La Tontine by Alain René Le Sage
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"La Tontine" by Alain René Le Sage is a one-act play written in the early 18th century. This comic work touches on themes of deception and the often-humorous relationships between doctors and patients, as well as the absurdities of financial schemes like tontines, where the last surviving beneficiary collects the entire payout. The play explores the lengths to which people will go to secure their financial interests and the often comical consequences
of such schemes. The storyline revolves around Dr. Peacock, who concocts a devious plan to profit from a tontine by taking out an insurance policy on the life of a robust peasant named Dudley. In a parallel plot, Peacock aims to marry his daughter, Harriet, to Flem, a rather undesirable pharmacist. As the characters navigate this web of absurdities, the peasant finds himself subjected to the doctor's relentless and questionable medical treatments, while Dudley, unaware of the nefarious plot, fears for his life. This humorous interplay of mistaken intentions and societal norms ultimately leads to a series of misunderstandings and a resolution where the characters find themselves entwined in unexpected romantic and financial entanglements. Through witty dialogues and farcical situations, Le Sage critiques the intersection of medicine and commerce in society. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Le Sage, Alain René, 1668-1747 |
|---|---|
| Translator | Morlock, Frank J. |
| Title | La Tontine |
| Credits | Produced by Dagny |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 79.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Subject | French drama -- 18th century -- Translations into English |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 11946 |
| Release Date | Apr 1, 2004 |
| Last Update | Oct 28, 2024 |
| Copyright | Copyrighted. Read the copyright notice inside this book for details. |
| Downloads | 364 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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