Men and Masks

Molière's comedies are re-evaluated through their historical context rather than merely as literary works. Lionel Gossman analyzes five key plays, revealing shared structural elements and illustrating Molière's engagement with the social issues of his time, paralleling concerns of contemporaries like Descartes and Racine. Gossman argues that Molière's comedic vision reflects the specific societal dynamics of the seventeenth century, contrasting with later interpretations that overlook this context, and notes a shift towards Romantic irony in some of Molière's later works.