This book is the second part of an important experimental trilogy in text archaeology of all the various ideas about the 1664 and later versions. Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite), is Molière’s most famous play and was first performed at Versailles in 1664. It attacked religious hypocrisy and as a result caused much scandal and was then banned. Tartuffe means ‘hypocrite’ especially one who shows affected religious piety and exaggeratedly feigns virtue. Revised versions of Tartuffe were performed at various times between 1667 and 1669. McBride provides a reconstruction of the 1667 version in this book. McBride’s work is meticulous and nuanced and he provides a scholarly reconstruction of one of Molière’s masterpieces.
