La Matrone Chinoise: ou l'epreuve ridicule, comedie (1765)

This is a critical edition of a comedy by Pierre-Rene Lemonnier, first performed in Paris in 1765. Lemonnier followed Voltaire in using China and Chinese sources to introduce elements of exoticism into his play. The edition includes an introduction providing the theatre history context and discussing the origins of the theme of the play and its literary style. It also includes an appendix containing different versions of the story, ranging from the Latin writer Petronius in the first century AD through a Chinese story, to Voltaire and Freron in the 18th century.