Bibliography

Edelman, Nathan, ed. "Molière." In A Critical Bibliography of French Literature: The Seventeenth Century, Vol. III, pp. 226-43. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1961.

Bibliography of criticism on Molière's works.

Criticism

Cholakian, Patricia Francis. "The 'Woman Question' in Molière's Misanthrope." French Review: Journal of the American Association of Teachers of French LVIII, No. 4 (March 1985): 524-32.

Focuses on the portrayal of women and communication between the sexes in Le misanthrope.

Cruickshank, John, ed. French Literature and Its Background. 6 vols. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.

Includes an analysis of Molière's major works. Also provides essays on such relevant topics as "Religion and Society," "Social Structure and Social Change," and "Louis XIV and the Arts."

Ekstein, Nina. "The Portrait on Stage in Molière's Theater." Romance Quarterly 36, No. 1 (February 1989): 3-14.

Discusses "literary portraiture" in Molière's plays in relation to stagecraft and characterization.

Gaines, James F. "The Burlesque Récit in Molière's Greek Plays." The French Review LII, No. 3 (February 1979): 393-400.

Discusses the role of the clownish servant in a group of Molière's plays with Greek settings: La Princesse d'Elide, Mélicerte, Amphitryon, and Les Amants magnifiques.

Gossman, Lionel. Men and Masks: A Study of Molière. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins Press, 1963, 310 p.

Offers critical analysis of the following works: Amphitryon, Dom Juan, Le Misanthrope, Le Tartuffe, and George Dandin.

Howarth, W.D. "Classicism: the Creative Years 1660-1680." In French Literature from 1600 to the Present, rev. ed., pp. 17-26. London: Methuen & Co., 1974.

Discusses the cultural values of honnêteté and préciosité that influenced seventeenth-century dramatists.

Jones, Dorothy F. "Love and Friendship in Le Misanthrope." Romance Notes XXIII, No. 2 (Winter 1982): 164-69.

Argues that "a proper acknowledgment of the relationship between Philinte and Alceste is crucial to our understanding of Le Misanthrope."

——. "The Treasure in the Garden: Biblical Imagery in L'Avare." Papers on French Seventeenth Century Literature XV, No. 29 (1988): 5167-28.

Examines the symbolism of Harpagon's "chère cassette" in L 'Avare.

Lawrence, Francis L. Molière: The Comedy of Unreason. Tulane Studies in Romance Languages and Literature, No. 2. New Orleans, La.: Tulane University, 1968, 119 p.

Presents "a treatment in chronological order of the early plays, the work before the great controversial pieces, Tartuffe, Dont Juan and Le Misanthrope."

McBride, Robert. The Sceptical Vision of Molière: A Study in Paradox. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1977, 250 p.

In-depth analysis of Molière's dramas, examining autobiographical and literary influences.

Peacock, N.A. "The Comic Role of the 'Raisonneur' in Molière's Theatre." The Modern Language Review 76, No. 2 (April 1981): 298-310.

Discusses the ambiguity and paradox surrounding the role of the raisonneur in Molière's plays.

——. "Lessons Unheeded: The Dénouement of Le Misanthrope" Nottingham French Studies 29, No. 1 (Spring 1990): 10-20.

Examines the ambiguous ending of The Misanthrope, which has frequently been interpreted as tragic, attempting to "reaffirm the comic status of the dénouement."

Phillips, Henry. "Molière and Tartuffe: Recrimination and Reconciliation." The French Review 62, No. 5 (April 1989): 749-63.

Discusses the debate surrounding Molière's alleged anticlericalism in relation to Tartuffe.

Riggs, Larry W. "Ethics, Debts, and Identity in Dom Juan" In Romance Quarterly 34, No. 2 (May 1987): 141-46.

Discusses the theme of the relationship between individual identity and society in Dom Juan.

Shaw, David. "Harpagon's Monologue." Nottingham French Studies 23, No. 1 (May 1984): 1-11.

Suggests that the "scene of Harpagon's monologue [in L'Avare] both reflects and concentrates the complexity of the play as a whole."

——. "Molière's Temporary Happy Endings." French Studies: A Quarterly Review XLV, No. 2 (April 1991): 129-42.

Examines unconventional aspects of the denouements of Molière's plays.

Spingler, Michael. "The Actor and the Statue: Space, Time, and Court Performance in Molière's Dom Juan." Comparative Drama 25, No. 4 (Winter 1991/92): 351-68.

Focuses on Molière's handling of scenic structure in relation to the codes of social "performance" which governed seventeenth-century life at court.

Sylvester, Joy. "Molière's Dom Juan: Charity's Prodigal Son." Romance Notes XXXII, No. 1 (Fall 1991): 23-27.

Offers an analysis of act III, scene 2 of Dom Juan, which is considered an important and controversial episode in French drama.

Wagner, Monique. Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century: Molière and the Age of Enlightenment, vol. CXII. Banbury, Oxfordshire: Voltaire Foundation, 1973.

Includes discussion of the popular and critical reception of Molière's works during the eighteenth century.

Zwillenberg, Myrna Kogan. "Dramatic Justice in Tartuffe" Modern Language Notes 90, No. 4 (1975): 583-90.

Considers the effectiveness of Molière's use of a deus ex machina in Act V of Tartuffe.