Performance at the trial: L’Alouette by Jean Anouilh

Abstract

The article contains an analysis of the metatheatrical component in the play L’Alouette based on the inquisition process of Joan of Arc. In this intricately structured dramatic text, metatheatrical aesthetics are realized in the form of a performance within a judicial process: the story of Joan represents her testimony in court and a performance in which historical characters participate. Being typical of metatheatricality, the interweaving and blending of performance and reality, is unusually tied not to the theater, but to the courtroom. It appears that this innovation is the invention of Jean Anouilh, who frequently explored metatheatricality in his plays. It is also interesting to note that the grammatical category of time in the characters’ lines influences the relationship between performance and reality. The article also examines the connection between the court and the theater, as the former borrows many elements from the latter: costumes, the order of lines, and the performative aspect. The inherent theatricality of the judicial process adds an additional dimension to the metatheatricality to the play.