TRIAL BY FARCE : a dozen medieval french comedies in english for the modern stage

In the Middle Ages as now, the search for justice can make for high drama—or low drama—as in these hilarious French legal farces in translation. Was there more to comedy than Chaucer, the Second Shepherds’ Play, or Shakespeare? Of course! But, for a real taste of medieval and Renaissance humor and in-your-face slapstick, one must cross the Channel to France, where over two hundred extant farces regularly dazzled crowds with blistering satires. Dwarfing all other contemporaneous theatrical repertoires, the boisterous French corpus is populated by lawyers, lawyers everywhere. No surprise there. The lion’s share of mostly anonymous farces was written by barristers, law students, and legal apprentices. Famous for skewering unjust judges and irreligious ecclesiastics, they belonged to a 10,000-member legal society known as the Basoche, which flourished between 1450 and 1550. What is more, their dramatic send-ups of real and fictional court cases were still going strong on the eve of Molière, resilient against those who sought to censor and repress them. The suspenseful wait to see justice done has always made for high drama or, in this case, low drama. But, for centuries, the scripts for these outrageous shows were available only in French editions gathered from scattered print and manuscript sources. In Trial by Farce, prize-winning theater historian Jody Enders brings twelve of the funniest legal farces to English-speaking audiences in a refreshingly uncensored but philologically faithful vernacular. Newly conceived as much for scholars as for students and theater practitioners, this repertoire and its familiar stock characters come vividly to life as they struggle to negotiate the limits of power, politics, class, gender, and, above all, justice. Through the distinctive blend of wit, social critique, and breathless boisterousness that is farce, we gain a new understanding of comedy itself as form of political correction. In ways presciently modern and even postmodern, farce paints a different cultural picture of the notoriously authoritarian Middle Ages with its own vision of liberty and justice for all. Theater eternally offers ways for new generations to raise their voices and act.

Was there more to comedy than Chaucer, the Second Shepherds'Play, or Shakespeare? Of course! But, for a real taste of medievaland Renaissance humor and in-your-face slapstick, one must crossthe Channel to France, where over two hundred extant farcesregularly dazzled crowds with blistering satires. Dwarfing allother contemporaneous theatrical repertoires, the boisterous Frenchcorpus is populated by lawyers, lawyers everywhere. No surprisethere. The lion's share of mostly anonymous farces was written bybarristers, law students, and legal apprentices. Famous forskewering unjust judges and irreligious ecclesiastics, theybelonged to a 10,000-member legal society known as the Basoche,which flourished between 1450 and 1550. What is more, theirdramatic send-ups of real and fictional court cases were stillgoing strong on the eve of Molière, resilient against those whosought to censor and repress them. The suspenseful wait to seejustice done has always made for high drama or, in this case, lowdrama. But, for centuries, the scripts for these outrageous showswere available only in French editions gathered from scatteredprint and manuscript sources.

In Trial by Farce, prize-winning theater historian JodyEnders brings twelve of the funniest legal farces toEnglish-speaking audiences in a refreshingly uncensored butphilologically faithful vernacular. Newly conceived as much forscholars as for students and theater practitioners, this repertoireand its familiar stock characters come vividly to life as theystruggle to negotiate the limits of power, politics, class, gender,and, above all, justice. Through the distinctive blend of wit,social critique, and breathless boisterousness that is farce, wegain a new understanding of comedy itself as form of politicalcorrection. In ways presciently modern and even postmodern, farcepaints a different cultural picture of the notoriouslyauthoritarian Middle Ages with its own vision of liberty andjustice for all. Theater eternally offers ways for new generationsto raise their voices and act Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Acknowledgments Contents Preface A Special Note to Actors and Directors Abbreviations and Short Titles List of Illustrations Introduction: Judgment Calls Farce to Farce with the Law On the Boundaries of Humor About This Translation: Le Mot Juste, l’Acte Juste Translational Politics and the Politics of Translation The Language of Farce Legal Players and Legalese Editions and Printed Sources Critical Apparatus, Stage Directions, and Composite Editions Money Math Prose, Verse, and Music Brief Plot Summaries The Plays 1. Not Gettin’ Any [La Farce du Nouveau Marié qui ne peult fournir à l’appoinctement de sa femme] (Le Nouveau Marié) (RBM, #2) 2. Default Judgment Day, or, In Arrears [Une Femme qui demande les arrérages à son mari] (RBM, #8; Rousset, #6) 3. The Washtub: A New Translation [La Farce du Cuvier] (RBM, #4) 4. Basket Case [La Farce de la Femme qui fut desrobée à son mari en sa hotte et mise une pierre en son lieu] (RC, #23) 5. Who’s Your Daddy? [Jenin, Filz de Rien] (RBM, #20) 6. Interlude: Beauballs, a Charivari [L’Esbatement de Coillebaut] (Ms. 25, Bibliothèque de Berne) 7. Poor Bastards [Les Batars de Caulx] (RLV, #48) 8. Talking Turkey, or, A Pilgrim’s Progress [La Farce de Colin, filz de Thévot le maire, qui vient de Naples et amaine ung Turc prisonnier] (RC, #5; RBM, #47; Rousset, #2) 9. Okay, Cupid [Le Procès d’un jeune moyne et d’un viel gendarme] (RT, #29; Rousset, #7) 10. Witless Protection [La Mère, la Fille, le Tesmoing, L’Amoureulx, et l’Oficial] (L’Official) (RLV, #22) 11. The Trial of Johnny Slowpoke [Jehan de Lagny] (RLV, #31) 12. Runaway Groom: A Final Number [Le Porteur d’eau] (Paris, 1632) Appendix: Scholarly References to Copyrighted Materials Works Cited