« Laws for laughing ! » : discours théorique et pratique thếâtrale sur la scène comique du XVIIIe siècle
This article aims to show the contradictions between the theoretical discourse on laughter in the 18th-century and the actual theatrical practice at the time. First it focuses on a major aspect of the debate on the regularity and legitimacy of comedy concerning the nature of the comic and the object...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Société d'Etudes Anglo-Américaines des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles
2013-12-01
|
| Series: | XVII-XVIII |
| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/1718/523 |
| _version_ | 1819102809433309184 |
|---|---|
| author | Marc Martinez Marie-Claire Rouyer-Daney |
| author_facet | Marc Martinez Marie-Claire Rouyer-Daney |
| author_sort | Marc Martinez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article aims to show the contradictions between the theoretical discourse on laughter in the 18th-century and the actual theatrical practice at the time. First it focuses on a major aspect of the debate on the regularity and legitimacy of comedy concerning the nature of the comic and the object of laughter. On the one hand theorists offer definitions of humour, raillery and ridicule and they assess the laughter on the basis of whether it is either proper or improper. On the other hand, the making of the repertory and the programming of official theatres show that the laughter of farce, considered coarse and often aggressive, was the one that made theatres prosper and flourish. The popularity of mimicry, practiced by the greatest actors, is then analyzed in the wider context of eighteenth-century comic acting, focusing particularly on the grotesque theatricalization of the body. Finally, it is argued that the licensing of dramatic texts, introduced by the 1737 Act, was an attempt to purge the stage of its obscenity, in the name of the propriety required by the middle-class audience, and of any political satire, as evidenced by the long battle Charles Macklin had with the Lord Chamberlain. Satirical laughter, however, held its ground in Samuel Foote’s personal caricatures and through acting tricks added to the texts that had been previously submitted to the Censor. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T01:40:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-895e185a73c54a0daf40cce380380e4d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0291-3798 2117-590X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T01:40:28Z |
| publishDate | 2013-12-01 |
| publisher | Société d'Etudes Anglo-Américaines des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles |
| record_format | Article |
| series | XVII-XVIII |
| spelling | doaj.art-895e185a73c54a0daf40cce380380e4d2022-12-21T18:43:15ZengSociété d'Etudes Anglo-Américaines des XVIIe et XVIIIe sièclesXVII-XVIII0291-37982117-590X2013-12-017017720810.4000/1718.523« Laws for laughing ! » : discours théorique et pratique thếâtrale sur la scène comique du XVIIIe siècleMarc MartinezMarie-Claire Rouyer-DaneyThis article aims to show the contradictions between the theoretical discourse on laughter in the 18th-century and the actual theatrical practice at the time. First it focuses on a major aspect of the debate on the regularity and legitimacy of comedy concerning the nature of the comic and the object of laughter. On the one hand theorists offer definitions of humour, raillery and ridicule and they assess the laughter on the basis of whether it is either proper or improper. On the other hand, the making of the repertory and the programming of official theatres show that the laughter of farce, considered coarse and often aggressive, was the one that made theatres prosper and flourish. The popularity of mimicry, practiced by the greatest actors, is then analyzed in the wider context of eighteenth-century comic acting, focusing particularly on the grotesque theatricalization of the body. Finally, it is argued that the licensing of dramatic texts, introduced by the 1737 Act, was an attempt to purge the stage of its obscenity, in the name of the propriety required by the middle-class audience, and of any political satire, as evidenced by the long battle Charles Macklin had with the Lord Chamberlain. Satirical laughter, however, held its ground in Samuel Foote’s personal caricatures and through acting tricks added to the texts that had been previously submitted to the Censor.http://journals.openedition.org/1718/523 |
| spellingShingle | Marc Martinez Marie-Claire Rouyer-Daney « Laws for laughing ! » : discours théorique et pratique thếâtrale sur la scène comique du XVIIIe siècle XVII-XVIII |
| title | « Laws for laughing ! » : discours théorique et pratique thếâtrale sur la scène comique du XVIIIe siècle |
| title_full | « Laws for laughing ! » : discours théorique et pratique thếâtrale sur la scène comique du XVIIIe siècle |
| title_fullStr | « Laws for laughing ! » : discours théorique et pratique thếâtrale sur la scène comique du XVIIIe siècle |
| title_full_unstemmed | « Laws for laughing ! » : discours théorique et pratique thếâtrale sur la scène comique du XVIIIe siècle |
| title_short | « Laws for laughing ! » : discours théorique et pratique thếâtrale sur la scène comique du XVIIIe siècle |
| title_sort | laws for laughing discours theorique et pratique theatrale sur la scene comique du xviiie siecle |
| url | http://journals.openedition.org/1718/523 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marcmartinez lawsforlaughingdiscourstheoriqueetpratiquetheatralesurlascenecomiqueduxviiiesiecle AT marieclairerouyerdaney lawsforlaughingdiscourstheoriqueetpratiquetheatralesurlascenecomiqueduxviiiesiecle |