Jarry and Apollinaire: Early Exponents of the Absurd in French Theatre, Lecture notes of Theatre

Download Jarry and Apollinaire: Early Exponents of the Absurd in French Theatre and more Lecture notes Theatre in PDF only on Docsity!

'.rOI'V.hRDS A SUHHEALIS'l' DR1\I1.A.g

by

Malcolm O",~::;n Williams; B.A.

lyI~::!r"':2~F7 ·t(::~:c ij]J, i \ï·~~:: f~).; ··t.~r f3(?!fyt:e:~'i~~~;L:r 19 --; 0

NA.S'l'ER o:e A.H1~S (1970)

( Ro., 'YA,!G_,J~^ ·''''''c'''''· _-;::^ 1" .'0."^ ~n(·'l·'r'·r.c') ~ ,. c''';1 \Cd '"^ HcH.t',STEH HamLLt.Oll,^ UNIVEHSJ'I'YOnt:.a:cio

TI'l'I.E: '1:mla:cds a 8u.:cr'e,üiGt. Drc:una: '.L'he rl'heat:l~e of Alfred

Jarry and Gu:il1a.uY.f~e Apollinaire

l\U'I'HOrü Ha.lcolm O.'1en Williams f El.),,),. (J-a~('ea~pr~}t::...&. ~ ... i:J ,.". .... .....^ TJI1~~~rsi~v) l ....!... V ..... ~ ..... h "'_<' :' ..!

SUPEHVISOH~ Dr. B.S. Poaknell

NUMBER OF' Pli.GES: lX! 158.

ii

r'lais il mange de la' via.nde de pourceau

et pisse tout debout. Je le prends

pour un fou ou un hérét.iqne 0

(SolimZ'.n in LlaD.=y! s Db~ F.~:I!>.é f III f 8) 0

iv

IWl'HODUC'l' ION

CHl\J?TEH. l

CHA.P'l'ER II

CHAP'I'E f{ III

CHAP'I'E:R. IV

CONCr<iUSION

BIBI,IOGH.l\PHY

JARHY f S VISION OJi' AN ICONOCLAStEIC DR1\MA

APOJ..!Ia~NIUFE 1 S IDEAl, 01i' lA NE~'l SOCIAL DHAI'1A

'.rBE r.1ARHI.AGE 01." t'i..wr.A.SY hND Sl-i.~[,IRE J?ROH THE UBU CYCI,g '1'0 l,ES Hl\Mm:.,r,E[;

SUR~PJ~AI'):SHE )\ND PARODY

'rOWhHDS A SURRI.!:l\I~IS~(, DRl.lJ1A

BEYOND SUHIŒlù,ISH

v

Page vi

l.

word and realism f so that. a c:cLt:.i.que of t.heir humour

constitutes but one part of our study.

Humour itself, especially in the case of Jarry,

and bath authors endea-l,rour to ally their l:ecol1s-(:i tutioT.l of

theatrical reality t.e an origin.al attit.ude tClVlards social

reality.

\ve have not ëh:~alt ~..li th Cha:cles M.orin r s claim that

we:ce C:tt~ t.he Lycée de H.ennes. It will made clear in the

of U18 play as much as 'che text: itself. Lugné'~Poe l 'I::he direc!tor of: the pla,.:v ill 1896 r clar:Lfi.es tlle iss'l1.e t:ll.US ~ Que Jan::'y ait Otl non )?c':u:-ticipé en chef tl la format.ion ct 1 Ubu Roi p cela 11 1 a aucune impor-"

tance. Il es)c~T5IC11~ cer-tain q ....le la flamrae et

Pai'-ôe-C1é^ la^ génie^ -cblTégiè-n-ont:^ été^ chez ôri^ ffi';!Jcfi'élui^ ei::. nons6tlèiIé,^ ailleurs. qUE~

nous importe! C1est le résultat qui

intéresse. 2

\ve have a:i::t.erùp'l:ed to show hmv t.he original mise en.

and action of their pleys indicates

Symbolis111 tm'lards Snrrea1:Lmn in thE: "lork of Jar-:cy and

l\pollin.o.:i.re ~ Bence f \18 h.c.rve not:. cons:i.dered the ove~ctly

vii

Symbolist: f!_!:,~tn~,J:t:~!,<_d(:..<_SM6o~1 published in 1894

and C~S~!.:!~<!:_~~ct:.;j.s:~:?published in 1895 f in which the

Mallarméënl. influence ü:; manifcst, pl..:-efe:cring to concent.:cate

on the three main plays of the YÈ.~~ cycle f UJ~~~!. (vn:i t'cen

1899) in "ihich the l:iict.aphysical symbolism of the earlier.

publicat:ions is superceded by the mockery of bourgeois

values and the brut:al fantasies^1 vlhich endea.red Jarry t.c

the Sur:ceaJ.ists.

Similn:r.ly t Vle hav'e Hot i.:reated Apollinaire 1 s

~::o~^ _~:'.'~.;!.""'-"~.~."-o'o-^ ~:.-':^ ...C:j._11.o_0^ ):.:o^ _^ ....^ o..:.~'J:'0,.§'_~,"'..<-:.^.^ .:::.::..^ ("l""; 'J.^ '"^^ +-,.^ t~e'n.^ - "^ '"&J,^1 <.^ C] J^^ -"cr.)^ 11J'-^ S•^ apol~.^ ~^ Og'lcT'::^ <~^ .cl·O~--^ -^ ....^ )elle

modern poet, 110r his It.alio.n comed.y r Casanova. (1916),

in the development of a Surrealist. dro.ma.

lJ:he essence of 'chis study lies largely p therE-~fore r

literary history. Bence their theories and their reaction

to nineteenth=cent.u:r:y predecesso:r.::s will be considered in

the first tvJO chapteJ';:s. The th.Led cha.pt:er ,,15.11 he devoted

to an analysis of the 1:ex1:s in the liqht of t:1108e tJ:H:.wries f

3 It shoulc1 be not.cd t n.evert:heless f tJlélt the \1 ac te

t;,erx'est:re f^! oE Cési}.x··A111:eclu.-:is'i:. p:cesen.b:l Dhu himself as thc,;;

Anti·--ch:cLst. in (-;--i:~f~ï:';ëE:tf:r()rl-c):ë Ubl1-Roi r If 6 .- IV f 6. 80

the•. ~ H""; -o"^111 .'"^ l.'Lc< •••' J" l.-.^ i .. L:'0'^ (N·'L"")'>. .' l••^0 l'^00 ('JI^ ') cO<,..^1 c.::>^ 1\J:iJ.^ 'olt· 0'"^ J' -(:',1°-:-,::;;-r-z,-:;:~~-~.·,.«...1.••••• 1 1,;. "/ Q '" •••^ L<' <,r-~'ih J .,^ ...t..^ ~t.~..^ "'11 4 J.'^ 1'^ ]^8 Q}^ 8)

post:tn.~3 of Uhu 'i'ColB known beï':cn;;e~fhc"1:}:cst perft):nmmce Cif

Ubu noi in 1896,.

viii

CHAP'rER l JARRY 1 S VISION OF lU! ICONOCI,liS1^1 IC DRAMA

Il n'y a pas d'absolu; jamais! dans théâtre, aucun c'est-qu'une art! S'il ymode a unlia créé hier et qu'une mode l'emportera demain.

In an article written, saon after the scandalous first. performance of ~~ Ro:i:JAlfrec1 Jarry compares his theatre with that of his predecessors: Le temps es·t nécessaire parce que ceux qui sont plus agés que nous -- et que nous respectons ~ ce titre -- ont vécu parmi certaines oeuvres qui ont eu pour eux le charme des objets usuels, et

ils sont nés avec une â.me ql:d. étai·t assort.ie il

ces oeuvres, et garantie ·devant aller jusqu'en l'an mil huit cent quatre vingt.. et tant. Nous ne les pousserons pas de l'épaule; n'étant plus au XVIIe si~cle; nous attendrons que leur âme

raiSOll.nable par rapport à elle~même e·t aux

simulacres qui entouraient leur vie, se soit arrêœe-. -..1 -. Jarry's iconoclasm has, he hopes, rung the death toll for the bourgeois theatre that prevailed during thenineteenth cent.ury. His ironical rnind notes not. only t:he inmünence of a theatrical revolution but also that the moribund drama of the Parisian bOlllevards corresponded, and perhaps pro-

lAlfred Jarry 1 IlQuest.i'ons de Théâ·tI"('~II, La R8vue .!?.:}_anc.~~ (January Is·tt 1897) in .·t_yb~ (Paris J~6·2l-~--·p. 155.

l

longed, a certain attitude ta life. The varions kinds of Romantic drama do indeed reflect aspects of French society, though in an extremely stylised manner. 'l'he predecessors at'tacked by J'arry develop the If (^) rea_lsm l' (^) If (^) 1 ln ' (^) th" elr (^) d (^) eplc~~on',L',' (^) soclecy,'.L. th',a~ FI (^) ugo aeman~ ds

in his Préface il Cromwell of 1827. Seeking a liberal im-

plementation of monologues and asides 1 in order t,C) reveai the psychology of the cLàracters, and the abolition of the traditionai unities of place and time, he nevertheless con- tributes to the s1..J.bsequen Jc artificialit:y of bourgeois drama

by insisting~ If Le vulgaire et le trivial même doivent avoir

un accent. n2^ Qualities^ and^ faults^ are^ ta^ be^ exaggerated

for the sake of dramatic potency, main characters boing taken inevi tably from t.he middle and upper classes so that. t:he epic arnbiance of Classical tragedy could be maint,ained.

tha't only those elemen'ts agreeable ta his bourgeois audience remain. Eugène Scribe 1 wri ting beh/een 1815 and 1860 r leads the way in the pro,C'!:ice of Hugo 1 s theories f his technically

rarely gratuitous peripeteias, and often replete with Iight

(Mont-real 1957) , p. 58.

(comedy and social drama) evince a prop§lnsity- for the "mot_ d'espritl! which Jarry later cri-U_cises. 4 Yet ,,qhat Jarry is mos-c: acutely a\vare of in con'" temporary Romantic drama is a collusion between ,,,,ri ter and public: Il Y a deux choses qu'il siérait -- si l'on voulait descendre jusqu'au public -- de lui donner, et qu'on lui donne: des personnages

• qui pensent comme lui. • e-t en second lieu des sujets et p~ripéties riaturelles. 5 The artifical rea1ism 6 of t:he plays performed at_ the Vaude- ville él_nd Gymnase thea-tres symbolises -the c1eco.c1ence of the thea-c_re--going public as much aG -that of the dramatisL Innovators such as Zola (^) t \tlhose work ~e Na-turalisme _~-!::J:. Théâtre (1881) deprecates Romantic drama and erects the new idol of Natura1ism, or total realism, Mallarmé and Jarry are

concerned about the lack of intellectual vitality on the part of the audience. Zola, whi1e denying tha-t esgapism is the main reason for such degeneracy is convinced that the spectator does not go ta the theatre for intellectual stimulation:

4 See Jarry l "Questions de Théâ-tre If 1 p. 154.

5J-arry f "De l'inutili-té du Théâtre au ThéâtTe", Mercure de France LXXXI (Septernber 1896) 1 pp" 467--468. 6lve are reInetant_ ta at-t:empt any precise defill_iJcion of Realism, the nineteenth-'centlJ_l-:-Y él_spec-ts of w11ich are -Crea t:.ed in deJcai l by René Dumesnil in his book Le R§~Ü:.2:

et le Naturalisme (Paris 1955).

c'est une fatigue que d'aller à la Comédie Française pour un homme qui a bien dîné; il faut qu'il comprenne, grosse besogne. 7 He goes from an evening 1 s entertainmen·t, a diversion from daily routine, for wit and dramatic intrigue, but also, and perhaps more significantly:

Dans ses théâtres à loges et sc~nes en boîte

d'optique, qui ne sont que la caricature des XVIIe et XVIIIe si~cles, la bourgeoisie parvenue ~ la fin du XIXe si~cle tente d'imiter pour elle- mêmedans lale splendeurréalisme'le des plus fêt.es banal. de cour 8 et se complaît The bourgeoisie, conscious of its powerful material rôle in

society, is seeking to identify itself with the former glories of the aristocracy. 'l'o ·the modern reac1er: i ts drama often seems insipid, but the Parisian public is loing not for profound polit.ical! social or aes,theJcic lei tmotifs but a theatrical atmosphere which wou1d reassure it that the s'tabi1i ty of the repub1ican sys·tem, solidified since 1830 l3UcE -baE11y s-haken -by -Hte -€OntTItUl1!O; Df -1f.fl{] f -is 'being ma~i:nt:aineâ 0 It is in the most. direct of the li,terary Arts tha't i,t cou1d find such reassurance in a theatre which presents the bourgeois and his ideals in a sympctthe·tic light. In Ub.::oi, Jarry is in'tent on mocking not, only the theatre of the day but a1so the social values which that ----,--"-~--------,-~--,--------.-----..--,-,----.--~,--.-.--..-- XI (Paris^7 Emile1968),^ Zola p. f^ 33f:r:Le^ ..Nat.ura1:i.sme ·--·----------------~----·-------·-------------~--^ au^ 'J?héât.re^^1 Oeuvres^ Complètes^ r

1914 (Paris^ 8Denis 1968)^ Bab1e't f p. f^ 66~----~------------·-·---'-------·---~------La^ ]\1ü~e^ e.n^ Scen,e^ conh~mporaine^ f^18 87'~

to mock these values for their ùnwholes.omeness r deriving his

dramatic aestheb.c partly from a satir.e of the bourgeois.

We has-ten to add 1 however 1 t:hat Jarry seems not to have any

profound social motives beyond the creation of humour in his

sa t :Lre.,^12

Like l.Jarry 1 the Symbolis-ts, ta whose movement he was

to belong, see little potential in social drama. Théodore

de Banville claims:

Venu-au^ ••^ c'est théâtre,^ pour^ o~blier 13 tous^ ces^ ennuis^ que^ je^ suis

while Mallarmé seizes on the mystical potentiali-ty of the

theatre~

.le foyer évident des plaisirs pris en commun;

àu~si et tout bien réfléchi la majestueuse ouverture

sur le mystère dont_ on est élU monde pour

envisager la grandeur, cela mgme que le citoyen,

qui en aura idée, fonde le droit de réclamer ~

un Etat comme compensation de l'amoindrissement

social. 14

This desire for escapism on the part of the Symbolists

would seem to influence the 1argely aesthetic pr~occupations

12 Jarry , suse o'fI' t~e satlrlca. , 'L as a poetlc']' e _ement ~n

his drama is discussed on pp. 53-56.

• 13Théodore de Banville 1- IIPréface à ses Odes Funambules-

que" 1 quot.ed by Zola in Nos AD:-teurs DEatiqu_, p: 779.

14 Stéphane Mallarme.... l' Il I.e .Genre ou des Modernes Il 1

"(1886'-87)'Oeuvres---------~-~:--~- Coniplf~t:esl p. 3J.4;"

of Jarry's theatre,15 though he .does not intend to let the bourgeois audience escape from h:Ls satire. Ma.llarmé r -the leadi~g theoretician of the Symbo1iE~-t dr-ama.t emphasises the purely aesthe'U_c, escapist and metaphysical aims of his work in the statement: Il n'est point d'autre sujet, sachez bien!

l'antagonisme de rêve chez l' hormne a.vec les 16

fatalités de son existence départies par le malheur. The theatre offers the possibi1ity of attaining the Mallarméan absolu·te 1 a synUiesi s bel.:ween man 1 s conscious and the material universe, by means of a conceptualisation, in the mind of t.he specta·tor. Of the symbolism immanent in the poetry and movement.s of Jche act:or 0 1\1al1armé 1 s t:l1.eatre i8 no·t so much one of story and dialogue G.S a syn·thesis of aIl the arts t pain·ting { music f ballet and poeJcry combining, wit_h the latter playing the dominant rôle, to stimulate the spectator into an appr~ciation of Jche metapl~ysJcs of po~tic draIna. The ballerina becomes a catalyst for the provocation of such reverle:^ "'.^. .elle te livre ~ travers le voile dernier qui toujours reste, la nudité de tes concepts et silencieusemen-t écrira t.a vision ~ la façon --.----"--~ (^15) See JarrYI "Questions de Théâtre", p. 154, for 11is admirat_ion of U12 Syml")olist~s:" .la foule ùe comprend Peer ·Gy"n"t. ,.. i elle ne comprend pas davall:tage la prose de Baude'~ -:raire f la précise syntaxe de JI'lallarmé, Elle ignore Rim- baud, / in ':Crayonn6 au 'rhéât.rer;, (^) (1886) T

general public 20 which approves only of the material produced by Dumas fils r l,abiche 1 Augier 1 and Sardou l preferring to write for those who may benefit from the powers of suggestion in his dranla and who can crea te a multiple reality in their minds out of his symb01s. It i8 significant that while Jarry writes on

"l' inutili té du théâtre au théâtre Il j' Block describes ]\1all"·

armé 18 theatre as a "detJ;.eatri.calization" of bourgeois con-- vent.ions in which "l,inear anecdot.e is replaced by a wh011y poetic evocation! no·t the aovent.ure of the Hérodiade 1 but of its inner consequences. .The rejection of the con- ventional sources of dramatic effect~ i8 comple"te." 21 - Thea tre is then, not only an external spectacle brrt an interior vision experienced by spectator and actor alike, in both Mallarmé's and Jarry's drama.

Lugné-poe are the practitioners. Antoine, director of the

(^20) Cf • Jarry, IIQuestions de Théâtre"l pp. 154~15S: li .la foule est. une masse inerte et: incompréhEmsible qu 1 il

ses^ .•• g"l:,ognements^ faut^ frapper dl^ deou.rs^ temps où elleen^ temps,est ._-^ pouret où.qu'on elle^ connaisseen 8S1.-:. Il Cfà.

also Jarry, IIDe l'inuJcilité du Théâtre au Théâtre", p. 472: li • nous ne comprenons pas cette idée dl un théâJcre du peuple " Mallarmé envisages two puJJlics l t.he éli·te who hear ·the iIloüologue and create the scene ,and action in their minds (Cf. Jacaues:J. Schérer (^) •. Le____ Livre .~. de Mallarmé.__ (Paris 1957),• p. 29: , "Le lecteur devient donc, non seulement spectateur, mais aUSSl metteur en sc~ne, dans ce théâtre tout intérjeur l1^ ) and the geoera public who buys U1e (^480) / 000 copies of Jche ~i:'E"~ l'1hich would s ubs eql.1en"tl y be pr in ·ted. 2lHaskel1 H. Black, 1'/[al1armé.~___-.-....... _____ ...... ~ __ (^) ._and ~ _________ the ~~ (^) ______Symbolis"të'~~~~ ___ Drama _ (^) f

Il

Théâtre Libre formed in 1887 is largely responsible for the dissemination of Z01a's ideas, recognising, like Jarry, that the con·temporary thea·tre has not only faded in·to de cadence but a1so has failed to achieve the "realism" which Hugo idea1istically enunciated in 1827. Though he still presents bourgeois comedies for the sake of financial solveney, Antoine endeavours, at the Tb:.~ât~Ye 1,ibTe (1887--189<1) 1 at the 'l'héâtre An·toine (1897-1906) and at t.he Q.9.fum (1906--1913) r to offer the audience the total illusion.of a reality in which working-class poverty as weIl as middle-class manners and aristocratie grandeur exista In order to create a total illusion f ·the act.or must become t.he eharacter, assimilating his rôle cŒilpletely 1 and mus·t live the drama as if he were in his oym home 1 forget:ting about. the audience 0 As l',n·toine himself writes:

la^.^ s811sa:t:Ion.^ un^ dos^ montré -ciel' on^ ne~^ ]?rQ-p'Q;:;donne. s! occupe pas^ bien de luiau^ -pub-li-cet: que c'est arrivé.

-----.-~.---..---.~----.--..------ -------.------- (Detroi t 1 1963) 1 polO. The Hérodiél.de ls a drama·tic poem wri·tt.en by .f\1alla:nné in 1864 and--186T~~"

22.André An·toine l "ManifesJce Il for ·the 'l'héâtre Libre (1887) quoted in Francis Pruner's Les Luttes d'Antoine au ~rhéâ·tre Libre (Paxis (^) j 1964) f p. 224-.--PrurÏer~-:D)icr:'--;-'p:-I31, accuratË3'iy' sllmmarises ·the diffèrencè behleen AntoIne 1 s work and tha·t of the lat.er Romantic dramatists f in his comments on Bjôrnson 1 s Une Faillite, perfo:tmed June 12~13th 1 1893: HEn-· fin un pathetTcjue----sa:ï1SDulle tirade 1 un moralisme sans raisonneur, un humour sans mot d'esprit, c'&taient là des quali t:és qui ne se rencont.raient: guère chez Augier 1 Dumas fils ou Suxdou."