Moliere: A Theatrical Life

By Virginia Scott

Book Overview

Moli re'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 dell rte in Paris, which won the George Freedley Award for the best book in theater studies in 1991.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521782813
• ISBN13: 9780521782814
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Moliere Book Review

This is a good modern review of Moliere's life. Although the movie "Moliere" is excellent in its treatment of the subject, this book helps one understand Moliere's complicated life in theater a little better.

Overall a good book.

I am a passionate fan of Moliere, so I was quite excited when I ordered this book. Scott does a good job of going over the controversies in his life, as well as letting the reader know when the historical sources fail to shed enough light on important issues in his career. There is however quite a bit of tedious information about circumstances of his time, as well as being written in a style much more personal and informal than I would have expected from Cambridge publishers. Sometimes she takes liberties about his life and motives. The book has pictures inside, and a wealth of quotes that are also available in their native French at the back of the book which I really enjoyed reading in both languages. Overall, this book is a great start to the life of one of the greatest satirists of all time in English.