Molière has been described as France’s Shakespeare
Have you heard of Molière? He was a French playwright who helped create the Comédie-Française, France’s national theatre in Paris and has been dubbed the Shakespeare of France. This post starts with the ancient books, Oeuvres de Molière, in the northwest town of Lannion in Brittany, and takes us to Paris the home of the Comédie-Française and Molière and then England the home of Shakespeare.
Read on as Emily discovers the history and connection between Moilère and Shakespeare…
Visiting the old town of Lannion, where my brothers’ favourite toy shop is and mum’s coveted decor store, (La Maison du Mode), we found ourselves walking past a bookshop sunken below street level on our way to a crêperie for lunch. There was a sign on the locked door which mum translated to ‘back in 5 minutes’. We vowed to return to the bookstore after eating at the Moulin Vert Crêperie which was beside this ancient shop.
Livres Anciens (Antique Books)
The bookshop was called Livres Anciens and was filled with 300 year old leather bound tomes, 100 year old paperbacks, and victorian illustrated encyclopedias. After a brief conversation with the two shop keepers, explaining that we were Australians residing in Brittany, they were very eager to sell us something. We were happy to oblige! With a lot of smiles, speedy French chatter and gentle head shaking, I got the feeling that they honestly couldn’t comprehend that a family of Australians who owned a holiday home in Brittany, may be so passionate about ancient books and had even found their obscure shop.
When in second hand bookstores in Australia I am lost; I don’t where to start looking and have no idea what I’m looking for. So a second hand bookstore with all the titles and categorisation labels in French was like being given a guide on how to get to Mars. “Alexandre Dumas?” I asked. They pointed to ancient and expensive volumes of The Three Musketeers. I said I already had a copy back home!
Molière
I grazed across the rows of spines and spotted two very stout embossed spines: Oeuvres de Molière. I couldn’t believe it. Molière was the title character of a french film I had recently watched. I learnt that the Molière of the film was not a fictional character but rather the Shakespeare of France, whose comedies were even performed for Louis XIV in the Louvre. I bought the two antique volumes published in 1875, complete with marbled paper and an original advertisement card for the l’Exposition Universelle Paris 1878.
Written in classic French I knew I would not be able to read the comedies for quite some time but relished the feel of the leather and the smell of yellowed paper.
Molière film 2007
The 2007 film ‘Molière’ draws from a number of his plays, including: Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, The Imaginary Invalid and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. A black comedy in itself, the film explores the life of Molière and the characters from his plays, intertwining stories of passion, career ambition, court politics, and the fool.
I recommend this film as an insight into 17th Century France and as a historical comparison for the Elizabethan Rose Theatre in London. For background on the Rose Theatre and an equally entertaining fictional film exploration of the life of Shakespeare, ‘Shakespeare in Love’ is the movie for you.
Molière’s Work
The DK Eyewitness Travel Paris guide book mentions Molière’s seminal contribution to the French language and theatre:
“French has been dubbed ‘the language of Molière’, after playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, alias Molière, (1623-73) who helped create the Comédie-Française, France’s national theatre. The Company has its roots partly in Molière’s 17th Century players. In the foyer is the armchair in which Molière collapsed, dying, on stage in 1673 (ironically while he was performing Le Malade Imaginaire – The Hypochondriac).”
The Comédie-Française, Paris
The Comédie-Française or as it is also known, the Théâtre-Français, is one of the few state theatres in France and is considered the oldest still-active theatre in the world. It is the only state theatre to have its own troupe of actors. Their primary venue is the Salle Richelieu. The theatre is part of the Palais-Royal complex and located at 2 rue de Richelieu on the Place André-Malraux in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.
The theatre has over time also been known as the Théâtre de la République and La maison de Molière. Molière was considered the patron of French actors who died (1673) seven years before “La maison de Molière” was rechristened the “Comédie-Française”.
I recommend watching the films ‘Molière’ and ‘Shakespeare in Love’ for historical reference if planning a visit to the Comédie-Française, Paris or the City of London.
Molière and Shakespeare
If you are in Lannion and want to check out the antique bookstore, here are the details: The Livres Anciens, 13 rue du Guesclin 22300 Lannion.
If you love hanging out in bookstores like our family, then a bookstore to visit whilst in Paris is Shakespeare and Company. Shakespeare and Company is an English language bookstore on the Left Bank which stocks books by its namesake, new and secondhand books and is the spot for many literary functions.
Read travel tips on visiting Shakespeare and Company in our article on the Shakespeare and Company book store. Make sure you check out the view from the top floor.
Shakespeare Day
Did you know Shakespeare and his work is celebrated every year in England on the 23rd of April. The famous writer and poet died on 23 April 1616 and whilst the day is not a national holiday it is accepted as a day of observance. Celebrations include Shakespearean plays at the Globe Theatre on the Bankside, London; and a Stratford-upon-Avon birthday procession which is on the Saturday closest to Shakespeare’s birthday. The procession finishes with an offering of flowers on Shakespeare’s grave at the Holy Trinity Church.
Have you visited the Shakespeare Museum at his Birthplace in Henley Street or the Comédie Française in Paris, the home of Molière? Thanks to our guest writer Emily for this lovely article taking us from regional Brittany to Paris and then to London through the journey of ancient books and world famous authors.
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Emily is a contributor to A French Collection and her work has been featured on numerous other blogs. She’s an avid traveller who’s explored more than 15 countries and when not writing travel related articles, she’s likely reading a classic novel or creating original fashion garments. Emily’s also the daughter of Annette (our editor) and has spent lots of time in France.
