A production of The school for wives by Moliere, adapted by Miles Malleson

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Colin Thompson (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
David Batcheller

Abstract: Jean Baptiste Poquelin, or Moliere as he is usually remembered, emerges from the seventeenth century as perhaps the greatest writer of French classical comedy that has ever lived. His comedies are not the hollow frameworks of many of his contemporaries, nor are they the improvisations of stock characters from the tradition of commedia dell'arte. Rather, Moliere's plays are a successful attempt to deal with real problems in a situation that renders them amusing. This is not to say, however, that the characters are dealt with in a frivolous manner. On the contrary, Moliere treats his comic figures with great care, endowing each with a genuine human spirit. In a time when affectation was the normal mode of life for the largely self-created intelligentsia, Moliere's writing was refreshingly unaffected. He was a pioneer in the writing of comedy, surpassing all who came before and creating an example that was to be copied by many. Although concerned primarily with the French society he knew, his plays have a universal quality in that, much like Shakespeare, he deals with subjects that are as vital today as they were then and are still worthy of our interest and attention.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1976
Subjects
Molie`re, $d 1622-1673. $t Ecole des femmes
Theater $x Production and direction

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