Five Classic French Plays

· Courier Corporation
Ebook
282
Pages

About this ebook

Dramas that both entertain and quicken the spirit, these classics are a blend of poetic beauty, intrigue, and rhetoric that have enthralled generations of theatergoers in France and around the world. Each of the authors is a playwright of international repute, whose works nevertheless embody a rigorously French style and tone.
From the pathos of Racine to the comic exuberance of Moliére, the landmark dramas span two centuries of French literary history and represent five different genres: the tragicomedy of Corneille's The Cid (1636)/ Racine's tragic Phaedra (1677); the high comedy of Moliére's The Intellectual Ladies (1672); Marivaux's romantic comedy, The Game of Love and Chance (1730); and the conspiratorial comedy of Beaumarchais' The Barber of Seville (1775).
Vivid translations by noted scholar Wallace Fowlie are remarkable for their faithfulness to the original text. In addition, Mr. Fowlie precedes each text with a brief historical-critical introduction that defines the importance of the play in the history of the French theater, the literary position of the playwright, and the general meaning of the play. Any student or lover of theater will welcome this treasury of masterpieces from the Golden Age of French drama, newly available in an attractive Dover edition at a reasonable price.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.