Overview
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
Table of contents (7 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
Reviews
“In this important new monograph, Julia Prest sets the five most intense years of the Tartuffe controversy — the period of its banning, from 1664 to 1669 — in the context of the varied interests competing for authority in society and, especially, for influence over the young king. … Julia Prest’s attractively written monograph is now essential reading for understanding the text of the play itself, and the whole controversy that surrounded it.” (Richard Maber, Oxford University Press Journals – French Studies, Vol. 71, January, 2017)
“Julia Prest’s Controversy in French Drama: Molière’s Tartuffe and the Struggle for Influence elucidates standard narratives of the 1664–69 Tartuffe controversy and adds new dimensions by examining a wide swath of primary and secondary sources. … Grounded in religious history and synthesizing French-language and English-language scholarship on Tartuffe, this book is sure to have a long shelf life. Prest provides crucial literary and historical context, clearly articulating the stakes of the Tartuffe debates.” (Daniel Smith, Comparative Drama, Vol. 50 (1), September, 2016)
"The Shape of [Prest's] argument is essentially chiastic, with the 'struggle for influence' of the first and last chapters encasing three central pieces which focus, relatedly, on the nature and meaning of true and false devotion in the period . . . The valuable insight which Prest affords is to bring out how, as a result, the presence of moral goodness is seen to lie most clearly outside, rather than within, the parameters of Christianity. The book adopts a clearly articulated line of argument and, in doing so, brings history, spirituality, and theatre into an enlightening synthesis." - Times Literary Supplement
"Julia Prest presents a precisely detailed and subtly argued examination of the religious and political context of the 'querelle de Tartuffe'. Carefully considering the contemporary meaning of 'zealotry' and 'hypocrisy', she gives a fascinating account of the power-play between the young King and his religious advisors, together with rare insights into the secret workings of the Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement, thereby casting new light on the controversy surrounding this most popular of works." - Jan Clarke, Professor of French, Durham University, UK
"In a crystal-clear and vivid style, Julia Prest sheds new light on Molière's Tartuffe controversy (1664-1669). Re-reading Tartuffe alongside Bossuet's sermons and Louis XIV's memoirs, she enlightens the ferocious struggle that opposed religious and lay conceptions of the State in France and brilliantly re-examines the famous debate on hypocrisy. A highly stimulating historical and political evaluation of Molière's masterwork." - Gilles Declercq, Professor and Director of the Drama Research Center, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, France
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Controversy in French Drama
Book Subtitle: Molière’s Tartuffe and the Struggle for Influence
Authors: Julia Prest
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137344007
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: Palgrave Theatre & Performance Collection, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Nature America Inc. 2014
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-34399-4Published: 23 December 2013
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-46594-1Published: 09 November 2015
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-34400-7Published: 01 January 2014
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 247
Topics: Theatre History, Modern History, History of France, Performing Arts, Arts, Theatre and Performance Studies