During his life, Molière saw the birth of the Académie française, the creation of an absolute monarchy under Louis XIV, and the refinement of the arts and promotion of luxury that made France (or rather, Versailles) the cultural center of Europe. He witnessed the growing enthusiasm among the elite for classical ideals of reason and beauty. Thanks to the birth of salon culture, women were enjoying new power as arbiters of taste in literature and the arts. The bourgeoisie was becoming wealthier and more educated, and an increasing number (Molière included) found themselves in the company of nobility. But with all of these changes, Molière did not find a corresponding improvement in human character. In fact, religious intolerance and hypocrisy seemed to increase. The vanity of those trying to increase their power often led to ridiculous displays of excess: the bourgeois who spends more than the noble, the young woman who parrots the mannerisms of a salon précieuse, etc. In the arts, the classical fixation on form sometimes suggested that society valued rules over common sense and appearance over substance. Molière used comedy to address those problems while entertaining his audience. Molière’s plays confront the current events and issues of his day, but their pointed critique of human nature remains universally relevant. This lesson will introduce you to Molière’s work with Les Femmes savantes—a play that humorously demonstrates how high-minded reason can lead to folly if left untempered by common sense.
After carefully studying this lesson, you should be able to outline the basic steps in Molière’s career. You will learn to appreciate Molière’s social critique and the form of his plays. Through the example of Les Femmes savantes, you will learn how Molière uses humor to confront problems that are historically grounded in his own period, but also generally applicable to human nature.