Le Philosophe marié, ou Le Mari honteux de l'être (review)

This eighteenth-century comedy, performed for the first time on 15 February 1727, met with great success and brought Destouches considerable fame. The five-act play, in verse, centres on Ariste, who rails against his married status because he believes it compromises his detached position as a philosopher. Married to Mélite in secret, to avoid any mockery from a society that no longer considers marriage to be fashionable, he keeps his situation hidden in order to live unencumbered. However, matters are complicated when Ariste's friend, the Marquis du Lauret, decides to ask Mélite for her hand, and Ariste's uncle, Géronte, attempts to marry off his nephew. Ariste tries to keep his secret for as long as possible, but the others learn of the marriage and cast Mélite as a seductress, guilty of a rapt de séduction, a crime punishable by death. Ariste ends up protecting Mélite, and the play concludes harmoniously with their marriage publicly recognized. Gabriele Vickermann-Ribémont takes up the renewed critical interest in Destouches following Françoise Rubellin's 2001 edition of his less successful play Le Philosophe amoureux. In the Introduction she notes that Le Philosophe marié, compared with other plays of the period, has been neglected, and she argues for its reappraisal on the grounds of its contemporary reception, both in France and abroad, the original elements it brought to the French stage, and the quality of the writing. Furthermore, she maintains that 'Le Philosophe marié est particulièrement riche en germes qui se sont développés tôt ou tard sous la plume d'autres auteurs' (p. 62). She thus presents this new edition, which includes an explanation of her handling of the different manuscript sources — unlike its predecessors, Vickermann-Ribémont's text is based on the original edition rather than the last version published in the author's lifetime — and an appendix containing the stage prompt's manuscript for comparison with the first printed text. In her substantial Introduction Vickermann-Ribémont provides a comprehensive biography of the playwright, a detailed summary of the plot, and an analysis of the principal themes; she also recounts the contemporary controversy surrounding the play, noting that its success was accompanied by 'une petite cabale littéraire' (p. 19) targeting the depiction of the philosopher. The Introduction argues convincingly for the originality of the work by drawing attention to its innovative depiction of the philosopher, traditionally presented in comedy as a ridiculous pedant who never lives up to his own standards. Ariste, by contrast, is shown to be a character who evolves and is psychologically complex. Regrettably, although the editor points out the playwright's skill, she does not examine the language in detail, nor does she indicate particular scenes that might support her argument that Destouches is a 'disciple de Molière' (p. 12) who handles comic scenes deftly. Nonetheless, this volume is a welcome addition to eighteenth-century theatre studies, providing a helpful introduction to the author and one of his most famous plays.