Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Les Femmes savantes [The Wise Women]

Laura Favero Carraro (Università degli Studi di Padova)

Ed. by Janet Todd, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.03: French Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century: Classical and Baroque, 1600-1700.
Vol. editors: Heather Kirk (University of Western Ontario), Kathrina LaPorta (New York University), Polly Mangerson (DePaul University), Julia Prest (University of St Andrews), Allison Stedman (University of North Carolina, Charlotte), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1672

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

Les Femmes savantes was first performed at Palais Royal on March 11, 1672, initially obtaining considerable success. An article published by Donneau de Visé in Le Mercure Galant the day after the opening performance, besides praising its “mille traits pleins d’esprit”, “expressions heureuses” and “inventions qui ne peuvent être imitée”, informed the contemporary public about Molière’s own judgement and claim to create a distinctively literary comedy, which would rank among his best:

Le fameux Molière ne nous a point trompés dans l’espérance qu’il nous avait donnée il y a tantôt quatre ans de faire représenter au Palais-Royal une pièce comique de sa façon qui fût tout à fait achevée.

Eliminating physical disguise, attenuating the traditional valet role, moving from an outdoor to an indoor setting, Molière was able to produce a serious comedy...

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2374 words

Citation: Carraro, Laura Favero. "Les Femmes savantes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 June 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4030, accessed 09 June 2026.]

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Les Femmes savantes [The Wise Women]

Dates

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Genres and Modes

Resources

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