Rire à tout prix, rire du malheur ? Quelques remarques sur la possibilité d’un art théâtral comique sur Auschwitz, après Auschwitz
Laughing at all costs, laughing about suffering? Some remarks on the possibility of comic theatre about Auschwitz, after Auschwitz

Summary/Abstract: Is it possible to write a comedy play about Auschwitz? Laugh at allcosts, or not? And if so, where is the possible limit beyond whichcomedy would simply become ethically illegitimate? Working essen-tially in a theoretical and comparative context, the aim of our stu-dy will be to identify at least some of the main guidelines for envi-saging the possibility of a theatrical comedy about the Holocaust.Of course, it is not a question of finding unique criteria. Nevertheless,by introducing certain reflexions by Adorno, Bergson, Dürrenmattand Pirandello, we shall try to show that the ideal framework forthinking the comedy about Auschwitz is that of stylistic contamina-tion. In other words, the idea is to refuse pure comedy, comedy thatprovokes naive and cathartic laughter, because that would be equi-valent to trivialising the horror. On the contrary, a privileged comedyis a comedy that is already tinged with melancholy, a comedy thatis ironic in relation to itself. In one word: the way of humour.

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