Barber of Seville (Figaro Trilogy #1)

A furiously clever comedy that caused a scandal when it finally premiered in 1775, The Barber of Seville announced a writer who would not bow to censorship and a servant who would outwit his betters with nothing but wit and timing. Count Almaviva has fallen hard for Rosine, a young ward guarded by the pompous Doctor Bartholo who intends to marry her himself. The problem: the Count wants to be loved for himself, not his title. So he disguises himself and enlists Figaro, the consummate schemer, to engineer a way past Bartholo's walls. What follows is a dizzying cascade of disguises, mistaken identities, and rapid-fire plotting that would influence everything from opera to modern romantic comedies. It endures because its wit cuts across centuries, and the revolutionary idea that a clever commoner might best his social superiors still feels genuinely transgressive.