(in Polish) Molier - próba nowej lektury 4012-141C-OG

Can we apply to Molière the same method as Jan Kott applied to Shakespeare? After all, Molière was described as the “French Shakespeare” by Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Thomas Mann. Meanwhile, Molière is considered the king of comedy and farce. That’s also how he is staged most of the time. In Polish theatre, Molière enjoys a special position - present in the repertoire since the 18th century, he has had many translations, adaptations, and productions. Nevertheless, to this day he causes Polish stage directors problems - apart from a few exceptions, the history of Polish theatre does not record any brilliant Molière productions. We have no tradition of playing Molière. The general view is that Molière can only be turned into an excellent comedy or - worse - required-reading theatre for schoolchildren.
Meanwhile, as Tadeusz Żeleński-Boy wrote, “Molière is - next to Shakespeare - possibly the most theatrical writer that ever existed. Every word he wrote was born of theatre and for theatre. The stage was his love and his goal; he didn’t even take care of getting his comedies published. He lived, he created on stage, and he died on stage”.
One of the main aspects in “reviving” Molière’s plays are the main roles, which he himself played. There’s no concealing that he wrote the best bits for himself. We know from preserved sources that Molière made use of the entire palette of acting means, not just farce. All his characters, especially those created near the end of his life, include an element of breakdown, tragedy, opposition to the surrounding reality. Bulgakov noted: “The School for Wives, like The School for Husbands, was written in defence of women and their right to choose in love, and told the story of the jealous and despotic Arnolphe who wanted to marry the young Agnes. This play, abounding in amusing comedy situations, for the first time contains a bitter, slightly broken tone in Arnolphe’s character”, while Kott notices: “In Molière we can find almost all the lazzi of Italian theatre, even in the great comedies which are more like tragedies. Alceste all but punches his servant, Orgon crawls under the table. But none of these great creations is psychologically pure, each of them is cracked, hiding its own secret, its own shadow line”.
Let us try to enter that shadow line together - through the texts of Molière and with the help of stage productions and films.

Type of course

general courses

Learning outcomes

- students will be able to read a literary text using the “close reading” method
- students will be able to analyse the function of the props in the text, and on that basis to draw conclusions as to the plot and possible actor interpretations
- students will be able to interpret a stage production and a film
- students will acquire extensive knowledge on the output of Molière in a broad cultural context of his time

Assessment criteria

Credits will be based on attendance and active participation in classes and on a conversation with the teacher about a one-page “research plan” prepared by the student (presenting a good question and planning ways of finding an answer).

Bibliography

Teksts:
1. Molier, Don Juan, tłum. Jerzy Radziwiłowicz, egz. teatralny, Teatr Studio, Warszawa
2. Molier, Dzieła, I-III, Warszawa 1989
3. Molier, Skąpiec, tłum. Jan Polewka, egz. teatralny, Teatr Ateneum, Warszawa
4. Molier, Wybór komedii, tłum. B. Korzeniewski, oprac. J. Pawłowiczowa, Wrocław 2001, BN II 248

Compilations:
1. J. Adamski, Samobójstwo Don Juana, 1991 (maszynopis)
2. L. Biały, „Zwodziciel z Sewilli” Tirsa de Moliny i „Don Juan” Moliera, Warszawa 1985
3. R. Brandwajn, „Świętoszek” Moliera, Warszawa 1968
4. R. Brandwajn, Twarz i maska. Rzecz o „Świętoszku Moliera”, Warszawa 1965
5. M. Bułhakow, Życie pana Moliera, Warszawa 1969, 1987
6. E. Korecki, Skąpiec Moliera, Warszawa 1935
7. J. Kott, O współczesnościach Moliera [w:] tegoż, Pisma wybrane, t. 3, Teatr czytany, Warszawa 1991
8. G. Mongredien, Życie prywatne Moliera, seria Artyści, Warszawa 1977
9. W. Natanson, Hierarchie i sylwety, Warszawa 1985
10. E. Porębowicz, Rola teatru Moliera w cywilizacji francuskiej, Lwów 1922
11. S. Rawicz, Molier i Skąpiec, Tarnów 1928
12. L. Thorens, Złocisty cień. Życie Moliera, Warszawa 1962
13. E. Zwoniarska, Molier po polsku. Casus Tartuffe’a, Poznań 1997
14. T. Żeleński- Boy, Molier, tom XI Pism, Warszaw

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 4012-141C-OG in USOSweb