On the 400th anniversary of the birth of the great French playwright, RFI He spoke with Martial Poirson, one of the most recognized specialists in Molière’s work.
The celebrations began on January 15, the date of Molière’s christening registration in Paris. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, who took the pseudonym of Molière, will be commemorated throughout France, from Versailles or Paris, where he achieved success protected by Louis XIV, to Pézenas, a medieval city that allowed him to create a galaxy of picturesque characters. There will be multiple tributes, ceremonies and publications to pay tribute to the father of characters such as Tartufo, Argán or the miser Harpagón.
In this frame, RFI went to meet Martial Poirson, renowned specialist and author of the book Molière, the factory of a national glory, which will be published during this anniversary year.
RFI: What place does Molière occupy in the history of French letters?
MP: Molière was a great reformer of the way of acting for the theater. He was a formidable actor, who championed “natural acting.” He left behind the conventions to dedicate himself to reproducing and parodying society.
He was also a great writer, who invented modern comedy, in verse and prose, that is, a type of theater that freed itself from formalism, drama and tragedy, to talk about what was happening in his time. He used extremely fluent language, and it even resembles that of the conversation, although it is actually very elaborate. But in addition, he was a great observer; It is often said that he painted the main social archetypes in the theater.
–
