Women Dramatists, Humor, and the French Stage: 1802-1855

Description

Filling a critical void, this book examines French women dramatists of the nineteenth century who managed to have their works staged prior to the lifting of censorship laws in 1864. Sophie de Bawr (1773-1860), Sophie Gay (1776-1852), Virginie Ancelot (1792-1875), and Delphine Gay de Girardin (1804-1855) all staged successful plays at Paris’s top venues (Theatre Francais and Odeon) or at other selective theatres (Ambigu-Comique, Vaudeville, Gymnase) during this period without the aid or protection of a male coauthor. Between 1802 and 1855, all four of these dramatists were heavily involved in the literary scene of their day and hosted their own salons, venues essential for any male author wishing to see his works published and accepted among the public. While not always directly engaged in the politics of the day in their theater, these dramatists were aware of and influenced by the public sphere. Though none staged what today’s critics would refer to as overtly feminist drama, through their use of humor, Bawr, Gay, Ancelot, and Girardin all cast aspersion upon patriarchal dominance and reconstructed ideals of womanhood that rejected traditional submissive roles.