Rire du patriarcat : la comédie française des années 1550-1650 au prisme du genre

Abstract

French comedies from the late 16th century and early 17th century revolve around games of love-making which are systematically likened to acts of war. A compact web of metaphors draws a parallel between the conquest of maidens and the conquest of cities. This metaphor of the conquest of a city which provides the narrative basis of the plays also displays, at an ideological level, a fundamentally misogynous world view. This study proposes to analyse this fundamental schema and explain the changes it undergoes. Indeed, as we progress through the 17th century, the metaphor of the town siege can be turned around and some of the lead female characters tend to turn into conquerors. The theatre of comedy thus takes the edge off its misogynous side. In Corneille’s La Veuve and Le Menteur, in Claveret’s L’Esprit fort or in Rotrou’s La Célimène the relationships between male and female characters develop in a way that is gradually more favourable the the latter. Gender studies can bring fresh light to the study of French comedy from the 1550s-1660s. This theatre of the beginning of the modern age highlights both the foundations of our patriarchal society and the first signs of its shattering.