Marivaux Plays: Double Inconstancy;False Servant;Game of Love & Chance;Careless Vows;Feigned Inconstancy;1-act plays (World Classics) - Softcover

Pierre Marivaux

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0413185605 ISBN 13: 9780413185600

Publisher: Methuen Drama, 1988

Synopsis

Marivaux's light-hearted comedies of love and intrigue are enjoying a vigorous revival


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One of the most original of French eighteenth century dramatists, Marivaux wrote over thirty comedies of love and intrigue. This, the only major single-volume selection of Marivaux's plays in English, brings together five full-length and five shorter pieces in lively translations by John Bowen, Michael Sadler, John Walters, Donald Watson and Nicholas Wright.

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About this title

About the Author

Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (1688-1763) was a French playwright, novelist, and journalist whose work is characterized by an extreme subtlety of language and feeling. This idiosyncratic style was referred to, originally disparagingly though now more respectfully, as Marivaudage. Marie-Nicolas Bouillet writes in her <I>Dictionnaire Universel</I>: "It is this that constitutes Marivaudage - a fastidious affectation in the style, a great subtlety in the feelings, and an immense complication in the plots." Marivaux began his career as a journalist and haunter of fashionable salons. In 1720, however, he lost his fortune and quickly produced three plays, two of which, <I>L'Amour et la Vérité</I> and <I>Arlequin Poli par l'Amour</I>, were performed by the Comédie-Italienne whilst the third, <I>Annibal</I>, was performed by the Comédie-Française. Although Marivaux continued to write for both companies, the majority of his plays were written for the Italian troupe, whose productions proved far more successful, perhaps because they better appreciated the refinements of his style. In the 20th century Marivaux's sophisticated plotting, keen sense of psychological nuance, and strong female roles have gained increasing recognition. Recent decades have seen frequent revivals of his plays by the Comédie-Française. For many years it was thought that Marivaux's comedies were virtually untranslatable due to the subtlety of the language, but several of his works have been successfully performed in English since the mid 1970s.

Edition details

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0413185605
• ISBN 13: 9780413185600
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 560