The Englishman in Bordeaux
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| Title: | The Englishman in Bordeaux |
| Genus: | comedy |
| Original language: | French |
| Author: | Charles-Simon Favart |
| Premiere: | March 14, 1763 |
| Place of premiere: | Comédie-Française |
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The Englishman in Bordeaux ( French original title: L'Anglais à Bordeaux ) is a comedy in one act by Charles-Simon Favart .
The play was commissioned by Foreign Minister César Gabriel de Choiseul-Praslin on the occasion of the Peace of Paris in February 1763. The premiere took place one month after the signing of the peace treaty. The earlier enmity between Great Britain and France was remembered with diplomatic sensitivity and the reconciliation was celebrated. In this context, there were a number of content changes: The originally intended title L'Antipathie vaincue (The defeated antipathy) was discarded at the request of the English ambassador. In addition, certain verses potentially offensive to the English have been deleted.
The French and the English fight knightly against each other in the comedy. The figures correspond to common national stereotypes of the time. The English Lord Brumton is serious and profound, whereas the French Darmant is always light and cheerful. A double marriage confirms the reconciliation of the two nations, which is followed by a celebration of peace. Belonging to humanity overcomes national differences. The piece mitigates the French defeat by overcoming the victors through the generosity and charm of the vanquished.
The premiere turned out to be a complete success: Afterwards, the audience on the ground floor wished that the author Favart should come on stage. The actress Mademoiselle Hus went forward to announce that he had already left. Due to the onset of frenetic jubilation, this only succeeded Bellecour, who was the second to step on stage. However, Favart had to make a public appearance at the second performance, although he was rather reserved character and tried to avoid this as much as possible.
literature
- Julien-Louis Geoffroy: Cours de littérature dramatique ou, Recueil par ordre de matières des feuilletons de Geoffroy , Vol. III, 2nd edition Paris 1825, pp. 309-312 ( digitized on Gallica ).
- Roland Krebs: The effect of the Seven Years' War on the French and German theater , in: Wolfgang Adam / Holger Dainat (ed.): "War is my song". The Seven Years' War in the contemporary media (writings of Gleimhaus Halberstadt 5), Göttingen 2007, pp. 282–295.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Geoffroy: Cours de littérature dramatique, Vol. III, pp. 309f.