Exploring each of Molière's 33 plays (including the divertissements) for its theatrical possibilities, Bermel deals with dramatic structures, settings, roles and their interactions, original productions, and outstanding recent stage performances in France, Britain, and the United States. His emphasis is theatrical rather than literary, philosophical, or biographical, although he necessarily brings these considerations to bear when discussing certain plays. Bermel introduces a new methodology, one featuring the type of scrutiny directors, actors, and designers apply to any play before and during rehearsal. Thus he studies the dramatic implications of each scene or part of a scene by noting which characters are present, which ones are absent, and why. He analyzes each role, explores interactions among characters, traces the significance of structure, considers how much information is provided and who provides it, and examines such notable background factors as setting, season, and scenic arrangement. Using this methodology, Bermel provides new interpretations of Molière's most celebrated plays and demonstrates that many of the less famous plays also deserve attention. Previous Molière critics have been conservative, especially in that they favor traditional stagings; Bermel, however, encourages new explorations of the plays. His main intention is to keep Molière alive and vital for present and future readers and audiences. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his attention to, and sympathy for, female characters and their points of view.

Blending biography with fiction, this portrait of the famed French playwright is written by a kindred spirit: the author of The Master and Margarita. Mikhail Bulgakov and Jean-Baptiste Poquelin—more commonly known as Molière—had much in common. The twentieth-century Russian satirist and dramatist and the seventeenth-century French playwright known for Tartuffe and The Misanthrope shared a love for finding material in the shortcomings and follies of the human condition. They both created their art under unpredictable and often repressive regimes—Bulgakov under the Bolsheviks and Molière under King Louis XIV—and often saw their work censored or banned. Both were also favored by influential men: King Louis was Molière’s patron, and Stalin, despite his oppressive rule, was a fan of Bulgakov’s work. Perhaps it is not surprising that Bulgakov penned such a vibrant, affectionate biography of one of the greatest masters of comedy in the Western canon. Written between 1932 and 1933 and eventually published posthumously in 1963, Bulgakov’s portrait of the famed French playwright and actor goes beyond the usual boundaries of biography—the two men at times seem to be communicating with each other across the centuries through Bulgakov’s lively prose and inspired interpretations of the life of a literary kindred spirit. Sliding delightfully between fiction and meticulous fact, The Life of Monsieur de Molière is not to be missed. “In its playfulness and hybridity, this book looks forward to contemporary 'faction' that fuses fiction and biography.” —John Dugdale, The Guardian Book Review