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L'histoire comique de Francion : le rire et la satire

The Histoire comique de Francion (1623--1633) of Charles Sorel marks a passage in the history of laughter, from the Renaissance to the classical period. Sorel defines the Histoire comique as a realistic genre by opposing it to the heroic, pastoral and burlesque genres. Whereas Rabelaisian works showed an ambivalent and carnivalesque laughter, the tone of Sorel's Francion is both satirical and univocal. The carnivalesque and popular traditions are mocked for the benefit of an elitist rationalism. The Francion shows a hero who distances himself from the popular culture to become a honnete homme. In order to respect the bienseances, laughter becomes spiritual, abstract and moderated. It attacks humans' ridiculous shortcomings instead of mocking the dominating classes as did the carnivalesque laughter in a debunking process. The polite laughter of the Francion distinguishes itself from the corporeal, excessive and regenerating laughter that one finds in Rabelais. The satire of Francion prepares for more serious endeavors.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.79826
Date January 2003
CreatorsBourdon, Nicolas
ContributorsDoiron, Normand (advisor)
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageFrench
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Département de langue et littérature françaises.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 002095414, proquestno: AAIMQ98418, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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