The Affected Young Ladies: Analysis of Setting
"The Affected Young Ladies" is a comedic play by Molière that offers a satirical look at the fashionable society of Paris during the height of France's ancien régime. The setting of Paris serves as a crucial backdrop, embodying the cultural sophistication and social intricacies of the time. Molière emphasizes the city’s reputation as the "great bureau of marvels," highlighting its role as a center of taste, wit, and gallantry. The stage design is intentionally minimalistic, reflecting the practical challenges of traveling theater during the era, requiring performances in various locations without elaborate scenery. Despite the sparse stage, the extravagant costumes worn by characters suggest an opulent Parisian mansion, reinforcing the notion that the play's events are unfolding in a vibrant urban landscape. The contrast between the refined setting and the naïveté of the provincial young ladies underscores the play's themes of social pretense and the fleeting nature of fashion. Molière's work ultimately critiques the superficiality of societal trends, showcasing the struggles of young women who aspire to the ideals of high society yet remain out of touch with its ever-evolving standards.
The Affected Young Ladies: Analysis of Setting
First published:Les Précieuses ridicules, 1660 (English translation, 1732)
First produced: 1659
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Comedy of manners
Time of work: Seventeenth century
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
*Paris
*Paris. Capital of France and fashion capital of Western Europe. To pinpoint the place represented in his play, Molière deliberately wrote the name of Paris into his dialogue many times. For example, when Mascarille asks several young ladies what they think of Paris, one of them replies that Paris is the “great bureau of marvels, the center of good taste, wit, and gallantry.” It is the sophisticated manners of the great city at the zenith of France’s ancien régime that are satirized as much as the naïve young women who are victims of a practical joke.
Stage settings in Molière’s plays were always minimalistic, partly because he never knew where his plays would be performed. Often the plays were taken from town to town over muddy roads and performed in tennis courts, in private homes, or even outdoors. The primitive travel conditions made it impossible to transport elaborate scenery and furniture. In The Affected Young Ladies the stage is so barren that characters must call for chairs to be brought for their visitors. However, the elaborate gowns worn by the young ladies and the extravagant costumes worn by the Marquis de Mascarille and Viscount Jodelet would establish that the scene represented was a mansion in the capital city.
It was important to Molière to make it clear to audiences that his comedy was taking place in a specific location, a city where fantastic fashions appeared and disappeared with remarkable swiftness. His provincial young ladies are made ridiculous because their affectations have been superseded by new affectations which can only be learned at court.
Bibliography
Backer, Dorothy. Precious Women. New York: Basic Books, 1974. A historical study that shows that preciousness (préciosité) was an early feminist literary movement. Explains that Molière made fun only of the pretentious and not truly creative precious writers who were his contemporaries.
Lawrence, Francis L. Molière: The Comedy of Unreason. New Orleans: Tulane University Press, 1968. Explores conflicts between rational and irrational characters in Molière’s comedies, and examines parody and comic representations of love in The Affected Young Ladies.
Wadsworth. Philip A. Molière and the Italian Theatrical Tradition. 2d ed. Birmingham, Ala.: Summa Publications, 1987. Analyzes the profound influence on Molière of Italian actors and playwrights. Discusses the importance of nonverbal gestures and wordplay in The Affected Young Ladies.
Walker, Hallam. Molière. Rev. ed. Boston: Twayne, 1990. Contains an excellent introduction to Molière’s comedies and an annotated bibliography of important critical studies on the playwright. Also examines the role of parody and social satire in The Affected Young Ladies.
Yarrow, P. J. A Literary History of France. Vol. 2 in The Seventeenth Century: 1600-1715. London: Ernest Benn, 1967. A general history of seventeenth century French literature that includes one chapter with a very clear introduction to Molière’s plays. Yarrow discusses role reversal and the conflict between illusion and reality in The Affected Young Ladies.