Farce

Poster for a production of Boucicault's farce Contempt of Court, c. 1879

Farce (Ital. Farsia, probably from the Latin farcio, to stuff—Plautus has centones farcire, to insert falsehoods or tricks) was a canticle in the vulgar tongue intermixed with Latin, originating in the French church at the time when Latin began to be a tongue not 'understanded of the people.' The farsia was sung in many churches at the principal festivals, almost universally at Christmas. It became a vehicle for satire and fun, and thus led to the modern Farsa or Farce, a piece in one act, of which the subject is extravagant and the action ludicrous.^[1]

In theatre, a farce is a comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable.^[2] Farce is also characterized by physical humor, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, and broadly stylized performances. It is also often set in one particular location, where all events occur. Farces have been written for the stage and film.

Historical context[edit]

The term farce is derived from the French word for "stuffing", in reference to improvisations applied by actors to medieval religious dramas. Later forms of this drama were performed as comical interludes during the 15th and 16th centuries.^[3] The oldest surviving farce may be Le Garçon et l'aveugle (The Boy and the Blind Man) from after 1266, although the earliest farces that can be dated come from between 1450 and 1550. The best known farce is La Farce de maître Pathelin (The Farce of Master Pathelin) from c. 1460.^[4] Spoof films such as "Spaceballs," a comedy based on the Star Wars movies, are farces.^[5]

References[edit]

^ Grove, Sir George (1908). Gorve's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. New York: McMillan. p. 8.
^ "farce - Free On-Line English Dictionary - Thesaurus - Children's, Intermediate Dictionary - Wordsmyth".
^ Birch, Dinah, ed. (2009). The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7th ed.). OUP Oxford. p. 1043. ISBN 0191030848.
^ Hollier, Denis; Bloch, R. Howard, eds. (1994). A New History of French Literature. Harvard University Press. p. 126. ISBN 0674615662.
^ "farce". Vocabulary.com.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Grove, Sir George (1908). Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. New York, McMillan.