M. and Mme. Joseph Prudhomme
Encyclopedia
Monsieur and Madame Prudhomme were a pair of French caricature
characters of the 19th century, created by Henry Monnier
. They were a bourgeois
couple.
Monsieur Prudhomme first appeared in 1830 in the first version of the Scènes de province, then in the play Grandeur et décadence de M. Joseph Prudhomme (1852) then in two volumes of collected drawings Mémoires de Monsieur Joseph Prudhomme (1857), then in Monsieur Prudhomme chef de brigands (1860).
Plump, foolish, conformist and sententious, Joseph was called by Honoré de Balzac
“l’illustre type des bourgeois de Paris” (the classic example of the Paris middle-classes).
Paul Verlaine
found inspiration from him for “Monsieur Prudhomme,” one of his Poèmes saturniens
.
Sacha Guitry
wrote a play in 1931 called “Monsieur Prudhomme a-t-il vécu?”, freely inspired by Monnier’s life, and relating to the genesis of the character.
André Franquin
drew inspiration from the character for his own maire de Champignac (1950) in the cartoon series Spirou et Fantasio
, another character with pontificating logorrhoea
.
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
characters of the 19th century, created by Henry Monnier
Henry Monnier
Henry-Bonaventure Monnier was a French playwright, caricaturist and actor.-Life:After studying at the Lycée Bonaparte, he frequented the workshops of Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson and Antoine-Jean Gros. He installed himself in London in 1822 and return to France 5 years later...
. They were a bourgeois
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
couple.
Monsieur Prudhomme first appeared in 1830 in the first version of the Scènes de province, then in the play Grandeur et décadence de M. Joseph Prudhomme (1852) then in two volumes of collected drawings Mémoires de Monsieur Joseph Prudhomme (1857), then in Monsieur Prudhomme chef de brigands (1860).
Plump, foolish, conformist and sententious, Joseph was called by Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon....
“l’illustre type des bourgeois de Paris” (the classic example of the Paris middle-classes).
Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
found inspiration from him for “Monsieur Prudhomme,” one of his Poèmes saturniens
Poèmes saturniens
Poèmes saturniens is the first collection of poetry by Paul Verlaine, first published in 1866.Verlaine was linked with the Parnassien movement in French poetry. He published his first poem in their journal, Revue du Progrès moral, littéraire, scientifique et artistique, in August 1863...
.
Sacha Guitry
Sacha Guitry
Alexandre-Pierre Georges Guitry was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the Boulevard theatre.- Biography :...
wrote a play in 1931 called “Monsieur Prudhomme a-t-il vécu?”, freely inspired by Monnier’s life, and relating to the genesis of the character.
André Franquin
André Franquin
André Franquin was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best known comic strip creations are Gaston and Marsupilami, created while he worked on the Spirou et Fantasio comic strip from 1947 to 1969, during a period seen by many as the series' golden age.-Franquin's beginnings:Franquin was...
drew inspiration from the character for his own maire de Champignac (1950) in the cartoon series Spirou et Fantasio
Spirou et Fantasio
Spirou et Fantasio is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comic strips. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European humorous adventure comics like Tintin and Asterix...
, another character with pontificating logorrhoea
Logorrhoea
Logorrhoea or logorrhea may refer to:*Logorrhoea, a synonym of verbosity*Logorrhea , a communication disorder resulting in incoherent talkativeness...
.
Citation
- “C’est mon avis et je le partage.” (“It’s my opinion, and I share it.”)