Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jan Clarke to explore the life, legend, and legacy of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin — better known as Molière. From his audacious rejection of bourgeois expectations to his controversial plays that rattled the Catholic Church and delighted the King, Molière’s story is as theatrical as his work. So what can be learned about gender, religion, power, and performance in Louis XIV’s France through Molière's comedies?

Together, Suzannah and Jan unravel the myth from the man and discover how Molière’s biting satire, his savvy court politics, and his deep understanding of human nature made him a foundational figure in French literature and European theatre.

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Louis XIV and his Mistresses

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2bvIaoji5oM65WbU5bFESw

Marie Antoinette

https://open.spotify.com/episode/69l3JrCvivIuKI5pmQLrYb

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

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