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Improbable Patriot
The outrageous true story of the French plot to supply arms and ammunition to Washington's Continental Army, and the bold French spy, inventor, playwright, and rogue behind it all
For the Good of Mankind
This volume, the first compilation of the political correspondence of Beaumarchais, author of the Marriage of Figaro, will shed light on the controversial diplomatic history of the American Revolution. The evidence presented here reveals that the author did mastermind the policy of aid to the American Revolution which has been attributed to the foreign affairs minister, Vergennes, to whom Beaumarchais addressed most of the correspondence in this volume
The Figaro Trilogy
The Barber of Seville * The Marriage of Figaro * The Guilty Mother Eighteenth-century France produced only one truly international theatre star, Beaumarchais, and only one name, Figaro, to put with Don Quixote or D'Artagnan in the ranks of popular myth. But who was Figaro? Not the impertinent valet of the operas of Mozart or Rossini, but both the spirit of resistance to oppression and 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 also chart the growth of Beaumarchais' humanitarianism. They are also exuberant theatrical entertainments, masterpieces of skill, invention, and social satire w...
The Follies of a Day; Or, the Marriage of Figaro (Dodo Press)
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) was a watch-maker, inventor, musician, politician, fugitive, spy, publisher, arms-dealer, and revolutionary (both French and American). He was best known, however, for his theatrical works, especially the three Figaro plays. Beaumarchais is well remembered for his essential support for the American Revolution. Louis XVI, who did not want to break openly with England, allowed him to found a commercial enterprise, Roderigue Hortalez and Co., supported by the French and Spanish crowns, whose real purpose was to supply the American rebels with weapons, munitions, clothes, and provisions. Shortly after Voltaireas death in 1778, he set out to publish Voltaireas complete works, many of which were banned in France. While the venture proved a financial failure, Beaumarchais was instrumental in preserving many of Voltaireas later works which otherwise might have been lost. His Figaro plays are indicative of the change in social attitudes before, during, and after the French Revolution. His works include: The Barber of Seville; or, The Useless Precaution (1773) and The Follies of a Day; or, The Marriage of Figaro (1778).
The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro
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.
The Marriage of Figaro
First produced at the Odéon in 1784 The Marriage of Figaro,the second play of Beaumarchais' trilogy was an instant success and ran for an unprecedented 116 performances. Written six years earlier the play had been subject to the rigorous demands of no fewer than six censors, appointed one after the other by Louis XVI, with the principal purpose of preventing such a seditious piece of work from ever reaching the stage. Perhaps the king was right for Beaumarchais’ revolutionary attitudes towards women and the aristocracy espoused the popular feeling that would turn social order on its head and cause the king to lose his own in the subsequent decade. Figaro, full of an irrepressible joie de vivre remains one of drama’s arch-plotters, determinedly outwitting the cast of villains’ mountebanks and rivals who seek to ensnare him and bring about his downfall. His survival is not simply a testimony to his own endurance and inner strength but a signal to the world that the common man has rights and that the modern world must reform itself or be reformed if he is to be allowed to enjoy them.
Tolerance
Inspired by Voltaire’s advice that a text needs to be concise to have real influence, this anthology contains fiery extracts by forty eighteenth-century authors, from the most famous philosophers of the age to those whose brilliant writings are less well-known. These passages are immensely diverse in style and topic, but all have in common a passionate commitment to equality, freedom, and tolerance. Each text resonates powerfully with the issues our world faces today. Tolerance was first published by the Société française d’étude du dix-huitième siècle (the French Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies) in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo assassinations in January 2015 as an act of solidarity and as a response to the surge of interest in Enlightenment values. With the support of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, it has now been translated by over 100 students and tutors of French at Oxford University.
The Follies of a Day; a Comedy in Three Acts
A witty and irreverent comedy of manners that skewers convention and society's obsession with wealth and status. Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais and Thomas Holcroft's play is a timeless masterpiece of social satire, as relevant today as it was when it was first performed. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Eugenia
In Eugenia, the title character is a Welsh girl of good birth who believes herself to be married to a wealthy young Earl. In fact, the Earl has deliberately misled her and knowingly had arranged a fraudulent wedding ceremony; their union is invalid, but Eugenia is already pregnant, and the Earl is only days away from a legitimate marriage to another woman. Even Eugenia does not know his secret, but with his new wedding fast approaching, he cannot keep his shameful behavior hidden much longer. Will he give in to his true love for Eugenia and save her from a life of indignity, or will he follow the wishes of others and marry according to his own family's demands? Duels, disownments and near-de...
