Hide this

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
Loading...

Cyrano de Bergerac (1897)

by Edmond Rostand

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,840361,237 (4.17)87
17th century (20) 19th century (80) classic (152) classics (118) comedy (36) drama (413) Easton Press (21) ebook (18) fiction (299) France (101) French (187) French drama (20) French literature (175) historical (17) historical fiction (30) humor (27) literature (149) love (27) novel (18) own (25) play (175) plays (213) poetry (33) read (57) romance (62) script (25) theatre (179) to-read (26) translation (38) unread (32)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

English (29)  French (7)  All languages (36)
Showing 1-5 of 29 (next | show all)
While the play is well written and features some very memorable scenes, I just can't bring myself to enjoy it. I don't see anything to be admired in Cyrano's character; he may have many talents both martial and societal, but at heart he is a weak man hiding behind extreme conceptions of honor. Not only does this weakness bring suffering on himself, but everyone around him. I don't appreciate when fiction extols harmful character traits as something to be emulated.I do however appreciate beautiful language and the poetic moments such as the balcony scene, so I can still give this work 3 stars. ( )
  yesssman | Oct 15, 2011 |
9518
  BRCSBooks | Sep 16, 2011 |
One of my favorite plays. The Lowell Bair translation seems stilted and antiquated for my taste. Stick to the Burgess and Hooker translations. ( )
  ShaneTierney | Aug 31, 2011 |
'Cyrano de Bergerac' is a masterful character study of a man who lets one feature shape his life. Complex and mercurial, Cyrano may be remembered as gallant and honourable, a talanted poet and unsurpassed swordsman, but he is also brash and arrogant and yet so afraid of rejection that he hides behind the identity of his handsome friend. He presents himself as a series of characters, and even at the end of his life will not admit the realities of his situation to those who care about him. He will not compromise in anything except the realisation of his own desires.

I read a fairly pedestrian prose translation, and as such feel that I missed the flair and pace of the play. However, there remained glimpses of Rostand's mastery of language, most notably in some of Cyrano's soliloquies and the balcony scene with Roxane which, in a work touched by hyperbole - the duel with one hundred men at the Porte de Nesle, and the feast disguised in Roxane's carriage especially spring to mind - crystalises the deep emotion at the heart of the drama. The narrative may sometimes be ridiculous, but Rostand effectively conveys the vividness and reality of a complicated character, as well as some expert creation of atmosphere in ensemble scenes, the opening at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne and the military encampment at Arras.

The final act serves as a kind of epilogue and, I feel, is the weak point of the play. I am generally not fond of the device and often prefer when something is left to the imagination and the author does not feel the need to tie up all loose ends, but here it seems especially gratuitous, ratcheting up the melodrama to demostrate the tragedy of love, devotion and obstinacy. The construction of the rest of the play was skilful enough to show that there was no way this could have a comforting resolution. ( )
  Belsornia | May 7, 2011 |
This short comic book version was the perfect introduction to Cyrano when I was a young. ( )
  msstephaniebuck | Apr 17, 2011 |
Showing 1-5 of 29 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Edmond Rostandprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bair, LowellTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brissaud, PierreIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Burgess, AnthonyTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cronk, NicholasIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cuomo, FrancoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dole, Helen B.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Fry, ChristopherTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hooker, BrianTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pavis, PatriceEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Untermeyer, LouisTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Series (with order)
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
It was to Cyrano's soul that I intended to dedicate this poem.
But since his soul has passed into you, Coquelin, I dedicate it to you.
- E. R.
First words
The hall of the Hotel de Bourgogne in 1640.
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
This is the play by Edmond Rostand. It should not be combined with any adaptation (e.g., do not combine it with any film adaptation).
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Publisher series
Book description
Haiku summary

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0451528921, Paperback)

Rostand's masterpiece-and the ultimate triumph of the great French romantic tradition-is the magnificent hero-for-all-seasons, Cyrano de Bergerac.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:30:27 -0400)

(see all 5 descriptions)

A translation of the French drama set in seventeenth-century France telling of Cyrano de Bergerac's secret love for Roxane.

» see all 4 descriptions

Quick Links

Popular covers

Rating

Average: (4.17)
0.5
1 1
1.5 1
2 15
2.5 5
3 104
3.5 26
4 208
4.5 25
5 255

Audible.com

Four editions of this book were published by Audible.com.

See editions

Penguin Australia

Two editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0451528921, 014044968X

Talonbooks

An edition of this book was published by Talonbooks.

» Publisher information page

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

Help/FAQs | About | Privacy/Terms | Blog | Contact | LibraryThing.com | APIs | WikiThing | Common Knowledge | Legacy Libraries | 82,001,402 books!