Henri Peyre

John Cruickshank

William Driver Howarth

French Literature from 1600 to the Present

In Beaumarchais and the Theatre, William D. Howarth recounts the colorful and remarkable life of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-1799), author of Le Mariage de Figaro. Framing the life of Beaumarchais within the broad historical context of pre-revolutionary France, Howarth considers the momentous events of the mid-to-late eighteenth century which shaped both political and theatrical history.Beaumarchais and the Theatre includes analyses of Beaumarchais plays which discuss their critical receptions, their influence on contemporary drama and their legacy. In addition, Howarth provides analyses of sketches and fragments only recently re-discovered, as well as a discussion of the operatic adaptations of Le Marriage de Figaro and Le Barbier de Seville by Mozart and Rossini respectively. Beaumarchais and the Theatre is acomprehensive, authoritative study of one of the most significant playwrights to emerge from eighteenth-century France. It will prove an invaluable contribution to the field of theater history.

Beaumarchais and the Theatre

Edward Forman

John Golder

Jan Clarke

William D. Howarth

Michael O'Regan

This 1997 book covers the period which saw the establishment in France of a centralized official theatre - not only the Comédie-Française (the first 'national' theatre), but an Italian theatre and a state opera; the often subversive independent theatres are also discussed. Nearly 1,000 documents deal with censorship and other aspects of external control, company management, the acting profession, dramatic theory and criticism, theatre architecture, settings and costumes, audience composition and behaviour. Over 120 pictorial documents - architectural drawings, technical engravings, frontispieces, portraits, etc. - provide a visual dimension where relevant. A full linking narrative and a copious bibliography help to make this an important reference work and a valuable research tool.

French Theatre in the Neo-classical Era, 1550-1789

Will Grayburn Moore

Le Misanthrope ; of Moliere

W. D. Howarth

This study explores the evolution of Molière's comedy as a careful amalgamation of comedy and philosophical satire.

Molière: A Playwright and His Audience

William Driver Howarth

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