The Bourgeois Gentleman by Molière

How hard is The Bourgeois Gentleman to read?

The Bourgeois Gentleman scores 46 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it moderately challenging. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 68 out of 100

Molière's play, even in translation, features formal 17th-century English alongside specialized terminology from music, fencing, and philosophy (e.g., "theorbo," "clavecin," "Barbara, Celarent"). The text also includes significant passages of invented "pseudo-Turkish" language, which, while comedic, presents a unique lexical challenge. This blend requires readers to navigate both period-specific and fabricated vocabulary.

Sentence structure: 58 out of 100

The play's dialogue-driven format generally maintains clear, moderate-length sentences, making it largely navigable. However, characters like Monsieur Jourdain and the various masters occasionally use extended sentences with multiple clauses and formal inversions, particularly during their debates or attempts at eloquence. These moments, though not pervasive, add a layer of grammatical demand beyond simple declarative structures.

Abstraction: 62 out of 100

While primarily a concrete comedy of manners, the play frequently introduces abstract concepts through the lessons Monsieur Jourdain receives. Characters engage in explicit, though often satirical, discussions about the "excellence" of music, dance, and fencing, and the Philosophy Master delves into logic, morality, and physics. These interludes elevate the content beyond pure narrative, requiring readers to engage with theoretical ideas, even if presented comically.

Information density: 55 out of 100

The play maintains a moderate information density through its rapid-fire dialogue and a continuous flow of character interactions and comedic deceptions. Readers must track multiple subplots, including Monsieur Jourdain's lessons, his romantic aspirations, and the various schemes against him. The detailed financial accounts and the elaborate "Turkish" ceremony further contribute to the volume of specific details and concepts presented within a relatively short span.

Narrative indirection: 30 out of 100

The narrative explicitly presents events and character motivations, particularly through direct dialogue and clear stage directions. Readers are not required to infer complex plot points or hidden meanings, as the central deception of Monsieur Jourdain is clearly orchestrated and understood by most characters and the audience.

Symbolic density: 40 out of 100

The play employs clear satirical elements, where Monsieur Jourdain's extravagant clothes and the 'Mamamouchi' ceremony directly symbolize his foolish social aspirations. However, these elements function as straightforward comedic devices rather than deeply layered or ambiguous symbols requiring extensive interpretation beyond their immediate satirical intent.

Ironic distance: 80 out of 100

The play is a biting satire, establishing a significant ironic distance between Monsieur Jourdain's deluded self-perception and the reality perceived by the audience and other characters. The entire plot, from his 'lessons' to the 'Mamamouchi' ceremony, relies on the audience understanding the gap between what is said and what is truly meant by the exploiting characters.

Resolution withholding: 20 out of 100

As a classical comedy, the play provides a clear and conventional resolution to its central conflicts, particularly the marriage plot for Lucile and Cléonte. All major character arcs conclude with explicit outcomes, leaving no significant ambiguities or open questions about their fates or the story's meaning.

Structural complexity: 30 out of 100

The play adheres to a conventional, linear dramatic structure, progressing chronologically through acts and scenes without timeline jumps or shifts in narrative perspective. While it incorporates musical and dance interludes, these are integrated as spectacle rather than formal experiments that complicate the narrative's structure.

How The Bourgeois Gentleman is regarded

The Bourgeois Gentleman holds a literary regard score of 90 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

About the author

Molière