Skip Navigation



French History Advance Access published online on January 17, 2008
French History, doi:10.1093/fh/crm068
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
22/1/74    most recent
crm068v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wardhaugh, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for the Study of French History. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

‘UN RIRE NOUVEAU’: ACTION FRANÇAISE AND THE ART OF POLITICAL SATIRE

Jessica Wardhaugh*

* Dr Jessica Wardhaugh is a Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, Oxford, OX1 1DP, and may be contacted at jessica.wardhaugh{at}chch.ox.ac.uk.


  Abstract

Action Française was one of the most notorious political movements of the Third Republic, and its intellectual influence is widely recognized. Yet the theatre of Action Française remains almost unknown. Based on hitherto neglected archives, this article reveals the close relationship between the plays and revues of Action Française and its literary and political ambitions. First, it examines Maurice Pujo's theory of counter-revolutionary theatre and his intention to provoke a ‘new laugh’ at the Republic through the development of political satire on the classical model. Secondly, it analyses the 1907 production of Pujo's Les Nuées (modelled on Aristophanes’ The Clouds) and the subsequent development of musical revues by the Camelots du Roi. Finally, it discusses the significance of this political theatre and suggests its potential to shed light on a social and cultural life that has hitherto remained behind the scenes.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.