Janbroche – a cloth merchant – forbids his daughter from selling anything while she keeps the shop in his absence. To all questions, she will have to answer “really, Mister, nay”. Polichinelle, sent by his master the Marquis to place an order for a suit, takes advantage of this repeated response to take her to bed with him. When he comes back, the merchant Jambroche finds her with Polichinelle and forces her to leave the house without her breeches (“culotte” – an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down to the knees). The Marquis demands that Polichinelle marry the young woman.

Rod and string marionette

Not specified

France

Paris

Printed

Seduction

Sexual intercourse

Obedience

Ridiculous

Trade

Deception

Farcical

Comical

French

Cloth merchant

The Interpreter

Pierrot

Polichinelle

Dancer

Marquis

Misunderstanding

Trap

Ballet

Dialogue with a character in the audience

Le Marchand ridicule

The foolish Merchant

The Étudiant (Student), waiting for the Grisette (Working girl), reads her letter over and over again. When she arrives, their reunion is passionate, and the couple immediately embraces. Their lovemaking, full of noises and exclamations, catches the attention of the neighbour, Monsieur Prudhomme. Intrigued, he enters the scene and starts giving advice. Annoyed by the intrusion, the Étudiant fiercely asks him to stop bothering them, and passionately goes back to his intimate moment with the Grisette.

Glove-puppet

Adults

Monnier Henry

Student

Young girl

Eroticism

Neighbour (man)

Argument

Erotic

Félicien Rops, frontispiece for Le Théâtre érotique de la rue de la Santé (1864).

Young woman

Monsieur Prudhomme

Letter

Off-stage voice

Situation comedy

Comedy of language

Scene of copulation

La Grisette et l'Étudiant

The Working girl and the Student

Madame du Croisy gives Madame Henriette de Frémicourt and Madame Louise de Laveneur a tour of the apartment they are moving into. Once alone, the two women get into the same bed. Their conversation, polite and respectful at first, slowly takes an errotic turn. They end up confessing their mutual affection. In the end, their dialogue turns into kisses and caresses; they undress and engage in love making.