Le silence, mise à l’épreuve de la sincérité au théâtre (1802-1828)
Testing and contesting authority: silence in French theatre (1802-1828)

Summary/Abstract: In 19th century French very successful melodrama, discourse is seen as a powerful way to get attention. Criminals and traitors are masters of speech and seductive persuasion, but they never achieve their goals by the end of the play. On the other hand, the mute, humble and shy characters demonstrate that silence can convey values such as honesty, loyalty and show the audience that sensibility should be preferred to histrionic actor play.

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