Eleganty, czyli Précieuses ridicules Moliera dla sceny Sturm und Drang Periode

Abstract

Eleganty or Précieuses ridicules by Molière for the theatre of Sturm und Drang Periode The paper discusses the anonymous Polish translation of Précieuses ridicules by Molière. The translation, sixth in the chronological order, dates from the beginning of the 19th century. The analysis of the text in question demonstrates the complete substitution of the French cultural indicators of the Louis XIV era by the German ones, reflecting the literary debates of the Sturm und Drang Periode. The article highlights also the adaptations for the new theatre stage that the original text underwent: the sketch of characters was further developed and the rapid plot twists were introduced. The analysis permits to discover the intermediary between the French original and the Polish translation: the adaptation produced by J.H.D. Zschokke (1771‑1848), entitled Die Eleganten. A hypothesis is put forward that the Polish version might have been developed in the milieu of Wojciech Bogusławski.

Keywords

• Molière
• Polish adaptations
• romanticism
• Zschokke