THE STORY: Fearing cuckoldry above all else, Arnolphe has painstakingly trained the guileless Agnes from childhood to become his obedient and faithful wife. Although he has carefully shielded her from the outside world, romance finds her in the for

School for wives: Fearing cuckoldry above all else, Arnolphe has painstakingly trained the guileless Agnes from childhood to become his obedient and faithful wife. Although he has carefully shielded her from the outside world, romance finds her in the form of the dashing Horace, son of one of Arnolphe's best friends. Unaware of who his rival is, the trusting Horace enlists Arnolphe's aid in wooing Agnes—that leads to a series of hilarious and inventive twists and turns of plot, until the inevitable conclusion is reached: The wily Arnolphe is duped into outwitting himself, and young love, as it will, carries the day. --From publisher's description.

'Why does he write those ghastly plays that the whole of Paris flocks to see? And why does he paint such lifelike portraits that everyone recognizes themselves?' Moliere, The Impromptu at Versailles This volume brings together four of Moliere's greatest verse comedies covering the best years of his prolific writing career. Actor, director, and playwright, Moliere (1622-73) was one of the finest and most influential French dramatists, adept at portraying human foibles and puncturing pomposity. The School for Wives was his first great success; Tartuffe, condemned and banned for five years, his most controversial play. The Misanthrope is his acknowledged masterpiece, and The Clever Women his last, and perhaps best-constructed, verse piece. In addition this collection includes a spirited attack on his enemies and a defence of his theatre, in the form of two sparkling short plays, The School for Wives Criticized and The Impromptu at Versailles. Moliere's prose plays are available in a complementary Oxford World's Classics edition, Don Juan and Other Plays. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Seven plays by the genius of French theater. Including The Ridiculous Precieuses, The School for Husbands, The School for Wives, Don Juan, The Versailles Impromptu, and The Critique of the School for Wives, this collection showcases the talent of perhaps the greatest and best-loved French playwright. Translated and with an Introduction by Donald M. Frame With a Foreword by Virginia Scott And a New Afterword by Charles Newell

One of the most accomplished American poets of his generation, Richard Wilbur (1921-2017) was also a prolific translator of French and Russian literature. His verse translations of Moliere's plays are especially admired by readers and are still performed today in theatres around the world. 'Wilbur,' the critic John Simon once wrote, 'makes Moliere into as great an English verse playwright as he was a French one.' Now, for the first time, all ten of Wilbur's unsurpassed translations of Moliere's plays are brought together in two-volume Library of America edition, fulfilling the poet's vision for the translations.

In translating Molière’s 5-act comedy, Maria-Cristina Necula fulfills her mission: to be as faithful to the original as possible, while transferring that fidelity to a contemporary context. Maintaining the original’s 12-syllable Alexandrine verse and rhyming couplets while using contemporary English idiomatic expressions in translating phrases that, during Molière’s time, were considered contemporary, she brings this translation into the English language of today. Paying tribute to the musicality of the French original, she beautifully transfers that musicality into English. “Most importantly, perhaps, is the question of the texture of a translation, the manner in which the threads of meaning are interwoven in a piece. In her sensitive and fine translation of “L’École des femmes”, Maria-Cristina Necula has captured the texture of Molière’s comedic universe. Needless to say, this is no small achievement.”(Philippa Wehle)