The School for Wives / The Learned Ladies

by Molière, Richard Wilbur (Translator)

The School for Wives concerns an insecure man who contrives to show the world how to rig an infallible alliance by marrying the perfect bride; The Learned Ladies centers on the domestic calamities wrought by a domineering woman upon her husband, children, and household. “Wilbur...makes Molière into as great an English verse playwright as he was a French one” (John Simon, New York). Introductions by Richard Wilbur.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Drama, France, Fiction, Theatre, French Literature

324 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 1991

About the author

Sophisticated comedies of French playwright Molière, pen name of Jean Baptiste Poquelin, include Tartuffe (1664), The Misanthrope (1666), and The Bourgeois Gentleman (1670).

French literary figures, including Molière and Jean de la Fontaine, gathered at Auteuil, a favorite place.

People know and consider Molière, stage of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also an actor of the greatest masters in western literature. People best know l'Ecole des femmes (The School for Wives), l'Avare ou l'École du mensonge (The Miser), and le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) among dramas of Molière.

From a prosperous family, Molière studied at the Jesuit Clermont college (now lycée Louis-le-Grand) and well suited to begin a life in the theater. While 13 years as an itinerant actor helped to polish his abilities, he also began to combine the more refined elements with ccommedia dell'arte.

Through the patronage of the brother of Louis XIV and a few aristocrats, Molière procured a command performance before the king at the Louvre. Molière performed a classic of [authore:Pierre Corneille] and le Docteur amoureux (The Doctor in Love), a farce of his own; people granted him the use of Salle du Petit-Bourbon, a spacious room, appointed for theater at the Louvre. Later, people granted the use of the Palais-Royal to Molière. In both locations, he found success among the Parisians with les Précieuses ridicules (The Affected Ladies), l'École des maris</i> (<i>The School for Husbands</i>), and <i>[book:l'École des femmes (The School for Wives). This royal favor brought a pension and the title "Troupe du Roi" (the troupe of the king). Molière continued as the official author of court entertainments.

Molière received the adulation of the court and Parisians, but from moralists and the Church, his satires attracted criticisms. From the Church, his attack on religious hypocrisy roundly received condemnations, while people banned performance of Don Juan . From the stage, hard work of Molière in so many theatrical capacities began to take its toll on his health and forced him to take a break before 1667.

From pulmonary tuberculosis, Molière suffered. In 1673 during his final production of le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid), a coughing fit and a haemorrhage seized him as Argan, the hypochondriac. He finished the performance but collapsed again quickly and died a few hours later. In time in Paris, Molière completely reformed.

Reviews

[Siv30 · Rating 4 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/בית-...

[Petruccio Hambasket IV · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A School For Wives" is about some old buffoon named Arnolphe whose afraid of 'sprouting the horns' as it were (cuckoldry); a theme the Late Medieval/Early Modern French could simply not shut up about. To avoid this obsessive danger Arnolphe engineers a long term plan that is, frankly, horrifying. His course of action centers around raising a 4 year old girl he fancies to become perfectly ignorant of worldly manners, so that he may marry her when she comes of age. This man is so consumed by his desire to not become a cuckold it's downright painful to see: he makes Panurge (in the 3rd Pantagrueline book) seem like a carefree bachelor.

Right off the bat he's told the plan is beyond stupid and will certainly fail, and sure enough, before the 1st Act is even over, he runs into complications. Most of the humour comes from Arnolphe repeatedly trying to salvage the situation, which gets more and more unrepairable as we scurry along. I've never read a rhymed play before so that aspect of it was a real treat for me. On top of that, Moliere can really write so it's not entirely a chore to get through this. He must of had real fun playing the role of Arnolphe himself since the dude is one failure away from a hemorrhage in every scene.

The play is resolved in a way that is seen in every Roman Comedy, that is, an unexpected familial connection ties things neatly together. If you've read as much Plautus/Terence as I have this ending will make you sick to the very core. If I had a 'one use' time machine I would zap myself to Paris and beg Moliere to ditch this damn comedic model that was instituted 1800 years before his existence.

This play generated heavy controversy which is directly responded to, in play form (naturally), by Moliere. The play is called "The School For Wives Criticized" and spawned a whole host of polemical retaliation, in play form (naturally), from his enemies. It's wild to see how heated other playwrights got back then from simply observing another persons production.

Didn't read "The Learned Ladies".

[Christina D · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars for School for Wives, 4 stars for Learned Ladies

First Moliere!! definitely need to read some reviews/analysis of these plays because there’s clearly social commentary about 17th century France flying over my head. I’m simple and just laughed at the jokes

[Revital · Rating 5 out of 5]

מעולה

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Learned Ladies doesn’t work on page. Plays are meant to be performed, but many are also exceptional works of literature. The Learned Ladies is not. On page, it’s a plodding little comedy without actors. The long diatribes are meant to be the backdrop to the physical comedy, and without that second component, this tale of small-minded intellectual poseurs is dull (although even dull Moliere is better than most playwrights).

The School for Wives, in contrast, does a merry little jig even on the page. What could be a disturbing concept – a young woman who has been groomed by her guardian to become his ideal of a perfect wife for him (spoiler: he has fashioned her to be ignorant and subservient to him) – becomes a pithy, sharp comedy in Moliere’s hands. The fifth act falls back into some deus ex machina, but it somehow fits the rest of the play’s tone. Highly recommended.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent translations by poet Richard Wilbur of two of Moliere's farces in verse. The School for Wives centers on an older man who shelters his female (much younger) ward to make her ignorant of the world and eventually wed her and lead a life wherein he won't be cuckolded. His plan becomes undone when a younger man intrudes on his carefully laid plan. In the sophisticated comedy The Learned Ladies, a wife usurps her husband's household by installing a salon for ideas and indoctrinating her daughter and sister into hosting the worst literary figures. The translations were quite lively and highly recommended.

[Samuel Leopold · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my wife and we both enjoyed the humor --- which seems very contemporary, despite being written in the 18th century.

[Farah E · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This is just for The School for Wives since the version I read had just that script, but that version is nowhere on Goodreads.)
I love how this made it seem as though Moliere was finally going to critique women instead of men, but spent 95% of this script still creatively critiquing men and their actions (esp. regarding their apparent need to control women). This was just a hilarious read and I've decided Richard Wilbur is the best translator of Moliere's timeless pieces. This would have been 5 stars if not for the feeling of a rushed ending that felt a little too convenient.
If I got to only do Moliere plays for the rest of my acting career, I'd be content.

[E7boehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far better than Schoool for Husbands, it has more developed villain and more forgivable villain, it is themed that experience will quickly teach the sheltered what you least want them to learn and that you can not hold people in naivete to control them. Agnes is more developed and more interesting than her predecessor in the school for husbands. She learns and turns against her warden once she realizes that he wants to control her. She is the naive emerging, her warden emerges too less naive if less happy. But preemptively he does not have to ware the horns.

[Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was impressed that the translator was able to do it in rhyme, staying true to the author!

This was a quick, fun read. The two plays, though predictable, are hilarious. I will bet they would be fun to see staged.

The themes carry over through the years though it would be a pretty sad young woman who would not be educated today.

[Judy Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhymes are okay but not as great and poetic as shakespeare, probably because of the meaning lost in translation. I find the theme boring, and quite misogynistic (because it’s from the 17th century)The plot is really weak all involved around love and marriage. I guess that’s what comedies are largely based on. But what would comedy be now after the dying of rom-com genre?

[Moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I fucking hate Arnolphe.

[☁️ Rony ☁️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilarious and witty, loved it!

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful translations by Richard Wilbur! Contemporary language (but rhymes and rhythm intact) brings out the essence of the plays for a 21st century audience.

[Coraline Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Woman really is a man's porridge, and when a man sees other folks endeavoring to dip their fingers in his porridge, he flies immediately into a violent fury."

Moliere is so witty and sassy.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two shorter plays of Moliere. The Learned ladies is funny!

[Carla]

Don’t see how this translation could be better or funnier. These plays are a hoot, and the verse is pitch perfect.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Molière, I have found my favorite 17th century writer. His works are simply hysterically. There are both wonderful plays. I couldn't wait to know the ending.

[Candace Ethelston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay tradition!!!! 😐

[Utazi Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to read and interesting

[Estella Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny read with good life lessons.

[Yuval Beliavsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Moliere.

[Jason Cady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moliere is so funny and Richard Wilbur's verse translations are excellent. The Learned Ladies has a similar plot to Tartuffe.

[Abby Jarvis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would be killer with an all female cast.

[Kiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The School for Wives is a little awkward to read in 2012. I believe there is a lot that no longer translates to modern times and this book would like be more enjoyed in a literature course where a learned instructor could explain the significance and meaning of what you're reading.

On the other hand, I l-o-v-e The Learned Ladies! Fabulous! This comedy translates across the many many decades, cultures and country divides. This is one of the reasons that Moliere is my favorite French writer. The other reason is Tartuffe.

[Rennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and witty. Truly impressive that it is still enjoyable as it was written in 1662. The poetry is good which I found pretty amazing as it had to be translated from French. The goal was to have a stupid wife - too much of a dolt to be appealing to any potential rivals or think for herself. Read with today's eyes you really don't like the potential husband but this was likely not a rare wish in those days when wives were not really meant to be company. The servants in the story were very funny and if I ever get a chance to see this play presented I would definitely go.

[Tim Elston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comedic morality play aptly instructs old men like me not to hope to put young girls in pumpkin shells, keep them very well, and hope for their love when they turn marrying age. It is hard to imagine this wisdom being found scandalous in any century, let alone the sixteenth. But so it was, making this work among the "Great Books" of the Western canon. Wilbur's translation is playfully satisfying to the English ear--like reading Shakespeare himself.

[Yael · Rating 4 out of 5]

לא קוראת בצרפתית, ועדיין - תרגום גאוני של אלי ביז׳אווי, שממש דורש הקראה בקול רם.

העלילה עצמה ביקורתית מאוד, אבל יכולה להיקרא גם כביקורתית עבור הדמות ה״לא נכונה״ (אני קראתי בעיקר כביקורת על ארנולף, נראה לי שבקלות אפשר להפנות את מרבית הביקורת לאיינס, ובקריאה כזו הספר היה מרתיח אותי :) ). יחסית למחזה שנכתב ב-1662 בפריס, הוא רלוונטי במפתיע גם להווה בישראל.

גילוי נאות: עובדת בלוקוס, שהוציאו את התרגום הנוכחי, אבל אני עובדת בהוצאה כי אני אוהבת אותה ולא ההפך. :)

[Lily Hamrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, knowing, wonderfully translated, this play is a favorite. I'm particularly struck by the idiocy of a man who thinks he can control his relationships with women by keeping them economically dependent and uneducated. Moliere wisely (and amusingly) shows how this project is doomed from the start.

[Donna Kirk]

Richard Wilbur translation