Les précieuses ridicules Add a review

Les Précieuses ridicules (French pronunciation: [le pʁesjøz ʁidikyl], The Absurd Précieuses or The Affected Ladies) is a one-act satire by Molière in prose. It takes aim at the précieuses, the ultra-witty ladies who indulged in lively conversations, word games and, in a word, préciosité (preciousness). It was adapted into a lyric comedy and a film.

Les Précieuses ridicules is a biting comedy of manners that brought Molière and his company to the attention of Parisians, after they had toured the provinces for years. The play received its Paris premiere on 18 November 1659 at the Théâtre du Petit-Bourbon. It seems not to have been staged before that in the provinces. It was highly successful and attracted the patronage of Louis XIV to Molière and company. Les Précieuses ridicules still plays well today.

In the play, a man finds two eligible suitors for his daughter and his niece. The young women reject and ridicule them, because they view them as unrefined. In revenge, the men have their valets posing as sophisticated suitors for the women. The trick relies on their naiveté.