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Cahie s ic o iens e
édoua diens
86 Au omne | 2017
'The F ench Play in London': Pe o ming, T ansla ing, and Adap ing om he
F ench in Vic o ian B i ain
Madame de Genlis on he
Vic o ian S age
Madame de Genlis su la scène ic o ienne
J M I A
h ps://doi.o g/10.4000/c e.3313
Abs ac s
F ançais English
Ce e é ude analyse les œu es de Madame de Genlis e leu s connexions a ec le héâ e ic o ien.
Au cou s de sa longue e p oli ique ac i i é li é ai e, S éphanie Félici é du C es de Sain -Aubin,
Com esse de Genlis, p oduisi une immense collec ion d’œu es pa mi lesquelles des ex es
pédagogiques, des omans, des pièces de héâ e e des nou elles. Tous ses ou ages eçu en un
bon accueil en Eu ope ca ils p ésen aien les nou elles idées pédagogiques des Lumiè es
ançaises, mais sans les concep s e pensées associés à la Ré olu ion. Bien qu’en G ande-
B e agne Madame de Genlis û su ou connue pou ses li es pou en an s, son hé i age peu y
ê e iplemen app éhendé comme é an celui d’une éduca ice, d’une mo alis e e d’une
d ama u ge. C’es ainsi qu’elle appa u dès son p emie ex e adui en anglais, Thea e o
Educa ion. Ce li e u publié en 1781, un an ap ès sa pa u ion en F ance, une p eu e s’il en es de
l’in é ê que les lec eu s anglais po aien à son œu e e au ype de pièces qu’elle c éai .
L’a en ion ése ée à ce au eu ne aibli pas au cou s de la pé iode ic o ienne. D’ailleu s, ses
aspi a ions mo ales e mona chiques, ainsi que son exal a ion de l’e o pe sonnel pou a on e
l’ad e si é e g impe dans l’échelle sociale, i en d’elle un modèle du nou el o d e mondial. La
p emiè e pièce que i la Reine Vic o ia u Siege o Rochelle, adap ée de l’his oi e Le siège de
La Rochelle de Genlis. Des pièces elles que The Palace o T u h, l’adap a ion de W. S. Gilbe du
con e de ées de Madame de Genlis, Le palais de é i é ne s’ad essaien pas uniquemen aux
sensibili és d’un public a is oc a ique, mais aussi à celles d’au es ypes de spec a eu s. En i on
140 ep ésen a ions de ce e pièce u en données, elle pa cou u la p o ince b i annique au
cou s d’une ou née, ejouée à main es ep ises. Cependan , la popula i é de Madame de Genlis
u moind e à la in du dix-neu ième siècle, lo sque le mép is de la c i ique ic o ienne pou son
œu e allai gagne l’opinion publique. Ce e é ude o e une analyse his o iog aphique de la
p ésence pe inen e de Madame de Genlis dans le héâ e ic o ien e du ype de c i ique que son
in luence susci a.
This s udy analyses he wo ks by Madame de Genlis and hei connec ions o Vic o ian hea e.
O e he cou se o he long and p oli ic ca ee , S éphanie Félici é du C es de Sain -Aubin,
Com esse de Genlis, p oduced an immense collec ion o wo ks ha include pedagogical ex s,
no els, plays, and sho s o ies. All o he books we e well ecei ed in Eu ope because hey
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p esen ed he new pedagogical ideas o he F ench Enligh enmen bu wi hou he concep s and
hough s associa ed o he Re olu ion. E en i in B i ain Madame de Genlis was bes known o
he child en’s books, he legacy could be iply concei ed as ha o an educa o , mo alis , and
playw igh . Such oles appea ed in he i s ex ansla ed in o English, Thea e o Educa ion.
The book appea ed in p in in 1781, a yea a e ha ing been published in F ance, which shows
he in e es ha English eade s had owa ds he wo k and he ype o d ama ic pieces she
de eloped. Such in e es in his au ho did no al e du ing he Vic o ian pe iod. In con as , he
mo al and mona chic endencies, oge he wi h he exal a ion o he pe sonal e o o ace
ad e si y and ise up he social ladde , made he a model o he new wo ld o de . Queen
Vic o ia’s i s isi was o see he Siege o Rochelle, adap ed om Genlis’s s o y Le siège de
La Rochelle. Beyond an a is oc a ic audience, o he ypes o hea e-goe s’ sensibili ies we e
alluded o in plays such as The Palace o T u h, W. S. Gilbe ’s adap a ion o Madame de Genlis’s
ai y ale, Le palais de é i é. The play an o app oxima ely 140 pe o mances, ou ed he
B i ish p o inces, and enjoyed a ious e i als. Madame de Genlis’s popula i y, howe e , did
diminish in he la e nine een h cen u y, as Vic o ian c i ics’ con emp o he wo k o e powe ed
public opinion. This s udy o e s an analy ic his o iog aphical e ision o Madame de Genlis’s
ele ance o Vic o ian hea e and o he ype o c i icism he in luence gene a ed.
Index e ms
Mo s-clés : Genlis (Madame de), opé a anglais, héâ e éduca i , emme d ama u ge
Keywo ds: Genlis (Madame de), English ope a, educa ional hea e, emale playw igh s
Full ex
A s udious woman wi h encyclopaedic knowledge, a consumma e ha pis , a i eless
educa o , a p oli ic no elis , a popula poe , an excep ional memoi is , and an
inexhaus ible playw igh , S éphanie Félici é du C es de Sain -Aubin, Coun ess o
Genlis (1746-1830), seduced a e y di e se audience a he u n o he 19 h cen u y, bu
she also gene a ed coun less enemies due o he poli ical, eligious, and in ellec ual
ideas. Ci cums ances some imes led he down con adic o y pa hs; she was bo h he
lo e o he Duke o O léans and a e olu iona y sympa hize (Zinkeisen 128–74), a spy
o Napoleon and a spokespe son o he es ablishmen du ing he Bou bon
Res o a ion (in which he pupil, Louis-Philippe, won he h one). The lis o he
w i ings is imp essi e and e lec s he b ead h o he in e es s and he ex en o he
li e a y, philosophical, and scien i ic knowledge.
1
Madame de Genlis possessed immense ame and no o ie y h oughou 19 h-cen u y
Eu ope, which was ascina ed by he example o a woman om an impo e ished
p o incial nobili y who was able o ad ance h ough he own e o s amid he igid
social s uc u e o he Ancien Régime (Dow 2009, 41). He Eu opean eade s sough in
he wo ks he new pedagogical hinking o Enligh enmen F ance, ee om all possible
e olu iona y accusa ion and en eloped in a hick coa o eligion and mo ali y. He
wo k ound conside able esonance in England and I eland because o he s ong
pe sonal and p o essional ies ha she main ained he e since childhood. In 1758, he
a he me he man who would la e become he husband in a cell in Launces on, whe e
he English we e held as p isone s o wa , and he u u e ma quis ell in lo e wi h he a
i s sigh . On he o he hand, he a els be o e and a e he Re olu ion allowed he o
equen he in ellec ual and poli ical ci cles o he e a, a end a ious hea ical
pe o mances, and gain a i s -hand app ecia ion o English li e a u e. This di ec
con ac no only allowed he o become acquain ed wi h his socio-cul u al en i onmen
bu also made he well known in he B i ish Isles, and by 1781, when she was only
hi y- i e yea s old, he Théâ e à l’usage des jeunes pe sonnes was a ailable in
English lib a ies unde he i le Thea e o Educa ion (Pi che 81–82).
2
This wo k was one o se e al ha she composed o he educa ion o he O léans
child en, es ablishing a new gen e o d ama w i en o child en and in e p e ed by he
child en hemsel es. The appea ance o an anonymous ansla ion o Adèle e
Théodo e (Adelaide and Theodo e, o Le e s on Educa ion) in 1783 was a c owning
momen in he pedagogical wo k o which she ea ned g ea espec , pa icula ly in he
a ea o child educa ion (Dow 2006, 367−81). The challenges ha she posed o he
3
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O! Thou, e e nal Powe , whose pie cing Eye
Disce ns each sec e Guil ; sea ch hou my Hea !;
heo ies o educa ion p oposed by Rousseau in Émile (pa icula ly wi h ega d o
women, whom she belie ed o be mo e ambi ious) became widely popula (T ouile 237‒
91). Meanwhile, he wo ks p aised he Anglo-Saxon people, whose language and
li e a u e she co e ed and o en ecommended as pa o basic educa ional aining, a
ac ha undoub edly pleased he Anglophone eade s.
As no ed abo e, he ame on he o he side o he English Channel was due o no
only he a is ic p oduc ion bu also he pe sonal li e, gi en ha he ies o he House o
O léans (B i sch 294) opened he doo o high socie y and he cou . Hence, she became
known by a la ge audience and, no su p isingly, became he mos ansla ed au ho in
B i ish magazines o he e a (Mayo 1962)— hough ansla ions o audiences in he
B i ish Isles occasionally limi ed ce ain sensi i e issues, such as he au ho ’s
ela ionship wi h Ca holicism, signi ican ly dis o ing he o iginal ex . He wo k was
well known o women w i e s o he gene a ion such as Ca he ine Macaulay, Ma ia
Edgewo h, Hannah Mo e, Ma y Wolls onec a , Anna Sewa d, and Jane Aus en.
Howe e , he pedagogical ex s aded in o he backg ound as he umul uous oman ic,
social, and poli ical li e became mo e widely known and F ench cus oms came o be
iewed in a mo e nega i e ligh by nascen Vic o ian socie y. Because o hese ac o s
and he equen bad e iews o adap a ions o he wo ks based on s yle and g amma ,
he pace o ansla ions o he no els slowed o e he cou se o he cen u y. Howe e ,
aces o he eading and in e es in he in ellec ual p oduc ion pe sis ed among mos
eade s o he e a.
4
O e he cou se o he cen u y, Madame de Genlis, o he swee ened e sion o he
popula ized in England, con inued o be a e e ence poin o au ho s such as Susan
Edmons one Fe ie and Ma y Shelley. Howe e , he au ho los he pedagogical
weigh ( hough he didac ic g ounding ne e disappea ed comple ely) and ins ead
made gains in e ms o imagina ion and e oca ion. Wi h he inal wo ks, he polemical
li e, and he poli ical in ol emen s, he pe cep ion o he au ho as a li e a y igu e was
comple e, such ha he w i ings ( om he Sac ed D amas o he highly con o e sial
Memoi s) con inue o be ansla ed and published. The e o e, i is no su p ising o
ead in an 1853 edi ion o F ase ’s Town and Coun y Magazine: ‘The e is no name in
mode n F ench li e a u e be e known han ha o Madame de Genlis’ (401).
5
B i ish child en educa ed in he i s decades o he 19 h cen u y wi h he Thea e o
Educa ion, Sac ed D amas, The Tales o he Cas le and Adelaide and Theodo e g ew
up and u ned o he au ho o in ellec ual s imula ion in he a eas o science, eligion,
and e en mo al and e hical issues. This is when he wo ks and no els uly made wa es.
The i s example o his appea s ela i ely soon, a he end o he Regency, wi h he
po ayal a Co en Ga den o Zuma, o , The T ee o Heal h (1818), an ope a by
compose s Hen y Rowley Bishop and John B aham wi h a lib e o by Thomas John
Dibdin1 based on he wo k Zuma, ou La décou e e du quinquina (1817). The
popula i y o he lib e is did no de e c i iques o he c udely pedagogical s yle and
absu di ies p esen in he ex , which caused he wo k o be p esen ed in London on
only six occasions.
6
Pe haps due o his comple e ailu e, he nex d ama iza ion o a no el by Madame de
Genlis ook se e al yea s o eme ge: The Siege o Rochelle, o , he Ch is ian He oine,
an ope a in wo pa s i s s aged i e yea s a e he dea h on 29 Oc obe 1835 a he
Thea e Royal D u y Lane2 (al hough i was ini ially sla ed o appea a he English
Ope a House). The ope a debu ed wo yea s be o e he co ona ion o Queen Vic o ia,
bu cu iously, i would play a highly symbolic ole du ing he eign because i was he
i s wo k he mona ch a ended a e ascending o he h one and a which she
appea ed as a decla ed p o ec o o he d ama ic a s. The choice o his wo k was
mo i a ed, as we will see, by se e al ac o s.
7
The ope a was based on he no el Le siège de La Rochelle ou le malheu de la
conscience, published by Madame de Genlis in 1807. The wo k begins wi h an
un ansla ed quo e om he Amb ose Philips agedy Humph ey, Duke o Glouces e ,
which happens o ha e been s aged a D u y Lane in 1723:
8
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And, as Thou know’s Me innocen , suppo me;—
And, o he Wo ld, acqui my blemish’d Fame. (Philips 33)
I was a glo ious nigh , he i s nigh o The Siege o Rochelle […]. The c am he e
was, he ashion, he delicious music, he en husias ic applause, he double
enco es […]. People ben o e , and nea ly h ew hemsel es om he side boxes,
nex o he o ches a, o cong a ula e and shake hands wi h he young compose
[…]. And he i s ime He p esen G acious Majes y wen in s a e o he hea e,
i was o he Thea e Royal D u y Lane; he "Siege o Rochelle" being pe o med
by special desi e. The e is a celeb a ed po ai o he Majes y, by Pa is, sea ed in
he box. (Fi zball 1859, 25-27)
In his manne , he F ench au ho demons a es he Anglophilia and knowledge o
B i ish li e a u e. A he ime o he ope a ic adap a ion, his F ench ecogni ion o
B i ish a s by a amous and s ylish au ho meshed pe ec ly wi h he endency and
spi i ha he new mona chy would ex ol.
9
The music o he ope a adap a ion was composed by Michael William Bal e, wi h a
lib e o by Edwa d Fi zball (Fi zball 1835a, 1835b). They chose no simply a sho
pedagogical ale by Madame de Genlis bu a he a no el o g ea complexi y ha
bo de ed on he isqué. I mixes amily and oman ic emo ions, using eligion and wa
as a backd op, ques ioning na ional and mo al sen imen s a e e y u n. All o hese
issues would become cen al in he pe iod o ansi ion o he Vic o ian E a. The
lib e o was conside ably simple han he o iginal ex , hough i main ained i s o ce
and essence, as equi ed a he ime. All o he ac o s ea ned widesp ead applause, and
newspape c i ics we e gene ally en husias ic (The Obse e , 2 No embe 1835), which
was ce ainly no iced by he u u e queen and he milieu.
10
Howe e , The Siege o Rochelle also ecei ed i s sha e o a acks. I Madame de
Genlis had been ha shly c i icized in F ance o he abs use and implausible aspec s o
he s o y (Esmena d 24), he ope a ic adap a ion in London ecei ed simila
disapp o al: ‘ he whole d ama is so incohe en , so incompa ably weak and absu d, ha
we qui ed he hea e almos as igno an o he au ho ’s design as we we e on
en e ing’ (Supplemen o he Musical Lib a y, Decembe 1835). The s o y as a whole
was highly a - e ched, and he songs s ood ou in an isola ed manne . The e we e also
accusa ions o plagia ism, which clea ly sough o a nish he honou o he young I ish
compose (The Examine , 20, 27 Decembe 1835 and Janua y 31, 1836). The wo k in
ques ion was Chia a di Rosembe g (1832), by Luigi Ricci o I aly. Al hough i appea s
ha he lib e is was indeed inspi ed on se e al occasions by he I alian adap a ion o
he o iginal F ench wo k, claims ega ding he music appea o be unjus i ied (e en
hough Bal e had sung in he I alian ope a in 1834 [Walsh 42-56]). The case was
esol ed wi h he po ayal in 1837 o Chia a di Rosenbe g and he de ini i e and
lag an demons a ion ha , al hough pa o he lib e o seemed amilia , he music
did no esemble ha by Ricci. Tha demons a ion conside ably con ibu ed o he
p aise o Bal e and he English wo k wi h i s I alian ouches. I was a celeb a ion o
Anglo-Saxon a is ic c ea ion in he ace o I alian adi ion, some hing ha many had
d eamed o and ha would be blessed by he new mona ch.
11
Bo h he subo dina ion o he ensemble o he d ama o he music and he enzy
igni ed by some o he songs—g aced wi h new symbolic alue unde he new eign, in
pa icula he clea ly mona chical ‘Vi e le Roi’ o he hope ul ‘Lo! he ea ly beams o
mo ning’ and ‘When I beheld he ancho weighed’ (Fi zball 1859, 26), which we e
ex ao dina ily success ul as sepa a e publica ions—allowed he public o cas aside he
angled his o y o i s o igins and he qua els su ounding he piece. Tha ini ial s aging
would include mo e han 70 pe o mances (Walsh 192), and i was e i ed o he nex
h ee seasons wi h Bal e in he ole o he p o agonis , Michel. In 1836, he ope a ou ed
ci ies such as Manches e , Yo k, Li e pool, Ba h, and Dublin, and pe o mances
mul iplied in la e yea s.3 In his memoi s, Fi zball ecalls he immense success o he
show om he e y i s nigh and a pa icula igu e who was in a endance:
12
On 15 No embe 1837, on he i s s a e isi o he hea e, he young Queen Vic o ia
wen o D u y Lane o see his ‘li ely and p e y’ ope a ‘by special desi e’. The desi e
was undoub edly mo i a ed by he success o he wo k bu also by he symbolism o i s
13
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Ea ly in his season ou you h ul So e eign, ha ing aken he d ama unde he
especial pa onage, ga e i he coun enance o he p esence by coming in s a e o
each hea e. D u y Lane Thea e may boas o ha ing been he i s place o
public en e ainmen in which ‘ he ai -hai ed daugh e o he Isles’ was ecei ed
as Queen wi h he hea el welcome o hund eds o he subjec s […]. The
en husiasm o he people seemed o admi o no aba emen — hei hea s we e in
hei hands; and g a i ied by hei en husiasm, and pleased, as she condescended
o exp ess he sel , wi h he pe o mance, he Majes y impa ed new li e o he
hi he o d ooping scene a ound he . (Bunn 285‒86)
I, alone, was sea ed in he box, which was qui e on he s age,—all he gen lemen,
and he Duchess o Su he land and Lady Ta is ock s anding behind me… The
Maids o Honou e c., we e in he adjoining box. The house was immensely ull –
qui e c ammed, and I was splendidly ecei ed, wi h he g ea es en husiasm and
dea ening chee ing. When God Sa e he King was sung, he whole audience joined
in he Cho us. (Schoch 113)
con en . The momen was ch onicled by he media; o example, The S age desc ibed
he ci cums ances o he isi :
The new mona ch unde s ood ha she became a cen al pa o he e en by
con ibu ing o he success o he ensemble and also cap u ed he impo ance o i s
inhe en hea icali y as well as he ole as an ac ess. Fo his eason, he Queen had a
special memo y o he pe o mance, which she desc ibed in he dia y:
14
I is impossible o de e mine whe he his e e ence o God Sa e he King e e s o
he singing o he na ional an hem—somewha imp obably because i would ha e been
God Sa e he Queen (Schoch 113)—o he ope a’s cho us o ‘Vi e le Roi’ ha had shown
so much success. Rega dless, i appea s ha his choice o he i s isi in s a e o an
ope a, an ope a ha was clea ly mona chic and mo al and ha ep esen ed he Ancien
Régime alues embodied by Madame de Genlis, was no unwa an ed.
15
So impo an was he momen ha Edmund Thomas Pa is pain ed a po ai o he
mona ch as she appea ed a he oyal palace, d essed in blue and whi e wi h a la ish
c own. He oyal p esence a he pe o mance o The Siege o Rochelle a he Thea e
Royal D u y Lane was hus cap u ed o pos e i y. I was a me apho o Queen Vic o ia
as p o ec o o he hea e, a decla a ion o he p inciples o which she chose o a end
a pe o mance based on he w i ing o Madame de Genlis. This was a calcula ed
decision, gi en ha he a is was p esen in he hall and ske ched, om he o ches a,
an image o his young model as p o ec o o he hea ical a s. In 1838, a pain ing was
made based on he ske ch; i is now held in he Royal Collec ion. I was he Queen’s i s
po ai since he co ona ion, and i became he basis o an eng a ing by Cha les
Edwa d Wags a ha was subsequen ly widely dissemina ed. Se e al minia u es we e
also made om i , such as ha by Sa ah Bi in (1848), he English pain e who was
bo n wi hou hands.
16
The inal wo k by he F ench au ho o be b ough o he English s age would also
ake a long pe iod o ime o a i e. The Palace o T u h, a comedy in h ee ac s in
iambic pen ame e by William Schwenck Gilbe , would no be pe o med a he
Hayma ke Thea e in London un il 19 No embe 1870. Al hough, in a no e heading
Gilbe ’s edi ion o he wo k, he assu es ha ‘The S o y upon which The Palace o T u h
is ounded is p obably as old as he A abian Nigh s’ (Gilbe , n.p); he piece was based
on Genlis’s sho s o y, Palais de la Ve i é, which, simila o Zuma, was con ained in
Les Veillées du Châ eau (1784). Gilbe ’s claim es ablishes a link wi h Les Lune es
Magiques, a s o y ha was pa o Le Ca a anse ail ou Recueil de Con es o ien aux,
which a emp ed o be a ansla ion om he Pe sian unde aken by Ad ien
Sa azin (1811). Howe e , as one commen a o explained in he Jou nal de Pa is in
1810, i s ongly esembled he now de es ed wo k by Genlis: ‘Les Lune es magiques
son ag éablemen acon ées, mais elles on le malheu de essemble de op p ès à
plusieu s his oi es bâ ies su ce onds, e en e au es à un con e singuliè emen peu
éc éa i qui se ou e dans quelque ome de Mme de Genlis, sous le i e du Palais de
la Vé i é’. (Jou nal de Pa is, No embe 1810, 2317)
17
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La é i é nue plaî a emen aux hommes. Le pa e e de l’Odéon, anspo é dans
le palais sé è e de ce e déi é si aimable, e pou an si méconnue, n’en a admi é ni
l’a chi ec u e ni les dé ails […]. Tous les génies qui p o égeaien le Palais de la
Vé i é n’on pu le dé end e con e la maligne in luence du pa e e; au héâ e, le
pa e e es le oi des génies, il n’a qu’à sou le su les palais e les chaumiè es
pou les ai e dispa aî e, e c’es ce qu’il a ai su le Palais de la Vé i é qui s’es
éc oulé au milieu d’un b ui a eux. (Me cu e de F ance 232)
To his e y g ace ul and o iginal wo k ample jus ice has been done by he
manage and company o he Hayma ke Thea e. M . Bucks one, d oll as e e ,
unde a no el aspec , and M s. Chippendale, as he jealous Queen, s and a he
head o a numbe o comic pe sonages, each o whom is adequa ely ep esen ed
. . . . As a comic con as . . . , we should men ion Azéma, a coque e o a e y
p onounced kind, who a ows he amiable oibles wi h ala ming ankness, and is
played wi h excellen humou by Miss Fanny Gwynne. (‘Hayma ke Thea e’. The
Times, 25 No embe 1870)
Gilbe clea ly u ilizes Genlis’s p o agonis s, main aining hei names4 and he bulk
o hei s o y, hough he beha iou o he cha ac e s o en e okes he ex by Sa azin.
I would no appea o be ela ed o he anonymous hea ical adap a ion Le Palais de
la Vé i é, p esen ed a yea la e in May 1871 a he Odéon in Pa is ( he basis o he s o y
and ela ionships be ween he cha ac e s a e comple ely di e en ), al hough i is
possible ha he F ench show was inspi ed by he success o he English e sion. The
F ench comedy in h ee ac s, w i en in p ose, was a amous lop because o he
uncom o able unde lying p inciple o he plo ; ha is, he need o impose u h a any
cos as was desc ibed in a ious newspape s o he e a:
18
The idea o he ‘Palais de la Vé i é’, a place whe e only u h could be spoken, had
been sea ed in o he collec i e imagina ion since he publica ion o he wo k by
Madame de Genlis; hence, hey e e ed o a place in which u hs we e spoken wi h no
il e and wi h a nega i e esul , o en causing su e ing and discom o among hose
who hea d hem. Fo example, he Ma quise de C équy e e s o i in he memoi s: ‘Le
salon de Mme de la Reyniè e es de enu le palais de la Vé i é, comme dans le con e
allégo ique, e ien n’es aussi is emen cu ieux que d’y li e ou e emen dans son
mau ais cœu e son égoïsme déna u é’ (C équy 18). This allego y also e e be a ed
beyond he English Channel; o example, Ma y Russell Mi o d (1787-1865) made
e e ence o Genlis’s Palace o T u h in one o he w i ings (Mi o d 256).
19
When Gilbe unde ook his hea ical p ojec , he eign had al eady ad anced
conside ably. Le behind was he pedagogical passion ha had inspi ed Zuma, and he
mona chy, now well es ablished owing o he s abili y gene a ed by B i ish hegemony,
was no in need o g ea exal a ion. Ins ead, i seemed an oppo une momen o
an as ical dayd eams. In luenced by he ‘ ai y ex a aganzas’ o James Robinson
Planché (which hemsel es we e based on F ench ai y ales, in his case, hose w i en
by Madame d’Aulnoy o adul s), he au ho p oposed o de elop ‘ ai y
comedies’ (Boo h 174). He began wha some would call his second phase (which would
also include The Wicked Wo ld in 1873, Pygmalion and Gala ea in 1871, and B oken
Hea s in 1875), mo ing away om ea lie p oduc ions based on bu lesques and
ex a aganzas. The o iginal cas included John Bucks one as King Phano , William
Kendal as P ince Philami , his wi e, Madge Robe son Kendal, as P incess Zeolide,
Chippendale as Queen Al emi e, and Ca oline Hill as Mi za. The ac o s ea ned
unanimous p aise om c i ics:
20
Ac one opens on he eign o Phano and Al emi e, he pa en s o Zeolide.
E e y hing p oceeds peaceably, wi h he mona chs ecei ing p aise om hei
dedica ed cou and he p incess p epa ing o ma y he handsome P ince Philami ,
al hough she has doub s abou his lo e. The queen, o he pa , is jealous o he
husband, who o en e i es o a cas le ha she has ne e been able o isi . He explains
ha i is he Palace o T u h, a palace whe e e e yone who en e s is o ced o speak he
u h e en hough hey may hink ha hey a e lying. The mona chs isi he cas le wi h
he en i e cou and Zeolide and he be o hed, and endless comical episodes un old.
The u hs o he cou esans, as wi h he oyal couple, a e di icul o ole a e, and o
21
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In he new ‘ ai y comedy’ en i led he Palace o T u h, and p oduced a he
Hayma ke wi h g ea success, he au ho , M . W. S. Gilbe , has a ained a poin
which he has been o some ime app oaching . . . . The Palace o T u h is based
on a omance a ixed o he Tales o he Cas le o Madame de Genlis, a wo k i y
yea s ago as amilia o he child en o England as o hose o Pa is, and, i we can
us o he memo y o ea ly imp essions, well wo hy o epublica ion now . . . . In
he hands o M . Gilbe he s o y acqui es a passiona e in ensi y, which gi es i a
one a he o he ea ly 17 h han o he la e 18 h cen u y. (‘Hayma ke hea e’.
The Times, 25 No embe 1870)
We doub e y much whe he hose who we e pleased wi h he Palace o T u h
when hey saw i se en yea s ago a his house will be qui e so pleased wi h i now,
and we doub , oo, whe he hose who may see i now o he i s ime will be
inclined o gi e i c edi o all hose good quali ies which i was once held o
possess. The idea is quain , i no e y o iginal, and pe mi s a ai display o he
au ho ’s humo ous ancy . . . . Bu he concei is oo s ained, he humou
somewha oo p olonged. (The Times, 24 Ap il 1877)
hei pa , he u u e b ide and g oom ha e se e al disag eemen s and g ow apa .
P edic ably, in he hi d ac , all a e econciled and lea n hei lesson, and he cas le
b eaks i s spell.
The s o y is old wi h Gilbe ’s ly ical eloquence, and his domain o me e con e s
upon he ensemble an excellen poe ic quali y. Un il ecen ly, c i ics had p aised his
a ec ed and delica e s yle (The Times, 24 May 1905). The o iginal F ench wo k
a ou ed humo ous si ua ions wi hin a one o mo al equilib ium ha analysed he
issue o when i is con enien o be u h ul and when i is no as well as how o manage
amo ous eelings. The comedic momen s a e pe ec ed in he English e sion and,
a ou ed by he idea o he enchan ed palace, a e b illian , hough ne e hu ul o
dis espec ul, always main aining he appea ance o d ama. In his manne , he spi i o
Madame de Genlis is main ained, wi h a en i eness o one and espec o o m,
pe ec ly melding wi h he Vic o ian spi i . This makes Gilbe ’s comedy a ue gem ha
un olds in a d eamlike uni e se, as sugges ed in an a icle in The Times:
22
The wo k was an immedia e iumph: i s i s s aging included nea ly 140
pe o mances (The Times 22 Ap il and 2 May 1871) and was ollowed by mul iple ou s
h ough he p o inces, becoming one o he au ho ’s g ea es successes. This led Gilbe
and he B i ish compose Edwa d Ge man o p opose c ea ing an ope a based on he
s o y, hough he ailu e o ano he wo k ha hey composed oge he , Fallen Fai ies,
ul ima ely de e ed hem (Daily Teleg aph, 9 Decembe 1909, 11–12). Cu iously, The
Palace o T u h b ough abou an encoun e be ween William S. Gilbe and A hu
Sulli an, whose ich con ibu ions o he Vic o ian pe iod include ou een b illian
comic ope as. Gilbe , seeking he ad ice o a musician ega ding he en ance o one o
he cha ac e s in Palace, consul ed Sulli an, and hei collabo a ion began a e ha
ini ial mee ing.
23
The wo k was e i ed on se e al occasions: in 1877, in Hayma ke , wi h 34
pe o mances (The Times, 24 Ap il 1877); in 1884, o inaugu a e he P ince’s Thea e
on Co en y S ee , wi h 43 pe o mances (The Times, 19 Janua y 1884); and e en in
he 20 h cen u y, wi h he 1905 e sion a he G ea Queen S ee Thea e, which only
had 13 pe o mances (The Times, 24 May 1905). Al hough hese in e p e a ions ha e
ex ended o e a long pe iod o ime, c i ics o he la e e sions ha e no always been so
unanimous as wi h he i s s aging. In an 1877 copy o The Times, we ead:
24
The choice o his play o he inaugu a ion o he P ince’s Thea e was conside ed—
despi e being conside ed a comedy ‘o assu ed espec abili y’ (The Times, 19 Janua y
1884)—because i was iewed as a simplis ic comedy. The le els o humou be ween
comedy and sa i e, se iousness and ha shness appea ed o dis up he an as ical
uni e se de ised by Madame de Genlis and inhe i ed om he adi ion o p éciosi é.
Ne e heless, he mul iple e i als o he wo k appea o con adic he opinion o
ang y c i ics who we e disappoin ed by a ai y comedy wi h b illian dialogue and an
exquisi e poe ic hy hm. Madame de Genlis had con ibu ed an idea ha was innocen
hough ull o cha m, wi h delica e bu clea mo al conno a ions, some hing hea ical
25
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adap a ions a emp ed o sublima e wi h a ca e ul and elegan s yle ha he Vic o ian
public app ecia ed, making i a box o ice success.
Hence, he in luence o Madame de Genlis ma ked he pe iod in a sub le bu
consis en manne . An epig aph used by he poe and c i ic Co en y Pa mo e in he
na a i e poem The Angel in he House (1854) appea s o o e a clue: ‘Did I e e ead
de Genlis? Ne e . Do!’ (180) All he alues o Vic o ian socie y—mo als, educa ion, and
mona chic alues—a e ound in he mul iple olumes o F ench pedagogy, and she also
inspi ed 19 h-cen u y English playw igh s who we e d awn o an au ho so emo ed
om he Academy. The w i e , mo e han a s ylis , mus ha e been a ue magician o
en e ainmen : he socie y hea e, s aging o p o e bs, ha p conce s, pa ies, and
coun less no els and s o ies we e de ou ed by high socie y and opened doo s o he
h oughou Eu ope. I is easonable, hen, ha he Vic o ian playw igh s ound in he
he solu ion o many o he en e ainmen needs o hei con empo a ies.
26
He s yle and he exo ic, wa like, ai y-popula ed uni e se e e be a ed among
B i ish au ho s li ing amid he Napoleonic wa s, cul u al expansion, and gene alized
desi e o d eamy escape. The b oad dissemina ion o he wo ks, which she published
he sel , eached he mos a - lung places, making he a symbol o F ench cul u e.
Su p isingly, howe e , B i ish playw igh s ha e no paid much a en ion o he
hea ical wo ks, pe haps because hey we e pe cei ed as being o child en o because
o he ansla ions ha exis ed a he ime. Meanwhile, Madame de Genlis’s
encou agemen o encyclopaedic knowledge, eligious eachings and educa ion h ough
hea e appea s no o ha e esona ed wi h he con empo a ies o he Indus ial
Re olu ion and g ea ad ances in enginee ing and echnology. Only he mo al and
poli ical eachings seem o ha e su i ed he pu ge, and hence, we con inue o ind
hem among he wo ks inspi ed by he no els. All allusions o he Coun ess’s e en ul
li e and he memoi es, na u ally, we e a oided. Simila ly, no e en in he mos sensi i e
wo ks was he Ch is ian zeal demons a ed, appa en ly due o he p oblems ha doing
so migh aise among an Anglican audience.
27
I he i s ansla ions o he wo k ound a wide audience, ha en husiasm declined
o e ime, mos likely as o he ace s o he pe sonali y became mo e well known: a
pu i an bu also a libe ine, a e olu iona y bu also a mona chis , in e es ing bu also
dange ous. Madame de Genlis ep esen s old F ance, he Re olu ion, he empi e, and
he Bou bon Res o a ion, hough de oid o he bu den o any o hese (Bu wick 58–92).
She also e okes Rousseau, Vol ai e, and o he Enligh enmen philosophe s, hough
s ipped o hei dange . The F ench w i e also sugges s seduc ion and licen iousness,
maî esses and badinage wi hou he h ea s ep esen ed by someone such as Laclos.
She symbolizes F ench Anglophilia, he in e na ional ecogni ion o English li e a u e
and his o y, and de o ion o he Geo gian E a and i s cha ac e s (Wahba 221–38).
28
T ends also played a la ge ole bo h in he glo i ying and in he o ge ing o Madame
de Genlis, om he iumph du ing he li e ime in F ance and England wi h hund eds
o publica ions o he g adual disappea ance based on poli ical, pedagogical, s ylis ic,
and e en mo al ends. Howe e , in e es in he undoub edly endu ed o e ime, as
sugges ed by he p esence on English billboa ds o mo e han a cen u y. Ne e heless,
he language g adually los s eam un il i disappea ed ci ca he beginning o he 20 h
cen u y, yielding o a pe iod o ela i e obscu i y o he wo k un il eminis c i ics and
his o ians o educa ion came o easse he . He ies o music, non-pedagogical
hea e, and en e ainmen ha e allen p ac ically in o obscu i y, despi e being a cen al
pa o he li e.
29
The aces o he pedagogy, appa en ly ou o s yle, likely condemned ansla ions o
he wo k o o he o ma s such as he ope a, hough hose who adap ed i lea ned he
lesson. The au ho s o The Siege o Rochelle and The Palace o T u h exploi ed he
au ho ’s ame and sough success, owing o b illian music in he one case and
scin illa ing ly ics in he o he . I is no able ha he wo k is so s ongly associa ed wi h
he ope a. O he h ee adap a ions ha we e made, wo we e ope as and he hi d was
nea ly a lib e o. Pe haps he eason was Madame de Genlis’s deep connec ion wi h
music (she played he ha p, among o he ins umen s, and he disciples included g ea
musicians), o pe haps he new imes equi ed new o ma s and a new language.
Rega dless, his connec ion was no based on he s yle, no he s o ies, which we e
30
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Bibliog aphy
a ely ligh ; in eali y, all o he e sions sough in he au ho a ce ain mo al dep h.
E en Gilbe u ned o he o lea e aside he bu lesque and mo e om a comic one
owa ds a mo e se ious phase.
Genlis may ha e esembled a inke o a pe ume mo e han p o ound p inciples,
bu she emained p esen and cu en in he own way, as she had always wan ed. She
embodied an exo ic ouch o he F ench Ancien Régime on English soil, he ad ances o
he Enligh enmen wi h a hick coa ing o mo als. I F ench audiences o go he nea ly
he momen she died, e en ejec ing he o he bi e pas ha she e oked, England
pe haps held on o he memo y as i o an A cadian childhood, a symbol o happie
imes. Addi ionally, as demons a ed by Queen Vic o ia’s a endance a Siege o
Rochelle and po ai a he pe o mance, she was also a symbol o he e a.
31
Madame de Genlis was also a symbol o a is oc a s schooled in he old alue o he
Ancien Régime and o o he social classes ha disco e ed, in la ge pa owing o he
hea e and ope a o which hey we e jus beginning o gain access, a sub e si e
cha ac e who go ahead despi e he di icul posi ion. She ep esen ed anquil change,
ma ied pe ec ly wi h pa liamen a y mona chy, allowing o p og ess and ce ainly
always encou aging he main enance o good manne s and poli ical s abili y. He
message was no di ec ed solely owa ds he uppe class o he main enance o he
s a us quo. He s a us as a woman and exal a ion o pe sonal e o as he only ou e o
success and social ad ancemen make he , in a ce ain way, a model o he s i ing
middle class. All o his c ys allized in some innocen wo ks o hea e.
32
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