Four French comedies by Jean-Francois Regnard (with Charles Dufresny), who's considered to be the best comic playwright of his age after Moliere. The sardonic and amusing THE TREE OF CHASTITY has a slight plot, but the double-entendres flying rapidly right and left keep the audience well-entertained. WAIT FOR ME UNDER THE ELM is another farce filled with verve aplenty. THE UNFORESEEN RETURN is a reworking of Plautus' Haunted House with a seventeenth-century setting. THE RIDICULOUS MERCHANT is another comedic romp. These bubbly, even obscene farces still hold up well today, with all of the characters and their situations eminently recognizable to modern audiences. Great dramatic fun

Two comedies by a cousin of French King Louis XIV. THE SPIRIT OF CONTRADICTION is an hilarious play about a woman whose sole aim in life is to prevent others (mostly in her own family) from getting their way. So contrary is she to anything that's suggested to her that her husband, daughter, and in-laws must conceal, as best they can, their real wishes. But she knows they know--and this creates absolutely side-splitting situations. This extremely popular comedy had more performances by the Comedie Francaise through 1900 than other play in its repertoire. THE DOUBLE WIDOWING is based on a similar premise: a husband and wife hate each other (and are too hypocritical to say so), but are drawn to their niece and nephew, respectively. This attraction is not reciprocated by the young people, who are in love with each other, but lack the money to marry. The youngsters have to work through a charade to convince their elders to back their union. Two brilliantly funny plays that still hold up well today

Two French comedies of love and life and the relations between men and women. In THE VILLAGE COQUETTE a Widow trains a country girl, Lisette, in the ways of a Parisian coquette, thinking to make her into an image of herself; but finds that her protegee has become too apt a pupil for the Widow's own comfort, and threatens to steal the older woman's own lover. THE CRAZY WAGER features some unusual gender-bending for the time. Tiggs, an older man camouflaged as a rich woman (the Marquise), pretends to love Angelica, who adopts the guise of a young, handsome Count--while the "Count" pretends to love the aging Mrs. Hardwick, so she can actual marry the widow's handsome son, Phillip. Both plays possess great vivacity and are full of laughter and fun.

Two French comedies focusing on life and love. In STRAIGHT FROM THE CONVENT, a rich old man would like to marry a girl who's just emerged from the convent. Her mother wants her to cement the union because she has no money--and would like to see her daughter well-established. Needless to say, the girl thinks otherwise, and "innocently" manages to collect three other suitors THE INTERRUPTED WEDDING is about an impoverished Count and Countess who are always at odds with each other. They have just one servant, Adrien, who doubles as a valet and femme de chamber. The dirty old Count wants to marry Lucas, a peasant, to Nanette, so he can get at the girl himself. But Lucas demands a dowry, and the nobleman has no money. Then the Countess gets wind of her husband's real intentions... Two swift-moving and very funny farces that would play well even today

Three French comedies revolving around marriage, misidentification, medicine--and money DOCTOR SCRATCH, by Noel le Breton, is a clever and hilarious farce, in which love becomes hopelessly entangled in the attempts by the characters to improve their declining financial situations. THE SERVANT PROBLEM, by Alain-Rene Lesage, the well-known novelist, two criminals manage to insert themselves as valets to several young men looking to marry the daughters of wealthy families--and decide to abscond with the dowry themselves In THE FORFEITURE, by Charles Dufresny, a handsome young man is constricted in his marriage prospects by the fact that his two maiden-lady aunts control the family fortune, which can only be forfeited to him if they marry. Another valet takes charge by seducing both women in different guises. Three very funny--and very modern--takes on the art and science of romancing

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. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Amusemens Serieux Et Comiques par Du Fresny] Charles Du Fresny Chez Andre Chevalier, 1702

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfectionssuch 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 worksworldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Oeuvres De Monsieur Riviere Du Fresny; Oeuvres De Monsieur Riviere Du Fresny; Charles Du Fresny Charles Du Fresny Briasson, 1747 Drama; Continental European; Drama / Continental European