University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2003 Dying for a laugh : death in the comedy of Molière Clara Noëlle Wynne Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation Wynne, Clara Noëlle, "Dying for a laugh : death in the comedy of Molière. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2003. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/5211 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Clara Noëlle Wynne entitled "Dying for a laugh : death in the comedy of Molière." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Modern Foreign Languages. Sal DiMaria, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Clara Noelle Wynne entitled "Dying for a Laugh: Death in the Comedy of Moliere". I have examined the final paper copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Modern Foreign Languages. ,- __o � 1 Y\--0• t).lo_. ·O � Sal DiMaria, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: the Council: of the Dying for a Laugh: Death in the Comedy of Moliere A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Clara Noelle Wynne August 2003 Copyright© 2003 by Clara Noelle Wynne All rights reserved ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my father Mr. George E. Wynne for all the usual reasons and then some. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people to whom I am grateful for making my time at the University of Tennessee so rewarding. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Edmund Campion for his support and insights, and to Dr. Sal DiMaria, my dissertation director, for taking up the torch and seeing me through the last mile of the marathon. The other committee members, Dr. John Romeiser, and Dr. Rob Stillman, provided assistance with this work and provided counsel both in and outside the classroom over the course of my studies. While not directly involved with my dissertation, Dr. Margaret Beauvais, for whom I worked as a Graduate Teaching Associate, has played an integral role in my progress at the university and my professional and personal growth. She has been a friend and a mentor and I will be forever grateful. Special thanks and acknowledgment are due to two people not associated with the university but who played an important role in my finishing this dissertation and the entire iv doctoral programme. Dr. Suzanne Duvall was best-friend, confidant, mentor, and partner in crime for many years. She taught me the rules of survival for graduate school and shared laughter, tears, triumph, and loss with never-ending generosity of spirit and compassion. I will always cherish her strength, wit, and friendship as the years and the petits-pois march on, purple scarves billowing. I owe immeasurable thanks to Jamy Dickson for forgiving me for making it to UTK before he did and for remaining after he graduated. He was instrumental in the success of many adventures ranging from productive study sessions in the library to equally productive escapes to the mountains, Washington, D.C., Biloxi, SERIO, and Paris. Above all, he was and continues to be simply and truly a life-saver. How do l get such intelligent people to hang around me? I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge a number of people whose support and friendship have contributed to my intellectual and social well-being: Edwin Preston (Why not?), Martin Young (American Express: New York), Dan Morgan (Tengo ganas), Kimberly Stafford (the original Crazy Legs), Jim Turner (This time!!), and Dr. Amos Booth. Each V of these people has played a role in the journey to this moment in their own special and indelible way. Last but never least, I owe the greatest debt to my family: my parents George and Patricia Wynne for their unconditional love, support, and for instilling in me a love of literature and learning; my brother Ben Wynne, the first doctor in the family and the most gifted scholar I have had the pleasure and the honour to know -- not just because he's my big brother, but because it is true. Words fail to express my gratitude for his unconditional love, his guidance and example on issues ranging from scholarship and research to Jethro Tull and the Rolling Stones, and for his unflappable composure. I'll know the difference in a hundred years. vi ABSTRACT This dissertation deals with the themes of death and recognition in three of Moliere's works: the comedy (or tragi-comedy) Dom Juan and two comedies-ballets, George Dandin and Le Malade imaginaire. In addition to the theme of death, it examines the comic elements and conventions of these plays, particularly those elements that could be seen as more tragic than comic. The discussion of Dom Juan goes beyond the usual treatments of hypocrisy and mauvaise foi to focus on the literal death represented in the comedy and how it connects with the characters need for recognition. In the two comedies-ballets, it looks at the role of the ballet interludes and how their inclusion or omission alters the possible interpretations of death. In the case of George Dandin, we will see that there is quite a significant difference when these interludes are omitted. To George Dandin and Le Malade imaginaire, is added a discussion of the genre of the comedie-ballet and its role in the development of French theatre and French baroque opera. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction......................................... 1 II. The Comedie-ballet and the Presence of Music in French Theatre ............................................. 29 I I I . Dom Juan ............................................ 5 2 IV. George Dandin ....................................... 8 4 V. Le Malade imaginaire ...............................114 VI. Conclusion .........................................138 Bibliography ............................................ 14 6 Appendix ................................................ 158 Vita .................................................... 160 viii Chapter 1 Introduction Throughout Moliere's work, there is a sense of and a search for balance. Moliere inhabits the space where opposites knit together: the tragic with the comic, reality with illusion. In exploring this space and exploring how and where these opposites interplay, Moliere dramatically broadens the possibilities for what "comedy" and the "comic" can mean. He stretches and redefines the conventional boundaries of comedy. In his redesigned theatre, comedy may include tragic events, such as Dandin's ill-matched marriage, or even death, as in Dom Juan. At times, it may breed comic events such as Sganarelle's woes over lost wages. His comedic characters do not live in a black and white, cut and dry world. His audiences and readers experience a rupture with convention and form as life's realities mesh. This dissertation deals primarily with exploring the theme of death in Moliere's works. Although death may receive passing mention, there are only three plays in which it is 1 most prominently illustrated: the comedy (or tragi-comedy) Dom Juan (1665) and two comedies-ballets, George Dandin (1668)and Le Malade imaginaire (1673). The discussion will focus on how death, the most tragic of life events may indeed share space in a comedic setting unbound from the strict and rigid structure of traditional tragedy. Death connects to issues of recognition, such as, the desire to be recognized as someone of importance and influence. The discussion will also consider the issue of continuity in each of the three comedies. It is important to examine the theme of death as it appears in these plays because it clearly illustrates the breadth of Moliere's comic vision. David Shaw discusses the comic endings in Moliere and at what point the playwright bends or breaks comic traditions. However, he does not go as far as to examine the theme of death and what this break with convention might signify. In addition to an examination of the theme of death as evidence of a broadened definition of what might be acceptable comedic content, one must consider how the inclusion or omission of the ballet interludes alters the possible interpretations of death. In the case of George 2 Dandin, for instance, there is a significant difference in interpretation when these interludes are omitted. In Le Malade imaginaire, the omission of the interludes does not serve to elucidate or obfuscate questions regarding death; however, they do raise new questions and add to the complexity of Argan's feelings and fears regarding death and his own mortality. Before disscussing George Dandin and Le Malade imaginaire, it is important to clarify the structure of the comedie-ballet as a genre, its role in the development of French theatre, and the beginnings of French baroque opera. Such a discussion stresses the importance of studying Moliere's comedies-ballets as whole entities instead of ignoring the musical interludes in favor of strictly textual analysis. It also warns against disregarding the plays in favor of an analysis of the interludes divorced of their textual counterparts, as is most commonly found in current critical treatments of the various comedies-ballet.