In the essay below, McDonald considers the rights of the individual and the concepts of political and social change as dramatized in The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, and La Mère coupable. McDonald also addresses problems relating to a modern reader's interpretation of an eighteenth-century text.

In the following essay, Brown examines literary property rights of eighteenth century playwrights, considering the views of Beaumarchais in advocating greater control for authors in the royal theater.

In the following excerpt, Undank traces the development of Beaumarchais's literary style and philosophies.

In the following essay, Reish demonstrates the ways in which Beaumarchais reflects a changing social order through his transformation of Figaro in the Figaro trilogy.

In the following excerpt, Hayes examines Beaumarchais's general perspective on the theater and assesses the influence of Diderot's theories on Beaumarchais's works.