In this Book
- Improbable Patriot: The Secret History of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the French Playwright Who Saved the American Revolution
- Book
- 2011
- Published by: University Press of New England
summary
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was an eighteenth-century French inventor, famed playwright, and upstart near-aristocrat in the court of King Louis XVI. In 1776, he conceived an audacious plan to send aid to the American rebels. What’s more, he convinced the king to bankroll the project, and singlehandedly carried it out. By war’s end, he had supplied Washington’s army with most of its weapons and powder, though he was never paid or acknowledged by the United States. To some, he was a dashing hero—a towering intellect who saved the American Revolution. To others, he was pure rogue—a double-dealing adventurer who stopped at nothing to advance his fame and fortune. In fact, he was both, and more: an advisor to kings, an arms dealer, and author of some of the most enduring works of the stage, including The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville.
Table of Contents
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- Title Page
- p. iii
- Dedication
- p. v
- Illustrations
- pp. xi-xii
- Preface & Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xv
- 1: We Must Help the Americans
- pp. 1-18
- 2: Gold by God! The Fuel of Life!
- pp. 19-35
- 3: Last Night Poor, Wealthy Today!
- pp. 36-56
- 6: Plotting and Pocketing
- pp. 95-110
- 8: Figaro Here, Figaro There . . .
- pp. 131-155
- 9: Bright People Are So Stupid
- pp. 156-181
- 10: What Did You Do to Earn So Many Rewards?
- pp. 182-200
- Appendix: Works by Beaumarchais
- pp. 213-214
- Bibliography
- pp. 225-228
Additional Information
ISBN
9781611682168
Related ISBN(s)
9781584659259
MARC Record
OCLC
798295801
Pages
236
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2011