Moliere, the French Revolution, and the Theatrical Afterlife (Studies Theatre Hist & Culture)

198 Pages·2009·1.37 MB·English

by  Mechele Leon

m
olière,
1
the french revolution, and
the theatrical afterlife
studies in theatre history & culture
edited by Thomas Postlewait
molière,

1
the French Revolution, and
the Theatrical Afterlife
Mechele Leon
by
University of Iowa Press Iowa City
University of Iowa Press, Iowa City 52242
Copyright © 2009 by the University of Iowa Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Leon, Mechele, 1958–
Molière, the French revolution, and the theatrical afterlife /
by Mechele Leon.
p. cm.—(Studies in theatre history and culture)
Includes bibliographical references.
isbn-13: 978-1-58729-821-9 (cloth)
isbn-10: 1-58729-821-X(cloth)
1. Molière, 1622–1673—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title.
pq1860.l43 2009
842΄.4—dc22 2009006982
FRONTISPIECE:Commemorative medallion created by
Georges-Henri Prud’homme for the 1922 Molière tricentennial.
Courtesy of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
contents
Acknowledgments vii
Prologue:The Theatrical Afterlife 1
1 1 repertory:The Popularity of Molière’s Plays 14
2 1 Performance:The “High/Low” Molière 34
3 1 History:Rewriting the Story of Molière and Louis XIV 49
4 1 Function:Retooling Molièrean Laughter 74
5 1 Life:Depicting Molière in Biographical Drama 100
6 1 Death:Remembering Molière 123
Epilogue:The Future of an Afterlife 139
Notes 145
Works Cited 165
Index 179

Acknowledgments
This book is the result of work spanning two states, several universities,
and two countries. I am pleased to acknowledge the advisors, colleagues,
institutions, organizations, family, and friends who have supported my
efforts along the way.
I can hardly formulate original words of thanks for the editor of this
series, Thomas Postlewait. All has been said before by the prestigious
authors who have preceded me in publishing their books in Studies in
Theatre History and Culture. I am immensely grateful to Tom for his
patience and diligence in helping me create the best work I could.
Gretchen Elizabeth Smith reviewed the manuscript and provided many
astute and helpful suggestions. Holly Carver, director of the University of
Iowa Press, has been a source of encouragement and good cheer. Cornell
University professors J. Ellen Gainor, Steven L. Kaplan, and David
Bathrick provided excellent guidance during the dissertation stage of this
work. The project first took shape as a mémoire de D. E. A. at the Univer-
sité de Paris X–Nanterre under the guidance of Christian Biet. His advice
and friendship over the years have been invaluable. I received much
research help from the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, Département des
arts du spectacle, and particularly from Jacqueline Razgonnikoff, now
retired from her service as librarian for the Bibliothèque-Musée de la
Comédie-Française.
I am grateful to Professor Emmet Kennedy and the team of the
Kennedy-Netter Theatre Project for allowing me to use data compiled
for their book Theatre, Opera, and Audiences in Revolutionary Paris. The
database is now contained in the online Calendrier électronique des spec-
tacles sous l’Ancien Régime et sous la Révolution (www.cesar.org.uk). I
thank Oxford Brookes University and members of the advisory board of
the CESARproject, especially Mark Bannister and Jeffrey Ravel, for pro-
viding access to this invaluable resource. This study could not have been
accomplished without it. Parts of chapters 3 and 4 were published in
French Historical Studiesand the European Studies Journal. The feedback
I received from the editors and anonymous readers made an important
contribution to the development of these chapters.
viii 1 acknowledgments
Seminars in book publishing and grant-writing offered by the Hall
Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas greatly aided in
the development of this study. I am particularly grateful to Victor Bailey,
Charles W. Battey Distinguished Professor of Modern British History at
the University of Kansas and director of the Hall Center, for providing
these opportunities. The insights I gained through feedback from semi-
nar organizers and participants changed my understanding of this proj-
ect and its significance.
I am also fortunate to have received generous financial support for this
project. At the dissertation stage, it was supported by Cornell University
through a Sage Graduate Fellowship and a travel grant from the Mario
Einaudi Center for International Studies. The dissertation was completed
with a Bourse Chateaubriand from the Ministère des Services Culturelles
de l’Ambassade de France. A National Endowment for the Humanities
faculty fellowship for 2005–2006 allowed me to undertake revisions and
seek a publication contract. During that year, the Institut français de
Washington gave me a generous award to meet travel costs in France. The
University of Kansas provided financial support at every stage of research
and writing. I am the recipient of awards from the Hall Center for the
Humanities, the New Faculty General Research Fund and General
Research Fund programs, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and
the Office of International Programs. A Vice Provost for Research Book
Subvention Award assisted the press in meeting the costs for images
included in this book.
For their endless encouragement and moral support over the years, I
thank my family and friends. My thanks to Dan Klinger, who always
makes me laugh when the going gets tough. This book is about an after-
life, framed at the beginning and end by discussions recalling absence and
death. I dedicate it to the memory of three people close to my heart who
passed away during the writing of it. To my brother Robert Leon, who
stood behind me like a father with his abiding kindness, generosity, and
love. To Barbara Stryker, who adopted me like a sister and always inspired
me to be the best I could be. Finally, to Randy Sturman, the friend of a
lifetime.
m
olière,
1
the french revolution, and
the theatrical afterlife