Marivaux Plays

Marivaux was an outstanding playwright and novelist, noted for his witty plays, which were centered around subtle analyses of the theme of love. Two of the most famous, still performed today in France, are "Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard" (The Game of Love and Chance) (1730) and "Les Fausses Confidences" (False Trust) (1737). Marivaux found his home in the literary salons of the day, and his style, termed marivaudage and consisting of witty repartee between characters, reflects the delicate nuances of such social existence. Marivaux is also known for two unfinished novels, "La Vie de Marianne" (1731--41), interesting for its depiction of female life in the eighteenth century, and "Le Paysan Parvenu" (The Self-made Peasant) (1735--36), the story of the rise in society of a poor peasant named Jacob.

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