GONE HUNTING by GEORGES FEYDEAU
SUMMARY
A man named Moricet informs a woman named Leontine that her husband, Duchotel, is having extramarital affairs under the pretense of fictitious hunting trips. Initially she does not believe Moricet, and she and Duchotel agree that Moricet has been feeding Leontine lies after Moricet leaves. When Moricet returns for his coat, Duchotel confronts him and Moricet tells Duchotel that Leontine is having an affair. Duchotel gets a flashy pair of trousers made identical to the ones his playboy nephew, Gontran, owns. Gontran cons Duchotel into loaning him money although Gontran is already in debt to Duchotel.
Duchotel tells Leontine he's going hunting and leaves. The wife of Duchotel's hunting buddy, Cassagne, arrives and tells Leontine she is going to have sex with another man in front of Cassagne that evening and that Cassagne hasn't been hunting in months. Leontine, furious because she now rightly assumes Duchotel is sleeping with Cassagne's wife, storms out.
Leontine goes to a house where Moricet is staying and he convinces her to retaliate against Duchotel by kissing Moricet. Duchotel unexpectedly comes by and Moricet hides Leontine. Later that night, Gontran rushes into the house to hide and Moricet, thinking Gontran is an intruder, runs next door to the lodge where Cassagne's wife is sleeping with Duchotel. Moricet is arrested by police who mistake Moricet for Gontran.
Sensing that Leontine is suspicious, Duchotel buys a lot of meat and shows it to Leontine pretending the meat is game from his fictional hunt. Cassagne shows up and reveals to Leontine that the meat wasn't hunted by Duchotel and that Duchotel and Cassagne did not hunt together. Cassagne tells Duchotel that he caught his wife with another man and is calling the police chief over to charge her.
All of the main characters excluding Gontran meet with the police chief. Cassagne produces a pair of pants left behind by Duchotel at the house where Duchotel and Cassagne's wife had sex. Gontran appears and recognizes his pants, which are actually Duchotel's identical pants, and Duchotel pays Gontran to take the blame. Gontran accepts and says he did not know Cassagne's wife was married. The police chief grants Cassagne a divorce.
After the meeting Duchotel accidentally confesses to cheating on Leontine to her. She is furious and tells Duchotel she is divorcing him. Moricet is about to dispose of a love letter written by Moricet for Leontine but Duchotel snatches the letter and assumes it's for him. Leontine begrudgingly takes Duchotel back after he begs her.
ANALYSIS
This story is told in the form of a play. Feydau's characters gain a sense of realism from the stereotypes associated with their cultural positions. Duchotel, Cassagne, and Moricet are all members of a hunting lodge. People who belong to hunting lodges are typically in the upper echelon of financial classes. All main characters of this play are members of the Catholic religion. Cassagne cannot divorce his wife until it he proves she cheated on him to the police chief because the Catholic church would not permit Cassagne a divorce unless his wife is guilty of infidelity. Catholics are stereotyped as being extremely conservative, as are wealthy people. The combination adds a level of familiarity to the discomfort Leontine repeatedly voices to Moricet over her infidelity. Moricet insists that it is only cheating if one is caught, and consequently disgraced in the community as a bad Catholic. Because the audience knows that the characters of the play are desperate to retain good standing in the community, from their stereotypical assumptions fed by the characters' hints, Feydeau is able to craft masterfully cringeworthy scenes without even the aid of actors.
Another stereotype utilized by Feydeau is that of the poor college student who is reliant on his affluent family. Gontran, Duchotel's nephew, is said to put more time into the art of the bachelor than into his bachelor of arts. Gontran is always asking his rich uncle Duchotel for money. Because much of the subject matter of the play concerning divorce is quite sad in reality, Gontran provides extra comic relief, rounding out the edges of this light farce to perfection.
SOURCE
Feydeau, Georges. Gone Hunting. Trans. Sara O'Connor. Illinois: Dramatic, 1995. Farce concerning an unfaithful Catholic couple.
SUMMARY
A man named Moricet informs a woman named Leontine that her husband, Duchotel, is having extramarital affairs under the pretense of fictitious hunting trips. Initially she does not believe Moricet, and she and Duchotel agree that Moricet has been feeding Leontine lies after Moricet leaves. When Moricet returns for his coat, Duchotel confronts him and Moricet tells Duchotel that Leontine is having an affair. Duchotel gets a flashy pair of trousers made identical to the ones his playboy nephew, Gontran, owns. Gontran cons Duchotel into loaning him money although Gontran is already in debt to Duchotel.
Duchotel tells Leontine he's going hunting and leaves. The wife of Duchotel's hunting buddy, Cassagne, arrives and tells Leontine she is going to have sex with another man in front of Cassagne that evening and that Cassagne hasn't been hunting in months. Leontine, furious because she now rightly assumes Duchotel is sleeping with Cassagne's wife, storms out.
Leontine goes to a house where Moricet is staying and he convinces her to retaliate against Duchotel by kissing Moricet. Duchotel unexpectedly comes by and Moricet hides Leontine. Later that night, Gontran rushes into the house to hide and Moricet, thinking Gontran is an intruder, runs next door to the lodge where Cassagne's wife is sleeping with Duchotel. Moricet is arrested by police who mistake Moricet for Gontran.
Sensing that Leontine is suspicious, Duchotel buys a lot of meat and shows it to Leontine pretending the meat is game from his fictional hunt. Cassagne shows up and reveals to Leontine that the meat wasn't hunted by Duchotel and that Duchotel and Cassagne did not hunt together. Cassagne tells Duchotel that he caught his wife with another man and is calling the police chief over to charge her.
All of the main characters excluding Gontran meet with the police chief. Cassagne produces a pair of pants left behind by Duchotel at the house where Duchotel and Cassagne's wife had sex. Gontran appears and recognizes his pants, which are actually Duchotel's identical pants, and Duchotel pays Gontran to take the blame. Gontran accepts and says he did not know Cassagne's wife was married. The police chief grants Cassagne a divorce.
After the meeting Duchotel accidentally confesses to cheating on Leontine to her. She is furious and tells Duchotel she is divorcing him. Moricet is about to dispose of a love letter written by Moricet for Leontine but Duchotel snatches the letter and assumes it's for him. Leontine begrudgingly takes Duchotel back after he begs her.
ANALYSIS
This story is told in the form of a play. Feydau's characters gain a sense of realism from the stereotypes associated with their cultural positions. Duchotel, Cassagne, and Moricet are all members of a hunting lodge. People who belong to hunting lodges are typically in the upper echelon of financial classes. All main characters of this play are members of the Catholic religion. Cassagne cannot divorce his wife until it he proves she cheated on him to the police chief because the Catholic church would not permit Cassagne a divorce unless his wife is guilty of infidelity. Catholics are stereotyped as being extremely conservative, as are wealthy people. The combination adds a level of familiarity to the discomfort Leontine repeatedly voices to Moricet over her infidelity. Moricet insists that it is only cheating if one is caught, and consequently disgraced in the community as a bad Catholic. Because the audience knows that the characters of the play are desperate to retain good standing in the community, from their stereotypical assumptions fed by the characters' hints, Feydeau is able to craft masterfully cringeworthy scenes without even the aid of actors.
Another stereotype utilized by Feydeau is that of the poor college student who is reliant on his affluent family. Gontran, Duchotel's nephew, is said to put more time into the art of the bachelor than into his bachelor of arts. Gontran is always asking his rich uncle Duchotel for money. Because much of the subject matter of the play concerning divorce is quite sad in reality, Gontran provides extra comic relief, rounding out the edges of this light farce to perfection.
SOURCE
Feydeau, Georges. Gone Hunting. Trans. Sara O'Connor. Illinois: Dramatic, 1995. Farce concerning an unfaithful Catholic couple.
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