THE RISE OF THE COQUETTE IN SEVENTEENTH- AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH THEATER Andrew Jordan Gard A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Romance Studies (French). Chapel Hill 2017 Approved by: Stephen H. Fleck Michèle Longino Hassan Melehy Jessica Tanner Ellen R. Welch © 2017 Andrew Jordan Gard ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Andrew Jordan Gard: The Rise of the Coquette in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century French Theater (Under the direction of Ellen R. Welch) My dissertation examines the portrayal of the coquettish character type on the Parisian stage from the 1660s to the early eighteenth century. Having originated in Italian theatrical traditions, the coquette figure became an emblem of French femininity in Ancien Régime comedy where she represented the emerging image of the flirtatious, frivolous, acquisitive, and vain Parisian woman. Although representations of the coquette were not always flattering, I demonstrate that they in fact reflected the limits put on intelligent women in early modern French society. These characters use coquettish behavior to compensate for their lack of power in a patriarchal social system and a burgeoning mercantile economy. My study examines thirteen comedies across four chapters, each devoted to a sub-category of the coquette type, including courtiers, aging mother/widows, materialists, and young “coquettes in training.” As the first scholarly work devoted to the figure of the coquette on the early modern French stage, my dissertation aims to unpack the construction of this ambivalent stereotype in the context of theater history, gender studies, and the history of French culture. iii To my family: Pucky, Buhmmy, LD, FF, Hamod, and Metok. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I wish to thank my advisor, Dr. Ellen Welch. She has been an encouraging force in my studies ever since I first emailed her to inquire about the French program at UNC. I have deeply appreciated her unwavering support but also her willingness to let me work on my own terms. Her guidance has helped me become a better writer and her unique insight has given my project a more meaningful scope. I must also acknowledge the dedication of my gracious committee members. Dr. Fleck has gone above and beyond his duties to assist in my professional development, having acted as an important mentor in my life since the beginning of my graduate studies at CSU Long Beach. As another committee member who was early invested in my progress, Dr. Melehy has given a significant amount of constructive feedback on my work and continues to offer his assistance for future projects. For Dr. Longino, I will always remember our meetings over lunch that felt more like a conversation between friends than a formal discussion of coquettish character types. As for Dr. Tanner, I am so thankful that she agreed to participate in my project despite having many new tasks and roles to fulfill after joining our department. I would like to thank the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The Department of Romance Studies for its generous funding and training experiences. I must extend special gratitude to Dr. Hannelore Jarausch for her support in my development as an instructor, as well as Dr. Valérie Pruvost and the department staff who have always been willing to help. Thanks to all my UNC and CSULB friends for making graduate school a much more pleasurable process. A special thanks to Richere Breault who initially brought the French v program at UNC to my attention. I would also like to acknowledge my acquaintances around the Triangle who made me feel welcome in North Carolina, and in particular the unit in Apex who acted as a surrogate family whenever I needed a break or a home-cooked meal. I also wish to acknowledge The Chapel Hill Public Library and The Long Beach Dana Branch Library for providing a productive workspace during the completion of my dissertation. Furthermore, my gratitude extends toward a tacit contributor, scrapper9000, whose YouTube videos of soothing video game music allowed me to drown out all distractions and focus on writing for hundreds of hours. Lastly, I am eternally grateful for my family. Their love has given me the courage to pursue two graduate degrees and their lifelong support has allowed me to concentrate on school for a whopping twenty-seven years. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ x INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: COURTLY COQUETTES .................................................................................... 18 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 18 Côté Cour, Côté Jardin: A Coquette Grows in Versailles in Desjardins’ Le Favori (1665) .... 23 No Ball in Her Court: Célimène’s Passive Coquettishness in Molière’s Le Misanthrope ou l’Atrabilaire amoureux (1666) .................................................................. 36 The Mercurial Gallant: How to Lose a Cad, a King, and Cupid in Baron’s Le Rendez-vous des Tuileries ou le Coquet trompé (1685) ...................................................... 49 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 57 CHAPTER 2: AGING COQUETTES .......................................................................................... 61 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 61 Missies, Vamps, and Thieves: When Mothers (and Playwrights) Steal in both Donneau de Visé’s and Quinault’s La Mère coquette ou les Amants brouillés (1665) ............ 65 Putting the Coquette out to Pasture: Rural Redemption in Molière’s La Comtesse d’Escarbagnas (1671) ......................................................................................... 78 Old Biddies and High Bidders: The Vilification of the Delusional Mother in Ulrich’s La Folle Enchère (1690) ............................................................................................. 87 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 97 CHAPTER 3: MATERIAL COQUETTES ................................................................................ 102 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 102 Betting Against the House: Gambling and Conjugal Discord in Poisson’s Les Pipeurs ou les Femmes coquettes (1671) ......................................................................... 110 vii Coquettish Conjugal Transactions: Marriage Equals Money Minus Men .......................... 119 Luck Be A Lady? Closing the Gap of Gender Inequality through Gambling .................... 124 Piquer La Dame de ‘Piques:’ Punishing The Callous Coquette Queen in Spades ............. 133 Making Change from Within: The Reorientation of Coquettish Desire in Baron’s La Coquette et la fausse prude (1686) ...................................................................... 137 The Coquette’s Curiosity Shop: Love For Sale in Dancourt’s La Femme d’intrigues (1692) ................................................................................................. 157 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 176 CHAPTER 4: ACQUIRED COQUETRY .................................................................................. 181 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 181 Women for All Seasons: Summer School in Session in Dancourt’s L’Été des coquettes (1690) ..................................................................................................... 187 The City of Rites: Capital Growing Pains in Dancourt’s La Parisienne (1691) .................... 204 A Whole Lot of Love: A Jackpot of Coquettishness in Dufresny’s La Coquette de village ou le Lot supposé (1715) ................................................................... 216 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 229 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 232 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 235 Primary Sources ...................................................................................................................... 235 Secondary Sources .................................................................................................................. 237 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1 .........................................................................................................................................