#Paris In July Labiche

- Author: Eugene Labiche (1815-1888)
- Genre: play
- Title: La Cangotte (the kitty in a card game)
- Published: 1864
- #ParisInJuly
- This play is a farce or comedy of errors
- as it contains multiple misunderstandings and mistaken identities.
- It uses comedy of manners.
- Labicche ridicules the manners of a particular society
- …in this case the the upper class provincials who decide to visit Paris!
- They want to spend the $$ in the “la Cangotte” but their
- adventure “partir en sucette” (gets out of hand)
Conclusion:
- Plot: intricate and farcical
- involving coincidences
- multiple misunderstandings and mistaken identities.
- meetings both missed and accidental.
- Characters: exaggerated bumpkins who are out of their depth in Paris
- Features: horseplay, slapstick, physical comedy
Last thoughts:
- I never heard of Eugene Labiche!
- He wrote 56 plays during the 19th C.
- Weak point: chatter dialogue that doesn’t usually go anywhere
- There is no verbal wit as you find in Oscar Wilde’s plays.
- La Cangotte felt like a pie without the filling
- …crust is good but there must be more.
- I had difficulty following the conversation.
- It is fired off like rounds of bullets in a machine gun
- in bursts of half sentences, phrases and exclamations.
- Who is who? The 3 main male character’s names all begin with C
- …is he the farmer, pensioner or the pharmacist?
- I needed a list to keep me on track.
- The play must be seen on stage to appreciate it’s strong point
- ….physical comedy!
- So would I read any more plays by Labiche?
- No….
- Molière is the playwright with the best credentials!

4 Comments
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The image is great. Too bad you didn’t like your choice of books — how did you choose it?
best… mae
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I liked it…but did not love it!
I found it on the website of Le Figaro that was promoting ‘l’âge d’or du roman 19th C.
Moving on to my next French book….
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what a shame you didn’t love it, but at least now you know you don’t have to read more by this author unless you want to!
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I thank you for sharing an author that I can now cross off my list.
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