Women dramatists, humor, and the French stage
Subtitle: 1802-1855
By: Joyce Johnston
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2014
Place of publication: New York, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 233
ISBN-13: 9781137456717
Subjects: French drama (Comedy); History and criticism; French literature; Women authors; Women in the theater; History; Theater; Humor in literature; DRAMA / Continental European; PERFORMING ARTS / Theater / History & Criticism; PERFORMING ARTS / Theater / Playwriting
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' top venues (The Théâtre Français and Ode;on) or at other selective theaters (Ambigu-Comique, Vaudeville, Gymnase) during this period without the aid or protection of a male co-author. 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 politics of the day in their theatre, they were aware of and influenced by the public sphere. Though none staged what today's critics would refer to as overtly feminist drama, Bawr, Gay, Ancelot and Girardin all cast aspersion upon patriarchal dominance and reconstructed ideals of womanhood which rejected traditional submissive roles. "--

"Women Dramatists, Humor, and the French Stage: 1802 to 1855 explores four women playwrights - Sophie de Bawr, Sophie Gay, Virginie Ancelot, and Delpine de Girardin - and their use of humor during the first half of the nineteenth century"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 211-221) and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note:; title: 1. Revisiting Women, Humor, and the French Stage; title: 2. Sophie de Bawr: Successful Resistance, Resisting Success; title: 3. The Shifting Stages of Sophie Gay's Theater Career; title: 4. Virginie Ancelot's Comedy for Women; title: 5. Delphine Gay de Girardin: The Muse Takes Center Stage; title: 6. Conclusion.