Produced by Anne Soulard, Charles Aldarondo, Keren Vergon and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
New York
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD.
1901
All rights reserved.
To Thomas Frederick Crane, A.M., Of Cornell University,
Whose Profound Scholarship, Inspiring Teachings,
And Lasting Friendship Are Here Gratefully Acknowledged.
That so typical a representative of eighteenth century society, sogracious a personality, so charming a writer, and so superior a genius asMarivaux should be not only unedited, but practically unknown to theAmerican reading public, is a matter of surprise. His brilliant comedies,written in an easy prose, and free from all impurities of thought orexpression, offer peculiarly attractive texts for our classes. It is forthese reasons that this edition was undertaken. The plays chosen, le Jeude l'Amour et du Hasard, le Legs, and les Fausses Confidences aregenerally considered his best plays, and are fortunately free fromdialect, which, in the mouths of certain characters of l'Épreuve and ofla Mère confidente, charming as are these comedies, makes themundesirable for study in college or school. The text of les FaussesConfidences is that of 1758 (Paris, Duchesne, 5 vols.), the lastcollective edition published during the lifetime of the author, that ofle Legs, from the edition of 1740 (Paris, Prault père, 4 vols.), whilethat of le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard, which is contained in neitherthe edition of 1758 nor in that of 1740, is from the first collectiveedition of his works of 1732 (Paris. Briasson, 2 vols.). It has not seemedwise to retain the curious orthography of these early editions, as theexplanation of the same would uselessly burden the notes, and possiblyconfuse the student. An orthography following the same lines as that ofthe edition of les Grands Écrivains has been adopted.
The Introduction is rather extensive, but, as it serves in truth as anintroduction to students in American schools of an author as yet littleknown, a less minute statement of his qualifications would hardly havebeen pardonable. Many quotations have been given, some from Marivauxhimself, or from contemporary biographers, of so authoritative a nature asto add more weight than any summing up by the editor, and others fromcelebrated French critics, whose views, or whose picturesqueness ofexpression, have been often invaluable. In fact, the Introduction does notclaim to be so much a literary essay as a compilation of authorities.
The notes to a text containing no historical, literary, or biographicalallusions are naturally limited to explaining the difficulties of theFrench, and are less extensive than would otherwise be required.
Words and idioms, which, though unusual or difficult, can be found in anyof the small dictionaries accessible to students, have been excluded fromthe notes as unnecessary, except such as might mislead unless explained,or such as differ from the modern use.
It remains for the editor to acknowledge his indebtedness for sympatheticinterest and valuable suggestions to Gustave Larroumet, professor ofFrench Literature at the University of Paris, and perpetual secretary ofthe Académie des Beaux Arts, to Professor Crane and Mr. Guerlac of CornellUniversity, and to Pr