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Theatre of Illusion
Theatre of Illusion | Richard Wilbur
2 posts | 3 read | 4 to read
Pierre Corneille, in his original dedication for The Theatre of Illusion, described the play as a "strange monster." He first called these five acts a comedy; later, a "caprice" and an "extravagant trifle." Written in 1635 and staged in 1636, the play vanished from the stage for the next three hundred years--to be revived in 1937 by Louis Jouvet and the Comdie Franaise. Since then it has been widely considered, in Virginia Scott's words, "Corneille's baroque masterpiece."Today this brilliant piece of wit and drama is available in a new translation from one of America's finest poets and translators of French, Richard Wilbur. Widely praised for his translations of plays by Molire and Racine, Wilbur now turns his poetic grace to this work, which remains as much a celebration of the comedy of humanity and the magic of life as it was when Corneille wrote it.
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review
Sic_Corneille
Illusion Comique | Pierre Corneille
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Pickpick

I tagged the book to explain my name, but I can't leave it in the shadow!
It's a play by Pierre Corneille, and to describe it in his own words, it is 《Un étrange monstre》( a strange monster). If you like theater and want to read a french classic, go for it. It's really funny and the plot is amazing.
P.S. The title in english is " The Illusion"... It miss the comical part and the pun!

cornfedwellread I have a copy of Le Cid in French, but I haven't heard of this one. I'll have to see if I can find it. This year I'm trying to challenge myself to read more in French so I don't completely lose the language now that I'm not taking classes. 6y
Sic_Corneille @therealdealbeall I don't know your level of French, but Le Cid won't be a piece of cake. There is words in old French as well as in Spanish, and a lot of figure of speech (not sure of the translation here). The Illusion is far more accessible :) 6y
cornfedwellread @Sic_Corneille Thanks for the tip! I read Le Cid in English in college, so I'm familiar with the story. My degree is in Medieval Studies, so I've actually collected a few things that are written in old French, with the optimistic thought that I'll one day read them. 🤓 6y
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blurb
Sic_Corneille
Illusion Comique | Pierre Corneille
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I like to read all these explanations! I join in :)
I chose my name in reference of Pierre Corneille, the french playwright. He's one of the author that made me laugh the most despite his classical style. I added "Sic" because I liked how it sounded. It's also quite bookish, uh? :)
#litsyhandle

Literary_Lisa I chose my name on here because I liked the alliteration and with being a book nerd it works. 6y
Chelleo 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 6y
Jillybeane I‘m so lame, this is my standard username for everything 🤭 6y
merlady I just like mermaids. 👌 6y
iines I've chosen Iines because it is the Finnish translation of my real name (in Polish) - Agnieszka:) at least I've read it somewhere :) why Finnish? Because I was fascinated with this country for a long Time and it's just simpler for foreigners to read :) 6y
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