La Figurante de François de Curel. Comédie des apparences ou jeu de rôles

Abstract

François de Curel, mistakenly regarded as an author of the “problem play”, enjoyed a reputation of an innovator in dramaturgy during his lifetime. By rejecting the canonical form of the drama, he proposes works in which psychological analysis prevails over the dramatic progression of the action. In fact, in La Figurante, the French writer paints a portrait of the characters who resemble “marionettes” operated by unknown forces. In order to survive in bourgeois society, they assume the “masks” that social conventions demand of them and conscientiously play the comedy. However, under the facade and the artifices, the protagonists keep their existential anxieties which express their inner sincerity. In this context, the analysis of this play will lead us to seek affinities with the grotesque dimension of the Pirandello theater.