About this book
The Flying Doctor (Le Médecin Volant) by Unknown sweeps listeners into a fast-paced 17th-century French farce full of mistaken identities, matrimonial scheming, and mock-medical mayhem. First performed in Paris in 1659 and later echoed in plays like L'Amour Médecin, this short comic play centers on lovers thwarted by avarice, a resourceful cousin, and the hapless servant Sganarelle—who is persuaded to pose as a doctor to outwit a gullible paterfamilias.
Blending elements of commedia dell’arte and baroque satire, the play lampoons social pretensions, arranged marriage, and the gullibility of those taken in by charlatans. Its brisk scenes, stock characters (Gorgibus, Lucile, Valère, Sabine, Gros René) and sharp comic situations make it a lively example of classical French literature and theater. The piece is notable for its theatrical legacy—Molière himself acted Sganarelle—and for its influence on later medical-parody comedies.
A delightful listen for fans of classic literature and stage comedy, this audiobook offers theatre students, lovers of historical drama, and anyone who enjoys witty, economical farce a compact, entertaining glimpse into seventeenth-century French theatrical wit.
