Suchergebnisse

A study of Moliere (M) gives some ideas of the dangers of using literature as a source of soc history. M undoubtedly had an intimate knowledge of contemporary society & prided himself on depicting it as it really was. But a description of SC's based on his plays would be something of a caricature. The servant class seems to be bountifully endowed with common sense, & his nobility is deliberately untypical out of fear of antagonizing his titled audience. Although he is of bourgeois origin, the morality of his plays is Bohemian rather than Me & he depicts the bourgeoisie in an unfavorable light. But the universality of his plays does not detract from his usefulness as a portrayer of contemporary manners. They are mines of information concerning such things as life in bourgeois households, business institutions, contemporary preciosity & the gulf between Paris & the provinces. (IPSA).