Cyrano de Bergerac (Illustrated‪)‬

"He's famous for his long . . . sword."


Thus is introduced Cyrano de Bergerac, a marvelous character who is witty, passionate and full of vitality, although he is chiefly known for his big nose.


To quote the man himself: "My nose is Gargantuan! You little Pig-snout, you tiny Monkey-Nostrils, you virtually invisible Pekinese-Puss, don't you realize that a nose like mine is both scepter and orb, a monument to my superiority? A great nose is the banner of a great man, a generous heart, a towering spirit, an expansive soul--such as I unmistakably am, and such as you dare not to dream of being, with your bilious weasel's eyes and no nose to keep them apart! With your face as lacking in all distinction--as lacking, I say, in interest, as lacking in pride, in imagination, in honesty, in lyricism--in a word, as lacking in nose as that other offensively bland expanse at the opposite end of your cringing spine--which I now remove from my sight by stringent application of my boot!"


"Cyrano de Bergerac" is the most famous play by Edmond Rostand and has been adapted countless times for the stage and for film. The play is responsible for introducing the word "panache" into the English language.