Impersonation and Exclusion ―The Poetics of Culture in Le Bourgeois gentilhomme by Molière―

Abstract

In this article the author examines Le Bourgois gentilhomme from the viewpoints of the cultural and intellectual context of the time; this is similar to the attitude of New Historicism. The particular aspects to be examined are “impersonation” and “exclusion”, which were the representative behaviors of the intellectuals in the 17th century France, who had experienced the decline of the traditional world view of the Middle Ages. In this respect, theatre was the most advanced medium to establish the modern world view.