Identity and Transformation in the Plays of Alexis Piron

Derek Connon

Legenda (General Series)

Legenda

23 February 2007  •  192pp

ISBN: 978-1-904350-69-9 (hardback)  •  RRP £80, $110, €95

ISBN: 978-1-351196-07-9 (Taylor & Francis ebook)

EnlightenmentFrenchDrama


Alexis Piron (1689-1773) was one of the most renowned humorists of eighteenth-century France, his rapier wit feared even by Voltaire. As a playwright, he was one of the most versatile of the period, writing for both the official French and Italian theatres and the unofficial troupes of the Parisian Fairs. Although, like those of most of his contemporaries, his plays have disappeared from the repertoire, La Métromanie, the comedy in which he brings to the stage his mockery of Voltaire, has always been known and enjoyed on the page. Recent interest in popular culture is also leading to increased appreciation of his anarchic creations for the Fairs, and he wrote, in Gustave Wasa, one of the most popular tragedies of his time. Derek Connon examines the themes and dramatic techniques of the plays of this fascinating and entertaining author.

Derek Connon is Professor of French at the University of Swansea.

Reviews:

  • ‘What emerges from Connon’s analyses is the sheer vitality of Piron’s production, its sometimes "anarchic" inventiveness, and its propensity to question hierarchies and cross boundaries of genre... I recommend this book highly.’ — Mark Darlow, Modern Language Review 103.3, July 2008, 855-56 (full text online)
  • ‘This is a particularly good-looking book, with attractive hardcover, smart format, quality white paper and lovely typesetting. It boasts the kind of finish that just makes reading particularly pleasant, and all the more so when its content inspires one to return to a relatively forgotten playwright who clearly deserves more attention than his Villon-like epitaph irreverently suggests: ‘Ci-gît Piron, qui ne fut rien,/Pas même académicien’.’ — Síofra Pierse, French Studies 477-78

Bibliography entry:

Connon, Derek, Identity and Transformation in the Plays of Alexis Piron (Legenda, 2007)

First footnote reference: 35 Derek Connon, Identity and Transformation in the Plays of Alexis Piron (Legenda, 2007), p. 21.

Subsequent footnote reference: 37 Connon, p. 47.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

Bibliography entry:

Connon, Derek. 2007. Identity and Transformation in the Plays of Alexis Piron (Legenda)

Example citation: ‘A quotation occurring on page 21 of this work’ (Connon 2007: 21).

Example footnote reference: 35 Connon 2007: 21.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)


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