The Public Mirror: Moliere and the Social Commerce of Depiction (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780226591520)

Though much beloved and widely produced, Moli鑽e's satirical comedies pose a problem for those reading or staging his works today: how can a genre associated with biting caricature and castigation deliver engaging theater? Instead of simply dismissing social satire as a foundation for Moli鑽e's theater, as many have done, Larry F. Norman takes seriously Moli鑽e's claim that his satires are first and foremost effective theater.

Pairing close readings of Moli鑽e's comedies with insightful accounts of French social history and aesthetics, Norman shows how Moli鑽e conceived of satire as a "public mirror" provoking dynamic exchange and conflict with audience members obsessed with their own images. Drawing on these tensions, Moli鑽e portrays characters satirizing one another on stage, with their reactions providing dramatic conflict and propelling comic dialogue. By laying bare his society's system of imagining itself, Moli鑽e's satires both enthralled and enraged his original audience and provide us with a crucial key to the classical culture of representation.


Author: Larry F. Norman
ISBN-10: 0226591522
ISBN-13: 9780226591520
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Language: English
Published: 12/15/1999
Pages: 226
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.73lbs
Size: 9.05h x 6.09w x 0.55d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 08/01/2000 pg. 186