The Miser by Molière

The Miser's plot, involving a rich money-lender called Harpagon, whose feisty children long to escape from his penny-pinching household and marry their respective lovers, is a comedy of manners to which the 17th-century French upper classes presumably objected. It is less savage, however, and somewhat less realistic than Molière's earlier play, Tartuffe, which attracted a storm of criticism on its first performance. The play is also notable for the way in which it sends up certain theatrical conventions. Many comedies from the Elizabethan period and onwards contain asides which are delivered by characters to the audience and which the other actors ignore. In L'Avare, however, characters generally demand to know who exactly these asides are being delivered to. The play's ending is also self-consciously ridiculous, mocking the French idea of comedy to better the comical effect of the play and its parts, while still taking in hand the tragedy of Harpagon and his life. Fortunately, this joke is preserved for modern audiences of a certain age because the conclusion of the play is now rather reminiscent of the emotional climax of the Star Wars trilogy, namely that an unexpected character turns out to be everyone's Father.

The 1625th greatest fiction book of all time


This book is on the following lists:

  1. - Great Books of the Western World (Great Books Foundation)

Buy This Book

Name Binding Sales Rank Lowest New Lowest Used Published
The Miser: A Play Paperback 1862164 $5.98 2020
L'Avare. Comédie. Par Mons. de Molière. = the Miser. a Comedy. New Done Into English from the French of Molière. by Mr. Ozell. with the Original French Opposite to the English; Hardcover 2349273 $23.95 $35.46 2018
The Miser and Other Plays Mass Market Paperback 5336627 $1.95
Molière: The Affected Misses, Don Juan, Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, The Doctor by Complusion, The Miser, The Trademan Turned Gentlemen, The Learned Ladies Volume 1-2 Kindle Edition 1051197 $7.95 2018
The Miser and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) Paperback 3119073 $2.19 $0.01 1953
The Miser Paperback 183343 $6.29 2014
The Miser Paperback 12437672 $65.29 $50.00 1973
El avaro / The Miser (Letras Universales) (Spanish Edition) Paperback 1111762 $13.29 $31.00 2004
El avaro & El Enfermo Imaginario / The Miser & The Imaginary Invalid (Literatura / Literature) (Spanish Edition) Paperback 9564229 $12.91 $35.29 2005
L'avare: The miser (FEP bilingual series) (English and French Edition) Paperback 9692881 $16.95 $14.71 1969
El avaro / The Miser: De Moliere / By Moliere (Spanish Edition) Hardcover 1932538 $8.89 $27.41 2009
The Miser and Other Plays Paperback 2447896 $6.34 $3.41 2010
Molière, Anthology (The Imaginary Invalid, The Miser, The Learned Women, The Flying Doctor, The Impostures of Scapin, Psyche, The Jealousy of le Barbouillé, The Countess of Escarbagnas and more) Kindle Edition 681177 $4.20 2013
Chatsky & Miser! Miser! Two Plays by Anthony Burgess Paperback 1582772 $21.95 2022
The Miser Kindle Edition 467752 $1.99 2019
The Miser Paperback 3876446 $11.74 $30.85 2009
The Miser & George Dandin: The Actor's Moliere - Volume 1: 001 Kindle Edition 1362548 2000
The Miser and Other Plays Kindle Edition 703466 2010
The Miser Kindle Edition 476427 2015
The Miser Paperback 4974118 $10.00 $9.00 2008
L'Avare (Petits Classiques Larousse Texte Integral) (French Edition) Mass Market Paperback 197240 $4.25 $0.83 2007
L'Avare (French Edition) Paperback 2119609 $10.44 $9.00 2013
L'Avare (Dodo Press) (French Edition) Paperback 3669221 $8.99 $4.99 2008
The Miser. Paperback 695444 $7.20 $2.65
L'Avare : The Miser (Bilingual Edition - French and English) (French Edition) (English and French Edition) Paperback 1490393 $13.22 $6.45 1968
The Miser & George Dandin: The Actor's Moliere - Volume 1 Paperback 2600303 $1.95 $0.01 2000
The Miser Paperback 5325871 $49.31 $48.50
The Miser (Classics To Go) Kindle Edition 718096 $0.99 2021
The Miser (L'Avare) Paperback 4309594 $49.41 $0.59
Moliere Bilingual 6 Vols : Learned Ladies (Femmes Savantes) ; Misanthrope (Misanthrope) ; Rogueries of Scapin (Fourberies de Scapin ; The Miser ... Invalid (Malade (French and English Edition) Paperback 2037529 $65.00 $638.19 1972
L'Avare - Livre & CD-Audio (French Edition) Paperback 3908211 $12.76 2004
The Miser and Other Plays Paperback 11656880 $1.31
L'avare. Comédie. Par Mons. de Molière. = The miser. A comedy. New done into English from the French of Molière. By Mr. Ozell. With the original French opposite to the English; ... Paperback 20271931 $21.75 2010
Moliere: Four Plays (International Pocket Library) Paperback 3967141 $19.95 $4.50 2014
The Plays of Molière, Vol. 4: The Miser; Don Juan; The Bores (Classic Reprint) Paperback 1535003 $16.57 $32.54 2018
Six Bilingual Plays of Moliere: Les Femmes Savantes (The Learned Ladies) ; L'Avare (The Miser) ; Le Tartuffe (The Tartuffe) ; Le Misanthrope (The ... (The Imaginary Invalid) (French Edition) Paperback 17644153 $79.95 $67.00 1969
The Miser (Dodo Press) Paperback 8358534 $8.98 $11.75 2007
The Miser Paperback 5786592 $8.59 $5.00 2006
The Miser (L'avare) Paperback 5848177 $0.98
Miser & Other Plays Paperback 11996379 $2.00
The Miser and Other Plays: A New Selection (Penguin Classics) Kindle Edition 1511859 $10.99 2004
The Miser Paperback 1229745 $9.95 $2.74 2006
The Miser (Magruder) - Acting Edition (Acting Edition for Theater Productions) Paperback 3473355 $60.99 $7.50 2005
L'avare / The miser (translated): Bilingue français anglais / Bilingual french english (French Edition) Kindle Edition 1256445 $4.79 2022
The Miser [with Biographical Introduction] (Digireads.com Classics) (Drama Classics) Kindle Edition 1230717 $0.99 2004
The Miser/The Idiot (Oberon Modern Plays) Paperback 4419352 $9.58 $3.07 2002
El avaro [The Miser] Audible Audio Edition 107939 $2.44 2017
The Miser and Other Plays: A New Selection (Penguin Classics) Paperback 1101400 $9.89 $1.50 2000
Chatsky & Miser, Miser! Two Plays by Anthony Burgess Paperback 1271980 $21.95 2023