French Literature Reviews - 2026
C. Ailloud-Nicolas and C. Bahier-Porte, Dramaturgies of Inconstancy. La Double inconstance, La Fausse suivante and La Dispute by Marivaux
Theatre and Performance
C. Ailloud-Nicolas and C. Bahier-Porte, Dramaturgies of Inconstancy. La Double inconstancy, La Fausse suivante and La Dispute by Marivaux, PURH, "Concours" collection, 2018. EAN13: 9791024011998.
The dialogue between La Double Inconstance, La Fausse Suivante and La Dispute by Marivaux reveals a theatrical world where human and social relations grow increasingly harsh. The dramaturgy of inconstancy feeds on manipulation and deception, challenging identity and turning ideal love into a battle of the sexes or a quest for financial gain.
Far from merely reproducing—play after play, as he has often been accused of doing—an eternal surprise of love, Marivaux constructed a multifaceted theatrical oeuvre with diverse contours. Any novel grouping within his dramatic corpus brings to light new lines of force and fresh connections with narrative texts, dismantling the cliché of uniformity and repetition.
When La Double Inconstance, La Fausse suivante and La Dispute are placed in dialogue, the dramaturgy of inconstancy supplants the "matrimonial machine," presenting a theatre where human and social relations become tense and rigid. This dramaturgy is fueled by manipulation and lies that threaten comedy and comic effect, deeply unsettle identity, and transform ideal romance into a war of the sexes or financial conquests.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter I – Outline of a Comic Aesthetics
The Serious and the Comic
Comedy
Fading Embers
Chapter II – Amorous Trajectories
"Natural" Love Paths
Other Amorous Trajectories
Infidelity and Inconstancy: From Theme to Dramaturgy
Infidelity and Inconstancy in the Prescribed Plays
Chapter III – Trajectories of Infidelity, Trajectories of Inconstancy
Is Infidelity a Dramaturgical Engine?
The Trajectory of Inconstancy in La Double Inconstance
The False Servant and the Countess's Inconstancy, or Infidelity
The Denouement in Question(s)
La Fausse Suivante or the Deceptive Denouement
The Impossible Denouement of La Dispute
Chapter IV – Fluid Identities
Dramaturgies of the Mask
"And what is a woman anyway?"
The Same and the Other
Chapter V – The Games of Power and Fortune
"It is nature itself that we are going to question"
The Means to Get Ahead
The Philosophy of Adventure
Conclusion: Marivaux Put to the Test of the Stage
Staging by Jacques Vincey
Staging by Richard Brunel
Reflections on the Play Based on These Productions
Critical Anthology
Selective Bibliography
The comedies of Pierre de Marivaux occupy a central place in the eighteenth-century French theatrical tradition, bridging classical models and the shifting sensibilities of the Enlightenment. Within this dramatic landscape, the theme of inconstancy frequently serves as a lens through which courtship, social ambition, and emotional vulnerability are interrogated. By examining specific works in relation to one another, scholars often seek to uncover the underlying mechanics of theatrical illusion and dialogue that define the period's dramatic output. Readers interested in eighteenth-century French theatre and comic aesthetics may find this contextual study relevant to their pursuits.
The dialogue between La Double inconstance, La Fausse suivante and La Dispute by Marivaux reveals a theatrical world where human and social relations grow increasingly harsh. The dramaturgy of inconstancy feeds on manipulation and deception, challenging identity and turning ideal love into a battle of the sexes or a quest for financial gain. Far from merely reproducing an eternal surprise of love, Marivaux constructed a multifaceted theatrical oeuvre with diverse contours, bringing to light new lines of force and fresh connections that dismantle the cliché of uniformity and repetition.