Starving, Gripandouille goes to the pork butcher to buy some black pudding. Because they’re out of it, he ruins the shop, beats the Charcutier (Pork butcher) to death and puts his corpse in his basket. Still starving, Gripandouille steals a black pudding from a Vieille Femme (Old Woman), then from an Élégant (Sophisticated Man) and finally from a Gendarme (Constable) before killing them all and hiding them in his basket. However, every stolen sausage is taken from him by a Chien (Dog) and then by the Diable (Devil). The Diable leaves, but not before bringing Gripandouille’s victims back to life: they beat their murderer to death to punish him for not resisting his desires.

Glove-puppet

All audiences

France

Paris

Printed

Hunger

Black pudding

Lust

Basket

Punishment

Trade

Resurrection

Tantalus punishment

Farcical

Comical

Frontispiece of Les Boudins de Gripandouille. Drawing: Duranty. Engraving: V. Cousin.

French

Pork butcher

Constable

Devil

Animal

Running gag

Final intervention of the devil

Fall of a character

Brawl

Chase

Headbutt

Character dragged by their feet

Character spun in the air by another character

Character thrown in the air

Blow with an object

Strangulation

Destruction of set elements

Characterisation through onomatopoeia

Les Boudins de Gripandouille

Gripandouille's Black puddings