott spends much time on Moliére's historical context, relationships, economic and political life, and artistic struggles and develops an excellent portrait of his theater and the state of drama in his time. ... Highly recommended." Library Journal
"Ms. Scott provides valuable correctives here. The strength of her book lies less in its portrait of Molière himself than in the densely researched and pervasive background against which she is able to situate him....What she does do is arrestingly illuminate the complex world of theatre and court, both in Paris and elsewhere, that finally constitutes almost all that can really be known of Molière's life." Economist
"...eminently readable... scholarly without lapsing into jargon, witty without straining to be clever, flavorously personal but never self-indulgent." Washington Post
"Nobody knew that the middle classes had manners of their own, rather than just aspirations to other people's, until Moliere emerged to mock them. One of the virtues of Scott's biography is that he shows just how thoroughly bourgeois and Parisian an upbringing Molière had." The New Yorker
"...conscientiously researched..." The New York Review of Books
"a fine biography of an interesting man who deserves to be better known. My chapeau is respectfully doffed to Scott for an excellent job." Greenwich, CT Time
"Nobody knew that the middle classes had manners of their own, rather than just aspirations to other people's, until Moliere emerged to mock them. One of the virtues of Scott's biography is that he shows just how thoroughly bourgeois and Parisian an upbringing Moliere had." The New Yorker
"...crammed with theatrical information." Dallas Morning News
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×Product details
- Date Published: June 2002
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521012386
- length: 344 pages
- dimensions: 227 x 153 x 19 mm
- weight: 0.47kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
2. Madeleine
3. The Illustre Théâtre
4. Exile
5. Return to Paris
6. Husbands and Wives
7. The Courtier
8. Enemies
9. Friends
10. Marriage (and Love)
11. Last Act
12. Envoi
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