The Imaginary Invalid

Molière, 1622-1673Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.3

Word count: 108K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Imaginary Invalid by MolièreAuthor: Molière, 1622-1673,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Oct 1, 2005

Editor's review

The Imaginary Invalid is the last comedy Molière wrote in his later years, celebrated for its satire of medicine and human frailty. Its protagonist, Argan, is a hypochondriac whose obsession with health plunges his life into absurdity; the schemes and farces that swirl around him are both hilarious and thought-provoking. The play showcases Molière's comic genius: his characters are types yet ring true, the dialogue is witty and sharp, and the plotting is full of dramatic tension. This public-domain eBook edition, released by Project Gutenberg, offers a fluent and readable English translation, making it a good entry point to French classical drama. As you read, notice how Molière uses laughter to dismantle authority—medicine, family, and money are all reexamined here. For theater lovers, literature students, or readers curious about seventeenth-century French society, this is a substantial yet accessible work.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature lovers who want to know Molière's comic style and French classical drama
Teachers and students who need an English play text for classroom or stage practice
General readers interested in satire and the humanities of medicine
Readers who want a shorter introduction to world classic plays

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced modern narrative and are unfamiliar with classical dramatic forms
Beginners with limited English reading ability who need a Chinese translation alongside
Readers seeking serious medical history rather than literary jest

Reading tips

Read through the plot first to grasp the relationships, then revisit the dialogue for satirical details and comic rhythm.
Read alongside other Molière plays such as Tartuffe to see how his satirical themes continue.
Reading aloud by role or imagining stage blocking helps you feel the play's performative quality more directly.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

How difficult is the English in this play, and is it suitable for English learners?

The Gutenberg edition is an English translation, mostly in dramatic dialogue with fairly colloquial language, so the difficulty is moderate. A college level of English is enough to follow the plot, though some seventeenth-century cultural background and medical terms may need notes.

Does the theme of hypochondria still have relevance today?

Yes. The characters' anxiety about health, reliance on doctors, and credulity in the face of schemes still echo contemporary health anxiety and medical consumerism, so Molière's satire has not dated.

Is this Molière's complete work or an excerpt?

This is the complete text of Molière's The Imaginary Invalid in three acts, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook; it is not an excerpt or adaptation.

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About the author

Molière, 1622-1673 Author

Molière (1622-1673), born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was a leading figure of French classical comedy and worked in the seventeenth-century French theatre as both actor and playwright. The library holds 41 of his works, including such representative plays as Tartuffe, The Miser, and Don Juan, ou le Festin de pierre, as well as multi-volume editions of his complete works. Drawing on everyday life, his comedies expose hypocrisy, greed, and vanity with exaggerated yet incisive satire; his characters are vividly drawn and his dialogue witty and lively, conveying criticism of social ills through laughter. Public information on his early life and education is limited, so no speculation is offered here. His plays have had a profound influence on French and European theatre history and are still frequently staged today.