The Bilboquet: a Dangerous Game? A Study on Marivaux’s “Le Bilboquet”
Abstract
The “Le Bilboquet” of Marivaux illustrates the social frenzy incited by this game at that time. Driven by resentment against the bilboquet, which distracts his mistress, the narrator elaborates on how Madness has conquered the people of Europe through this frivolity. Through the depiction of the contagion of the game, we could observe how the pleasure it brings and the mimetic desire of men contribute to the success of the bilboquet. The social disorder resulting from this ludic frenzy leads us to question the nature of the game: is it merely an entertainment or does it actually represent a danger? Such a trifle could have grave consequences, in line with the logic of reevaluating the “nothingness” that we can find in most of Marivaux’s works.
Keywords:
Marivaux, bilboquet, trifle, Rococo, liberation of the mindReferences
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