Description: The canonical status of Molière, France's pre-eminent comic playwright, was recognised almost immediately after his death, but the role of print in constructing his posterity remains unexplored. Informed by approaches in book history and text/image relations, and based on deep archival research, this book studies the publishing history of Molière and the forms in which his works circulated in French during the eighteenth century. Textual editing and paratextual features intersected with material format to present the playwright's work in a multitude of ways. From humble counterfeits to luxury editions, in complete editions and single plays, with and without illustrations, the 'packaging' of Molière for successive generations of readers is elucidated for the first time.
