Harriet J. Bauman
There is a videotape of
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
available for borrowing from the Yale Teachers Institute on Wall Street in New Haven, Connecticut.
Alter, Jean V.
L’Esprit antibourgeois sous l’Ancien Régime Littérature et tensions sociales aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siEcles
(GenEve: Librairie Droz), 1970.
Good background information of the century, particularly chapters 1,2,3 in the first section, and chapters 1,2,3 in the second section.
Alter, Jean V.
Les Origines de la satire antibourgeoise en France Moyen Age—XVIe siEcle
(Geneve: Librairie Droz), 1966.
Good historical background, particularly chapters 2,3,4 in the first section and chapter 2 in the second section.
Descotes, Maurice.
Les grands r™les du thé‰tre de MoliEre
(Paris: Presses Universitaires de France), 1960.
An interesting look at who played the roles of major characters in MoliEre’s plays through the years, and how the actor and the character must become one in order to make the character believable. Note the Préambule in which MoliEre’s techniques and style are discussed. Chapter VI discusses
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
.
Gossman, Lionel.
Men and Masks A Study of MoliEre
(Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press , 1963.
For our purposes chapter 6 “MoliEre in His Own Time”, and chapter 7 “After MoliEre” discuss MoliEre’s influence and mastery of his craft.
Guicharnaud, Jacques, editor.
MoliEre A Collection of Critical Essays
(Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.), 1964.
Much of this book is useful for a study of MoliEre, such as: the Introduction which gives a background of MoliEre and his works; “MoliEre and Farce” by Gustave Lanson; “The Elementary Rites of MoliEre’s Comedy” by Alfred Simon; “Speech” by Will. G. Moore; “The Comedy of Will” by Ramon Fernandez; “World of Imagination” by René Bray; “The AntiBourgeois” by Paul Benichon; and “The Comic Hero and His Ideals” by Lionel Gossman.
Howarth, W.D. and Merlin Thomas.
MoliEre: Stage and Study Essays in Honour of W.G. Moore
(Oxford: At the Clarendon Press), 1973.
Two essays are useful for our study of
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
: J. Cameron Wilson’s “Expansion and Brevity in MoliEre’s Style,” which discusses MoliEre’s writing techniques, and Mollie Gerard Davis’ “Masters and Servants in the Plays of MoliEre,” which discusses the role servants play and their usefulness to MoliEre’s strategy.
Hubert, J.D.
MoliEre and the Comedy of Intellect
(Berkeley: University of California Press), 1962.
A fascinating study of MoliEre’s plays. Note chapter 18 “A Lesson for a Maecenas” which deals with
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
, and chapter 3 “On the High Cost of Reading” about
Les Precieuses ridicules
. The Preface deals with MoliEre’s style and his themes.
Knutson, Harold C.
MoliEre An Archetypal Approach
(Toronto: Univereity of Toronto Press), 1976.
A discussion of themes and techniques of comedy. Use the Index for information. See pp. 110116 especially.
La Fontaine, Jean de.
Fables choisies mises en vers
Tome II (Paris: Societe les Belles Lettres), 1934.
See Reading List for Students.
La Rochefoucauld, duc de.
Maximes
Classiques Larousse (Paris: Librairie Larousse), 1934.
See Reading List for Students.
Lewis, W.H.
The Splendid Century
(New York, New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.), 1953.
See Reading List for Students.
Mander, Gertrud.
MoliEre
(New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company), 1973.
This book discusses MoliEre as a playwright. It is essential for understanding MoliEre’s comic hero.
MoliEre.
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
Classiques Larousse (Paris: Librairie Larousse), 1970.
See Reading List for Students.
MoliEre.
Les Precieuses ridicules
Nouveaux Classiques Larousse (Paris: Librairie Larousse), 1970.
See Reading List for Students.
Moore W.G.
MoliEre A New Criticism
(Oxford: At the Clarendon Press , 1949.
A useful critique of MoliEre’s plays and techniques.
Mourgues, Odette de. “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme as a Criticism of Civilization”,
MoliEre: Stage and Study Essays in Honour of W.G. Moore
edited by W.D. Howarth and Merlin Thomas (Oxford: At the Clarendon Press), 1973.
An important article for our study. It is a clear explanation of MoliEre’s comedic technique in
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
.
Riggs, Larry W. “The Issues of Nobility and Identity in
Dom Juan
and
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
”
The French Review
, Vol. LIX No. 3, February, 1986.
Another essential article for a study of MoliEre.
Walker, Hallam.
MoliEre
(New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc.), 1971.
See chapters 1,2,3 for background information; and pp. 153Ð157 on
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
.
Wood, John, translator.
The Would
Be Gentleman
(Penguin Books), 1953.
See Reading List for Students.