The life and work of Alfred Jarry, both of which are enigmatic, complex, and at times undecipherable, mark a watershed in French theatrical history. Jarry's best-known play, Ubu Roi (1896; translated ...
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Alfred Jarry's life and work are both wildly separated and inextricably connected. The varied nature of his writing makes his work as a whole difficult to assimilate. Jarry is widely regarded as an ic...
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In the following essay, Fisher explores the significance of the eighteenth-century writer, Florian, whose harlequinades are “listed” in Dr. Faustroll's library, to the works of Ja...
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In the following essay, Vickroy demonstrates that Julia Kristeva's theory of “semiotic motility”—which does not presuppose that meaning preceding language—provides a...
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In the following essay, Perry traces the echoes of Shakespeare's Macbeth in Jarry's surreal Ubu Roi, and then examines the ways in which both Macbeth and Ubu inform Eugène Ionesco...
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In the following essay, Jannarone argues that the 1896 production of Ubu Roi represents a complicated mixture of folk culture and highbrow art, and suggests that Jarry envisioned his audience in a mor...
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In the following essay, Hubert examines the significance of food and the act of eating in Ubu Roi, arguing that Ubu—and by extension, the petit-bougeoisie he represents—is the ultimate c...
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In the following essay, Lobert argues that Jarry's Ubu Roi is a satirical reaction against the naturalism of nineteenth-century writers such as Emil Zola.
The comic character is defined by a...
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In the following essay, Zelenak discusses a performance of an updated Ubu Roi to observe that clowning can create extremely pointed and compelling social commentary.
Few dramatic works have attaine...
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In the following essay, Greenfield uses Jarry's Ubu Roi to develop André Breton's theory of black humor and to argue that Jarry made a significant contribution to black humor.
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Teaching Ubu Roi
All teaching products sold separately.
Ubu Roi Lesson Plans contain 110 pages of teaching material, including:
Alfred Jarry
Critical Essay by Ben Fisher
