Book excerpt: "Banned after its creation in 1665 because of the threat that it posed to conventional beliefs and ways, Don Juan was not appreciated until the middle of the twentieth century. Since then, its extraordinary theatricality and its daring, and very modern, discussion of philosophical and social matters has made it Moliere's most performed and most studied work in France and in continental Europe generally. In English-speaking countries, however, it is still relatively unknown.".