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See also: Oedipus the King 34–39 ■ Candide 96–97 ■ Le Cid 103 ■
Phèdre 103– 04 ■ Pride and Prejudice 118–19 ■ The Picture of Dorian Gray 194A
fascination with all things
classical overtook Europe
during the Enlightenment
period (1650–1800). The ancient
Greek ideals of form, clarity, and
elegance inspired a neoclassical
movement in all the arts, with
France leading the way in the field
of literature. The classical influence
was most apparent in French
drama, which during the 17th
century adopted a reinterpretation
of the conventions of Greek theater,
as described in Aristotle’s Poetics.
This stylized drama in verse
frequently took the form of
tragedies, which often reflected
Greek mythological themes (a
notable source of inspiration for
Jean Racine), but there was a
growing public demand for comedy,
which was met by the witty plays
of Molière (1622–1673).A comedy of manners
Molière’s major contribution was the
“comedy of manners,” satirizing the
mores of the time with larger-than-
life characters such as Alceste, the
protagonist of The Misanthrope,whose cantankerous rejection of
politesse (superficial, insincere
politeness) is challenged when
he falls for a society girl, Célimène.
Fooled by her flirting, he begins
to act in exactly the manner he
despises in others, but reverts
to his usual character when
criticizing the sentimental poem
of a nobleman. This gets him into
legal trouble, and loses him friends,
so he seeks solace (in vain) with
the flighty Célimène. While poking
fun at Alceste’s misanthropy,
Molière also exposes the hypocrisy
of 17th-century courtly manners,
in the spirit of the comedies of
the Greek dramatist Aristophanes.
The success of Molière’s
comedies, including The School
for Wives, Tartuffe, and The Miser,
marked the beginning of an era of
elegant, witty theater that continued
through the 18th century. The genre
caught on in England, inspiring a
line of work that can be traced from
Restoration comedy, through Oliver
Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley
Sheridan (and novelists such as
Jane Austen), to Oscar Wilde. ■TO ESTEEM EVERYTHING
IS TO ESTEEM NOTHING
THE MISANTHROPE (1666), MOLIÈRE
IN CONTEXT
FOCUS
French neoclassicismBEFORE
1637 Pierre Corneille’s
“tragicomedy” Le Cid is
performed in Paris to popular
acclaim, but criticized by the
Académie française for not
observing the classical unities.1653 Earliest performance of
The Rivals, the first of Philippe
Quinault’s prolific output
of comedies, tragicomedies,
and lesser known tragedies.AFTER
1668 Jean de la Fontaine
adapts his collection of
Fables from classical sources,
including Aesop and
Phaedrus, stretching the
metrical verse of the time.
1671 Molière, Corneille, and
Quinault collaborate on
Psyché, a tragicomic ballet.
1677 Phèdre continues Jean
Racine’s series of tragedies on
Greek mythological themes.US_090-091_Misanthrope_Marvell.indd 90 08/10/2015 13:04