ABSTRACT
William D Howarth sets Le Mariage de Figaro and Beaumarchais's other dramatic works in the broad historical context of pre-revolutionary France, providing a unique and authoritative study of the dramatist and his plays. He presents detailed analyses of the plays themselves, discussing their critical receptions, their influence on drama of the period and their legacy. Included is a discussion of the operatic adaptations: Mozart's Mariage de Figaro and Rossini's Le Barbier de Seville. The author also provides analyses of sketches and fragments only recently re-discovered.
Beaumarchais and the Theatre is a comprehensive and much needed study of one of the most significant playwrights of the turbulent eighteenth century. It is invaluable reading for students of theatre history.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |5 pages
Introduction
part |43 pages
The Making of a Dramatist
chapter |7 pages
Watchmaker, Musician, Courtier
chapter |12 pages
Pamphleteer and Public Figure
chapter |9 pages
Diplomat and Secret Agent
chapter |13 pages
Beaumarchais and the Revolution
part |51 pages
The Context of a Career
chapter |17 pages
Theatres and Theatregoing in the Ancien Régime
chapter |17 pages
Dramatic Writing in the Eighteenth Century
chapter |15 pages
The Theatre and Authority in the Eighteenth Century
part |123 pages
The Plays