La Nouvelle Colonie
Encyclopedia
La Nouvelle Colonie or La Ligue des Femmes is a comedy
in three acts and in prose
written by French
playwright Pierre de Marivaux
. It was first performed on June 18 1729 by the Comédie-Italienne
at the Hôtel de Bourgogne
.
La Nouvelle Colonie was a failure, and Marivaux therefore edited and published it as La Colonie
in the Mercure de France
in 1750.
The fact that he published it twenty years later shows how important the subject was to Marivaux. He did not accept the way women were treated in France
at the time, their humiliating education, and their inferior social status. He was in favour of women's equality, gave them lead roles usually reserved to men, and argues that their frivolity was due to the poor quality of their upbringing rather than nature.
In La Nouvelle colonie, he shows women overtly revolting against oppression.
island inhabited with exiles, nobles from the Ancient Times such as Arthénice and Timagène, and Modern gentlemen and gentlewomen like Mr and Madam Sorbin. The population of the island urges Timagène and Mr Sorbin to write the laws of the colony.
Arthénice, loved by Timagène, and Madam Sorbin, seize the opportunity to rebel against marculine tyranny and reclaim the right to pass laws too. In her speech to the women's assembly, Arthénice unveils Marivaux's arguments to support women's right to equality, stating that their inferiority is only due to their lack of education. But Madam Sorbin divides their support by passing the law that women should all become ugly, so that men would not woo them and they would not risk being enslaved once more.
The men try to appease the insurrection by reminding the women of what they call their duties, but they lack arguments and pretexts against the women's inexhaustible eloquence.
Timagène enventually finds a way to stop them, by pretending that the colony is attacked and the women will have to take arms and defend their land. They then accept to go home and let the men fight an imagined menace, when Timagène promises them that their rights and interests will be taken into consideration in the new statuses of the colony.
Through subtle comparisons, Marivaux, without overtly supporting women, as he condemns their excesses and concludes the play with a return to a conservative order of society, hopes to make his reader realise certain truths about women. With the cover of satire
, he reflects upon the place of women in society, disproves that only the laws of men count, and argues that women are more influential on men's decision than what the latter think.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
in three acts and in prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
written by French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
playwright Pierre de Marivaux
Pierre de Marivaux
Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux , commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French novelist and dramatist....
. It was first performed on June 18 1729 by the Comédie-Italienne
Comédie-Italienne
Over time, there have been several buildings and several theatrical companies named the "Théâtre-Italien" or the "Comédie-Italienne" in Paris. Following the times, the theatre has shown both plays and operas...
at the Hôtel de Bourgogne
Hôtel de Bourgogne
Until the 16th century, the Hôtel de Bourgogne was the name of the Paris residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. Today, the last vestige is the Tour Jean sans Peur, 20 rue Étienne Marcel, in the 2nd arrondissement.-Theatre:...
.
La Nouvelle Colonie was a failure, and Marivaux therefore edited and published it as La Colonie
La Colonie
La Colonie is a comedy by French playwright Pierre de Marivaux, published in 1750 in the journal Mercure de France.When it was first performed at the Comédie-Italienne on June 18 1729, La Nouvelle Colonie did not gather success and was only staged once. Marivaux cancelled all the shows and did not...
in the Mercure de France
Mercure de France
The Mercure de France was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group....
in 1750.
The fact that he published it twenty years later shows how important the subject was to Marivaux. He did not accept the way women were treated in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
at the time, their humiliating education, and their inferior social status. He was in favour of women's equality, gave them lead roles usually reserved to men, and argues that their frivolity was due to the poor quality of their upbringing rather than nature.
In La Nouvelle colonie, he shows women overtly revolting against oppression.
Characters
- Arthénice, noble woman.
- Madam Sorbin, craftsman's wife.
- Mr Sorbin, Madam Sorbin's husband.
- Timagène, noble man.
- Lina, Madam Sorbin's daughter.
- Persinet, young mand of the people and Lina's lover.
- Hermocrate, noble man.
- Troupe of women, nobles and poor.
Plot
La Nouvelle Colonie is set on a fictitious Ancient GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
island inhabited with exiles, nobles from the Ancient Times such as Arthénice and Timagène, and Modern gentlemen and gentlewomen like Mr and Madam Sorbin. The population of the island urges Timagène and Mr Sorbin to write the laws of the colony.
Arthénice, loved by Timagène, and Madam Sorbin, seize the opportunity to rebel against marculine tyranny and reclaim the right to pass laws too. In her speech to the women's assembly, Arthénice unveils Marivaux's arguments to support women's right to equality, stating that their inferiority is only due to their lack of education. But Madam Sorbin divides their support by passing the law that women should all become ugly, so that men would not woo them and they would not risk being enslaved once more.
The men try to appease the insurrection by reminding the women of what they call their duties, but they lack arguments and pretexts against the women's inexhaustible eloquence.
Timagène enventually finds a way to stop them, by pretending that the colony is attacked and the women will have to take arms and defend their land. They then accept to go home and let the men fight an imagined menace, when Timagène promises them that their rights and interests will be taken into consideration in the new statuses of the colony.
Analysis
- « Minerva guides
- The wise, the virtuous,
- JunoJuno- Astronomy and space exploration :* 3 Juno, an asteroid** Juno clump, a probable asteroid family in the vicinity of 3 Juno* Juno , a NASA mission to Jupiter* Juno I, a satellite launch vehicle* Project Juno, a private British space programme...
presides - Over the ambitious hearts,
- VenusVenus (mythology)Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
decides - Of lovers' fate.
- Everyhting that breathes
- Lives under the power
- Of such a flattering sex ».
Through subtle comparisons, Marivaux, without overtly supporting women, as he condemns their excesses and concludes the play with a return to a conservative order of society, hopes to make his reader realise certain truths about women. With the cover of satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, he reflects upon the place of women in society, disproves that only the laws of men count, and argues that women are more influential on men's decision than what the latter think.