Ever since comedies were first performed in the ancient world, the definition of the term 'comedy' has been debated by both playwrights and critics. Originally published in 1978, this volume does not attempt a precise definition, but reviews the various interpretations that have been put forward through the ages, taking as evidence important theoretical writings as well as the plays themselves, and pointing out not only common features but also notable exceptions. The comic drama of Western Europe since the Renaissance is here surveyed in a series of chapters devoted principally to the tradition of European comedy as it developed in the major national literatures. The perspective is expanded to include, on the one hand, the origins in classical Greece and Rome and, on the other, the influence of cinema, radio and television comedy at the time - American as well as European. A structural basis for the volume as a whole is provided in an analytical introduction, where the essential problems are defined: such issues as the relationship between comedy and satire, comedy and farce; the distinction between laughter and smile; the respective claims of realism and fantasy; the role of plot and of dialogue; the place of sentiment and of moral teaching; and the possibility of comic catharsis. In this way the nature and evolution of European comedy is presented in an original and coherent form, not only offering an invaluable aid to students seeking guidance in literature of which they are not making a specialist study, but stimulating the more experienced reader to think again about familiar plays.

This volume presents a broad cross-section of Voltaire's continuing interests. "Le Depositaire", Voltaire's last comedy, echoing Moliere, expresses his theatrical ideal. The "Defense de Louis XIV" continues Voltaire's historical work while the "Requete a tous les magistrats" campaigns against religious abuses. The "Traduction du poeme de Jean Plokof" and the "Ode pindarique" support Catherine the Great's war against the Turks. "Le Systeme vraisemblable" supports Newton against d'Holbach while the philosophical fragment "Lettre de M. Hude" argues that all institutions are human constructions. The "Epitre au roi de la Chine" is a polemic on the role of literature and the lamentable state of contemporary France.

This volume contains works from 1760 and showcases two sides to Voltaire. "Le Droit du seigneur" is a comic drama featuring rakes, illegitimate heiresses, and true love, and takes as its starting point the abuse of power represented by the custom of jus primae noctis. By contrast, "L'Ecossaise" and the "Anecdotes sur Freron" are artefacts of the intellectual war between the philosophes and the anti-philosophes. Elie Catherine Freron, the editor of the influential "L'Annee litteraire" journal, was a formidable opponent of Voltaire and launched stinging attacks on Enlightenment ideas. In "L'Ecossaise", Voltaire employs the form of the sentimental comedy to undermine Freron, who is caricatured as the character 'Frelon' - the Wasp. In the "Anecdotes sur Freron", Voltaire swats the Wasp in a satirical salvo of caustic wit.

Up until the last century there was a tendency, among directors in the theatre and academic critics alike, to stress the philosophical and satirical content of Moliere's comedy and to overlook the fact that he was a professional man of the theatre. More recently, certain influential critics have tended to go to the other extreme and to emphasise the theatrical and aesthetic qualities of his plays at the expense of what they may have to offer as plays of ideas. This study seeks to reconcile the two approaches: while exploring the evolution of Moliere's comedy as a vehicle for his own talents as an actor and for the resources of his company, the author also seeks to define the composition of the original audiences, both in the public theatre and at Court, and to assess the taste and attitudes of the spectators for whom the plays were written.