The Would-Be Gentleman
by Molière · Le Bourgeois gentilhomme
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1670
- Form
- Comedy
- Language
- French
- Length
- Short · 100 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Approachable1 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Would-Be Gentleman, in The Miser and Other Plays, translated by John Wood and David CowardPenguin Classics, 2000Readable prose with the ballet interludes retained.
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Monsieur Jourdain, a rich cloth merchant's son, spends his money on masters of music, dancing, fencing and philosophy in the hope of passing as a nobleman, and discovers with delight that he has been speaking prose all his life. He refuses to let his daughter marry a commoner, so her suitor disguises himself as the son of the Grand Turk and confers a bogus title on Jourdain in a mock ceremony. A comedy-ballet with music by Lully, written for Louis XIV's court.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Would-Be Gentleman are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.