Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur (Tartuffe, or the Hypocrite)
by Molière
Le Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur is one of the most famous theatrical comedies by Molière where his characteristic qualities are represented better than ever. The characters of Tartuffe, Valère, and Dorine are considered among the greatest classical theater roles. Molière's method of portraying life may not seem to be going too deep; but it is precisely the simplicity with which creations like Tartuffe embody the weakness or vice they represent that has given them their place as universally recognized types of human nature.
As a result of Molière's play, contemporary French and English both use the word "tartuffe" to designate a hypocrite who feigns virtue with fanfare, especially religious virtue, at which hypocritical gesture Molière jabs at throughout the whole play.
Some notes (the shorter and vocabulary oriented ones) are inserted in the text, whereas longer and context providing notes are appended at the end of the play.
About the Author
Molière (stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) (January 15, 1622 – February 17, 1673) was a French playwright and actor and was one of the greatest masters of comedy in literature. His best-known works include Le Misanthrope (The Misanthrope) (1666), L'École des femmes (The School for Wives) (1662), Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite) (1664), L'Avare (The Miser) (1668), Le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) (1673), Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (The Bourgeois Gentleman) (1670), and Les Femmes savantes (The Learned Ladies) of 1672.
He was born in Paris. At age 21, he decided to pursue his inclination and joined a theater company. In his 14 years in Paris, Molière wrote 31 plays performed by his company. Molière is considered the creator of modern French comedy. Not only many words or phrases used in Molière's plays are still used in current French, but parts of dialogues have been imprinted into French people’s memory.
Molière died in 1673, at the age of 51.
About the Bilingual Edition
Project Bilingual (A division of Wolf Pup Books) is a continuing project making available great original French writers' texts along with their English translation. This edition, which offers after every original language paragraph its translation, makes both grammar and vocabulary checks as painless as possible. Idiomatic forms that could be overlooked can be easily detected.
Furthermore, large paragraphs have been broken down to much smaller units so that the check is as effortless as possible. We do hope that by reading French writers that defined the language itself or whose work permeated the French culture, you will be able to get the maximum benefit from this language series. Although this edition is not a replacement for traditional methods of learning language, it is a very powerful tool to speed up the process once you have attained the intermediate level and beyond.
Wolf Pup Books
A Bilingual Ebook Publishing Company
by Molière
Le Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur is one of the most famous theatrical comedies by Molière where his characteristic qualities are represented better than ever. The characters of Tartuffe, Valère, and Dorine are considered among the greatest classical theater roles. Molière's method of portraying life may not seem to be going too deep; but it is precisely the simplicity with which creations like Tartuffe embody the weakness or vice they represent that has given them their place as universally recognized types of human nature.
As a result of Molière's play, contemporary French and English both use the word "tartuffe" to designate a hypocrite who feigns virtue with fanfare, especially religious virtue, at which hypocritical gesture Molière jabs at throughout the whole play.
Some notes (the shorter and vocabulary oriented ones) are inserted in the text, whereas longer and context providing notes are appended at the end of the play.
About the Author
Molière (stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) (January 15, 1622 – February 17, 1673) was a French playwright and actor and was one of the greatest masters of comedy in literature. His best-known works include Le Misanthrope (The Misanthrope) (1666), L'École des femmes (The School for Wives) (1662), Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite) (1664), L'Avare (The Miser) (1668), Le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) (1673), Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (The Bourgeois Gentleman) (1670), and Les Femmes savantes (The Learned Ladies) of 1672.
He was born in Paris. At age 21, he decided to pursue his inclination and joined a theater company. In his 14 years in Paris, Molière wrote 31 plays performed by his company. Molière is considered the creator of modern French comedy. Not only many words or phrases used in Molière's plays are still used in current French, but parts of dialogues have been imprinted into French people’s memory.
Molière died in 1673, at the age of 51.
About the Bilingual Edition
Project Bilingual (A division of Wolf Pup Books) is a continuing project making available great original French writers' texts along with their English translation. This edition, which offers after every original language paragraph its translation, makes both grammar and vocabulary checks as painless as possible. Idiomatic forms that could be overlooked can be easily detected.
Furthermore, large paragraphs have been broken down to much smaller units so that the check is as effortless as possible. We do hope that by reading French writers that defined the language itself or whose work permeated the French culture, you will be able to get the maximum benefit from this language series. Although this edition is not a replacement for traditional methods of learning language, it is a very powerful tool to speed up the process once you have attained the intermediate level and beyond.
Wolf Pup Books
A Bilingual Ebook Publishing Company