{"product_id":"the-barber-of-seville-and-the-marriage-of-figaroisbn-9780140441338","title":"The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe sparkling plays about the scoundrelly valet Figaro, used as the basis of operas by Mozart and Roissini \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA highly engaging comedy of intrigue, \u003ci\u003eThe Barber of Seville\u003c\/i\u003e portrays the resourceful Figaro foiling a jealous old man's attempts to keep his beautiful ward from her lover. And \u003ci\u003eThe Marriage of Figaro\u003c\/i\u003e—condemned by Louis XVI for its daring satire of nobility and privilege—depicts a master and servant set in opposition by their desire for the same woman. With characteristic lightness of touch, Beaumarchais—a French courtier, secret agent, libertine, and adventurer—created an audacious farce of disguise and mistaken identity that balances wit, frivolity and seriousness in equal measure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.\u003cb\u003ePierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Paris in 1732. The son of a clockmaker, he was early appointed horologist to the French court. A rich marriage established his fortunes and thereafter he pursued an adventurous career as financial speculator, confidential agent, gun-runner and, ultimately, man of letters. His literary career began inauspiciously with \u003ci\u003eEugénie\u003c\/i\u003e (1767), an unsuccessful bourgeois drama in the manner of Diderot, but his numerous lawsuits soon gave him the ammunition for a very successful series of Mémoires, in which he attacked his adversaries, establishing his reputation. His most famous works today, however, are the comedies \u003ci\u003eThe Barber of Seville\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Marriage of Figaro\u003c\/i\u003e, which formed the basis of the operas by Rossini and Mozart. Beaumarchais died in 1799.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Wood\u003c\/b\u003e was born in 1900 and went to Manchester University. After some years in teaching and adult education he spent his working life in educational administration. Concern with the relevance of the arts in education, combined with personal predilection, led to involvement with the theatre and with the work of Molière in particular, as producer and translator. He also translated \u003ci\u003eThe Misanthrope and Other Plays\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Miser and Other Plays\u003c\/i\u003e for Penguin Classics.","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304819904741,"sku":"NP9780140441338","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780140441338.jpg?v=1730758541","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-barber-of-seville-and-the-marriage-of-figaroisbn-9780140441338","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}