Cyrano de Bergerac (Enriched Classics) - Softcover

Rostand, Edmond

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743487753 ISBN 13: 9780743487757

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2004

Synopsis

Edmond Rostand's classic romance tells the unforgettable story of one unique man's bravery, loyalty, and unspoken love.

Set in seventeenth century Paris, the action revolves around the emotional problems of the noble, swashbuckling Cyrano, who, despite his many gifts, feels that no woman can ever love him because he has an enormous nose. Secretly in love with the lovely Roxane, Cyrano agrees to help his inarticulate rival, Christian, win her heart by allowing him to present Cyrano's love poems, speeches, and letters as his own work. Eventually Christian recognizes that Roxane loves him for Cyrano's qualities, not his own, and he asks Cyrano to confess his identity to Roxane; Christian then goes off to a battle that proves fatal. Cyrano remains silent about his own part in Roxane's courtship. As he is dying years later, he visits Roxane and recites one of the love letters. Roxane realizes that it is Cyrano she loves, and he dies content. Cyrano de Bergerac was based only nominally on the 17th century nobleman of the same name, known for his bold adventures and large nose.

This edition includes:
-A concise introduction that gives readers important background information
-A chronology of the author's life and work
-A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context
-An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations
-Detailed explanatory notes
-Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work
-Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction
-A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

About this title

About the Author

Edmond Rostand was born in Marseille into a wealthy and cultured Provençal family. His father was an economist and a poet. Rostand studied literature, history, and philosophy at the Collège Stanislas in Paris. Rostand abandoned his law studies in 1890 when his first book of poems appeared. At the age of 29, Rostand wrote his most successful and well-known play-Cyrano de Bergerac. When Cyrano was performed, the enthusiasm at the premiere became unexpected--people wept and it is told that the author was pelted with ladies' gloves and fans. Rostand revitalized the old romantic drama in verse. When naturalism was the major movement in literature, Rostand took up old themes and followed the tradition of Victor Hugo. Edmond Rostand died of pneumonia in Paris on December 2, 1918.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743487753
• ISBN 13: 9780743487757
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 216