English 325 week 7
47290v3o0
english_325_week_7.docx· Tartuffe, or the Imposter
Click on the "Course Reserves" tab to the left, then keep clicking in until you see the films for this class. For Tartuffe, click on the word "view" to stream the play.
Tartuffe, or the Imposter
Watch Tartuffe Acts I, II and III for 7A
Watch Acts IV and V for 7B
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Tartuffe Script.pdf
(12.901 MB)
Richard Wilber's verse translation is superb. Find a pdf version attached.
Magnify the text on your screen to make the reading easier.
7A
· Theater History Newsletter: Molière
This page has background on the play, the playwright, the era, etc. Good context for the play to those new to Molière.
https://www.theatrefolk.com/spotlights/moliere-and-17th-century-french-theatre
Discussion Board
Discuss the view of human nature communicated by Moliere’s Tartuffe. What ideas about human nature does Moliere ridicule, and which ones does he advocate? Support your conclusions with details from the play.
250 words， no work cited
7B
· Character Map
Attached Files:
·
Tarttuff Character Map.docx
(169.482 KB)
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Discussion Board
Discuss the ending of Moliere’s Tartuffe. The playwright makes use of what is called a deus ex machina (“god from the machine”), a technique whereby resolution is achieved by divine, or in this case royal, intervention in a convenient but unexpected way. In your opinion, does the ending detract from your enjoyment of the play? Why or why not? If you don’t like Moliere’s ending, what sort of ending would you have preferred?
250 words， no work cited
(make sure write where is this quote from into beginning of explanation) (you can find a quote from reading in first assignment).
Students will choose a short excerpt / quote from one of the readings of that week, type it in, then add a short (150 words or so) explanation for your choice. Was your selection important because it:
· is an example of beautiful or striking language?
· exemplifies a particular theme or character?
· makes the reader think about something in a new way?
· reflects a particular aspect of French culture?
· was just something that you liked?
For example:
"Whoever gets knowledge from God, science,
and a talent for speech, eloquence,
Shouldn't shut up or hide away;
No, that person should gladly display." Marie de France
explanation:
In the opening lines to the Prologue to the Lays, Marie de France is providing her readers with an explanation for writing these stories down. This is a very common and traditional rhetorical move informing readers about the ethos or qualifications of the speaker. In this case, Marie is claiming that she is knowledgeable and eloquent and that these gifts come from God and therefore should be used. I think it goes further than that; Marie, like most women of her day,* would have been expected to "shut up" and "hide away" as a matter of course, since women's voices were not welcomed in the public sphere. By opening her work in this way, she preempts criticism about the appropriateness of her authorship.
