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A fine pick for any collection strong in biographies
Playwright, politician and spy: few men of 18th century letters made such as mark as one Pierre-Augustin Caronm de Beaumarchais, whose impact was far more than the comedies that made him famous. His support of the American revolutionaries, his business ventures, and his daring work for the rights of artists of his time made him notorious in the courts of Paris and in America alike. This survey of his life is a fine pick for any collection strong in biographies.
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Eighteenth-century France produced only one truly international theater star, Beaumarchais, and only one name, Figaro, to combine with Don Quixote and D'Artagnan in the ranks of popular myth. But who was Figaro? He was quickly appropriated by Mozart and Rossini who tamed the original impertinent, bustling servant for their own purposes.On the eve of the French Revolution Figaro was seen as a threat to the establishment and Louis XIV even banned The Marriage of Figaro.

Was the barber of Seville really a threat to aristocratic heads, or a bourgeois individualist like his creator?The three plays in which he plots and schemes chronicle the slide of the ancien régime into revolution but they also chart the growth of Beaumarchais' humanitarianism.They are exuberant theatrical entertainments, masterpieces of skill, invention, and social satire which helped shape the direction of French theater for a hundred years.This lively new translation catches all the zest and energy of the most famous valet in French literature. ... Read more

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Gets the message across
This is a pretty good new translation, although it does have some grammatical errors. So, have a pencil in hand when you read it if you want to touch up the missing conjunction words and misused words. I'm sure translating from the old French is not easy, so I don't hold it against Mr. Coward. But he should have not been a coward when it came to proofreading...his editor should have been reading more carefully as well.
Enjoy!

The Figaro Trilogy (Oxford World's Classics)
For any Mozart/Rossini opera fan who wants to read the book from which
the "Barber or Seville" and the "Marriage of Figaro "came from, this
book is for you.It is a good background to understanding these works.
Best of all, the concluding play in the Trilogy "The Grieving Widow"
brings to close the story of these beloved opera characters. It's light
reading and fun. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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For diletanttes only
This is a detailed catelogue of what Beaumarchais did while in Seville and not much else.I had hoped to gain some insight as to how the Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro might have been inspired by his experiences there but did not.

If you are interested in learning more about Beaumarchais' life just look in the 15 or so page introduction to the book of his Figaro trilogy plays. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1890.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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A French courtier, secret agent, libertine and adventurer, Beaumarchais (1732-99) was also author of two sparkling plays about the scoundrelly valet Figaro - triumphant successes that were used as the basis of operas by Mozart and Rossini. A highly engaging comedy of intrigue, The Barber of Seville portrays the resourceful Figaro foiling a jealous old man?s attempts to keep his beautiful ward from her lover. And The Marriage of Figaro - condemned by Louis XVI for its daring satire of nobility and privilege - depicts a master and servant set in opposition by their desire for the same woman. With characteristic lightness of touch, Beaumarchais created an audacious farce of disguise and mistaken identity that balances wit, frivolity and seriousness in equal measure. ... Read more

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Merriment
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE dated from 1775.In 1784 the first performance of LA FOLLE or LE MARRIAGE DE FIGARO took place.Mozart's opera was performed for the first time in 1786 in Vienna.

The dimension of characterization is what is new in the plays.Also, there is lightness of touch.They are derived from older models. THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO is a true sequel to THE BARBAER OF SEVILLE it is stated in the introduction.

Parisian audiences identified Beaumarchais with Figaro.Figaro proclaims in the first play that habitual misfortune has compelled him to laugh.Where Count Almaviva asks if Bartholo is honest, Figaro replies that he is honest enough to avoid being hanged.

When Bartholo reacts to the presence of Figaro in his house, Rosine says sarcastically when Bartholo attempts to draw the lattice closed to just wall her up.Bazile, the music master and the friend of Bartholo, defends his actions to Bartholo claiming that Count Almaviva always has a pocketful of irresistible arguments. In THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Figaro allows that once a man has been enraged he can be maneuvered into doing anything.

The Count is annoyed because he seems to run into Cherubin everywhere.It seems the 'wretched page' jumped out of the window to get away from the wrath of the Count.The Countess (Rosine) says that it is more than time that she retire to a convent.Suzanne and Figaro agree that chance is the best insurer of good fortune.

The Countess impersonates Suzanne to win back the Count.Suzanne impersonates the Countess and holds a discussion with Figaro.The men are fooled, bested.Cherubin, the page, keeps on turning up when he is supposed to have been vanquished.

The playwright provided notes on the costumes and characters for the plays.Reading the plays is a laugh aloud experience.

Opera student's perspective
We are doing this in opera form this Spring, and it was very helpful to read the play, especially the Barber, to get the background necessary for a complete performance.The notes and the biography also added to my understanding of the play.

Two plays that deserve to be better known
These two plays have been made very famous by the two operas by Rossini and Mozart. However the plays seem to be relatively unknown. Of the two plays "The Marriage of Figaro" is the better of the two. I would also like add a criticism of the movie Amadeus. In the movie Salieri comments on the ending of the opera based on the play in a way that seems to imply that Mozart deserves all the credit. In fact the opera is very faithful to the play. Mozart should get all the credit for the music of the Marriage of Figaro, but Beaumarchais deserves credit for the plot.

But to get back to my point, these are two great plays that deserve to be better known. Figaro (the play) was controversial in its day as a satire about the rights of aristocrats but today the satire does not seem very harsh. Figaro the roguish main character who believes he is just as good as his master is one of the great literary characters. That is not just my opinion, it was also the opinion of the novelist Balzac.

I would especially recommend this Penguin edition for the introduction which has a short biography of the adventurous life of Beaumarchais. It is a miracle he found the time to write these plays, but I am very glad that he did. ... Read more

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The French text with English notes and commentary. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: Columbus, Ohio, F. J. Heer printing co.; Publication date: 1907; Subjects: France; ... Read more

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Fast-moving and brisk, and filled with wit, humor, and gaiety, the sheer fun of the Barber assures its immortality.Mr. Sahlins's deft adaptation of a superbly constructed plot, and his attention to language for present-day audiences, make this a beautifully playable farce. ... Read more

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Fascinating man, reminiscent of Benjamin Franklin
Grendel's biography is passionate, at times argumentative. He defends Beaumarchais' reputation against what I must assume is a tendency to dismiss him as a mere librettist for the (more important) Mozart operas.

Beaumarchais rises from the middle class and embodies the emerging ideals of freedom, self-determinism and meritocracy. There are fun, fascinating tidbits, stories illuminating life "backstage" at Versailles. There are so many ironies, and Grendel plays them all up brilliantly.

After reading this, if you're still interested in the subject, check out the French movie, Beaumarchais, the Scoundrel (with English subtitles). It follows the same narrative pretty closely, to good effect.

An amazing life, wicked interesting
A well written book, this biography could not fail to hold one's interestBeaumarchais's life reads like a Hollywood story.A watchmaker's son, that invents a new escapement for his watches whereupon a renowned watchmaker steals the design and claims it as his own.Beaumarchais invokes the legal system, justice is done, but the legal case catches the eye of the King, Beaumarchais then becomes watchmaker to the King, later his musical talents are noted and he also becomes the music tutor for the royal family, and thus began a career that included, fortunes made and lost in business speculations, lawsuits, duels, and pamphleteering to defend his honor against his enemies.He became a most sucessful playwright, author of the classic - "The Marriage of Figaro".Beaumarchais was a survior of the French revolution, a government secret agent and a businessman that went deeply into debt to lend money for arms and ammunition to the young United States, a debt that was only begrudgingly repaid to Beaumarchais's heirs many years later. The author appears to have done his research.There are many references cited. There is a little in Beaumarchais's life to
hold anyone's interest.

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Beaumarchais," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Beaumarchais in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Beaumarchais when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Beaumarchais, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

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A wildly funny and modern translation by one of Britain's top humorists which loses none of Beaumarchais' satirical edge. Figaro, Beaumarchais' most famous character, was a key-factor in inciting the French people to revolt against their lazy aristocracy and the extravagant and selfish French monarchy. In The Barber of Seville (1775) he is a rebellious and scheming servant, caught up in a farcical plot in which lovers test each other. In The Marriage of Figaro (1784), Beaumarchais' anti-aristocratic sympathies come to the fore and Figaro whips the audience up into an indignant frenzy. Beaumarchais was, after all, the son of a humble watch-maker - although, as the late John Wells points out in his introduction, this also means that Beaumarchais' farcical plots and sub-plots work like clockwork. However, the mood of A Mother's Guilt (1792), the last play in the trilogy, is much darker. After the Revolution, Beaumarchais is uncertain what the future will bring. A trade dispute brought Be aumarchais to the notice of the court, and his good looks and eloquence quickly procured him advancement. He made the most of the opportunities available to him and soon acquired considerable wealth and social success. His Figaro plays reflect the dynamism of his life - and are perhaps most familiar to people today through Mozart's and Rossini's operatic adaptations. ... Read more