Marivaux and Moliere are, respectively, the greatest comedy writers of the eighteenth and seventeenth centuries. Whereas a library of critical material exists on Moliere, Marivaux has benefited from less commentary, and many questions concerning this eighteenth-century playwright remain unanswered. Among these, of primary importance is his relationship with Moliere. The present study represents an illuminating discussion of this relationship. It devotes a chapter to each of Marivaux's plays that recalls any aspect of Moliere's comedies. Without detracting from Marivaux's basic originality, Dr. Cismaru shows that Marivaux's alleged scorn for his illustrious predecessor did not prevent him from using molieresque scenes, tone, and vocabulary.The first book-length study of the relationship between Moliere and Marivaux is lucidly written and free from technical jargon. It should benefit both the student of the two playwrights and the specialist.

The last thirty years have seen a renewed interest in the novels, plays, and essays of Marivaux. Each year more of his work is made available to the public in partial editions. More and better studies have appeared, superseding the old and, in the last thirty years, almost all of his plays have been performed. Today no corder of his work remains unexplored: our knowledge of his life, which had been until recently a tissue of fancy and anecdote, has been enhanced by the discovery of a few facts. This critical study of the entire body of Marviaux's writings sets out to tell whether this attention represents a securely established place for Marivaux among the great French writers, or simply a vogue. It consists of a careful analysis of the individual works, in chronological order rather than in systematic groups, as is customary, showing the development of Marivaux's thinking, and the intimate relationship among the plays, novels, and essays of any given period. A history of the reception of the works, by scholars and critics from Marivaux's time to the present, presents succinctly the historical perspective through which the modern reader may understand the long indifference to Marivaux in France and his contemporary "discovery." Professor Greene's work will be of great value to all students of the eighteenth century in France. Because of his lively interest in the theatre arts it will also be valuable for directors planning to produce the plays of Marivaux.