Barbara McEwen
Recent years have seen the proliferation of anthologies, dictionaries of different sorts, and compendia, attesting to the interest in the various aspects of Quebec cultural expression. They have filled in the gaps in knowledge, sought out sources, delved into archives and found new wealth. At the same time they have often provided fine examples of careful scholarly examination. The Mailhot-Montpetit Monologues québécois 1890-1980, published in December 1980, is a timely arrival in this succession.
It is not an easy task to come up with an anthology of the monologue. Some of the problems are touched upon in the avant-propos of this volume:
Le mot [Anthologie] se veut dictionnaire mais aussi répertoire. Il fait appel aux notions d'esthétique, au goût personnel, aux phantasmes aussi, peut-être. (p 7)
And the authors acknowledge candidly that this is not, strictly
speaking, an anthology but rather a generous initial selection from a rich
storehouse. Nor is the monologue itself easily circumscribed, belonging
as it does to oral folklore, to the art of the conteur, to the realm
of theatre and of literature. The authors' approach then, is based on a
broad acceptance of the multiple nature of the monologue; their purpose
to give a balanced illustration of its many functions and facets which
form a specific, if uneven, tradition.
Professor Mailhot introduces the collection with an expanded version of his article on 'Le Monologue québécois' which appeared in Canadian Literature in 1973. 1 Its basic premises are unchanged, for as he says: 'Le Monologue est la forme la plus ancienne et la plus nouvelle du théâtre québécois' (p 11). The claims of the monologue to pride of place are strong but there is ample evidence to substantiate them. Professor Mailhot has added further examples and notes, and extended his conclusion to update the original article, finding that later developments confirm and reinforce earlier assertions. He puts the monologue in its Quebec context . . . 'à la fois en marge (au cabaret, dans les boîtes) et au coeur de cette tradition théâtrale' . . . (p 12). He discusses some of the most recent and best-known exponents, points out the linguistic contribution of the chansonniers as well as that of the poets, and, after referring briefly to the essential role of the revue, reaches the present golden age of the monologue in the drama.
The general outline of his article becomes that of the book itself within an appropriate chronological sequence. The ninety years in the history of the monologue are divided into five periods, with a sixth part devoted to selections from plays published between 1968 and 1978. Each part is preceded by a brief introduction which sums up and comments on the period. Each monologue has been traced to its source, and, where the author is known under his own name or by a pseudonym, there is a short biography. Since there is but one 'anonymous' (and that for a distinctly minor piece) and only four monologuists for whom few details are given, out of some fifty-seven, it is a tribute to the scholarship - and persistence - of Mailhot and Montpetit that they have succeeded in making so much information available.
While the first official collection of monologues appeared only in 1925, the genre was popular well before this time. Thus we have an early period of 'Choses à dire: fables, déclarations, gazettes rimées' from 1890 to 1920. Some of the practitioners were highly prolific: Régis Roy, Basibi, Joseph-Jérôme Grignon (the latter the father of Germaine Guèvremont), and their monologues topical - then, and perhaps now. In this first section, as in the others which follow, there are photographs, reproductions of title pages and programmes, drawings, the occasional cartoon and excerpts from newspapers, recreating the flavour of the times, and, as much as possible, recapturing the tonality of the voice which is, to a degree which varies with the artist, sometimes missing from the printed script.
With the second period, 'Revues, sketches, variétés', 1920-1945, we are into the phase of the well-known stage personality. Helped along by the burgeoning record industry, and even more by radio, the fame of the monologuists spread. From Jules Ferland, by way of Paul Coutlée (a delight to read and to visualize in action), and Jean Narrache to Gratien Gélinas in the character of Fridolin, the ever-adaptable form of the monologue develops and takes on a new dimension.
There are fewer voices in the shortest section 'Du cabaret à la radio (et vice versa), 1945-1960', but those of Raymond Lévesque and Doris Lussier stand out. In 'Entre la politique et la poésie, 1960-1970', the chansonniers and the poets, not always distinguishable, tell their tales with ironic laughter or bitter resentment. The successes of Clémence Des Rochers and Yvon Deschamps, among others, open the way for the monologuists of the fifth part 'Nouvelles voix, nouvelles voies, 1970-1980'. There are previously unpublished texts, and, increasingly, monologues by women artists. Finally, 'Le monologue au théâtre' comprises not only the 'classic' monologues by Dubé, Tremblay and Antonine Maillet, but concludes with the text of an author perhaps less obvious, Nicole Brossard: 'J'apprends, j'apprends, je parle'(413). No words could be more appropriate.
One can always quibble over the inclusion or omission of certain authors and monologues. The quality of several selections, especially in the earlier sections, leaves something to be desired. And while the choice of excerpts to illustrate the monologue in the theatre is admirable, other choices would be equally valid. If the authors are to adhere to the divisions they have established they must be arbitrary at some point, unless they are to end up with a volume of encyclopedic proportions! Yet it is difficult not to have some reservations about the collection. While allowing for the complex nature of the monologue, the reader is left nonetheless with the impression that the criteria for inclusion are fuzzy. Certain texts, particularly in parts four and five, written originally as stories, sit uneasily with the other 'live' texts, and neither benefits from the juxtaposition. The lack of clarity extends to the brief introductions as well, and produces a curiously ambiguous effect. Granted Jean Narrache may well be 'le type même du monologuiste traditionnel pour qui la parole tient lieu d'action' (p 140). Or . . . 'L'essentiel est de rompre avec le discours imposé, la rhétorique du pouvoir' (p 358); I am not convinced that the reader has a clearer idea of the efficacy or role of the monologue from comments such as this. What is their point here? They tend only to detract from the rigorous standards of scholarship we have come to expect of Professor Mailhot and his collaborators.
These reservations apart, we may be grateful for the many things the authors have accomplished with this volume, for it is indeed a large-scale undertaking. The main introduction is a brilliant piece of work. In Professor Mailhot's customary vigorous style, title echoes title ('Le monologue ou comment la parole vient au silence', 'Voix sans visage d'un pays sans nom', etc), definition follows on definition. 'Il [le monologue] est un mur sondé, un sol fouillé, ravagé, un cri sourd ou perçant, une blessure' . . . (p 19). 'Le monologue est toujours la voix de plusieurs en un seul, le silence de tous en chacun' (p 27) ... And, most important, we have a wealth of material some of which was little known, some well known, all of it now accessible. It is no mean achievement.
NotesLAURENT MAILHOT and DORIS-MICHEL MONTPETIT, "Monologues québécois, 1890-1980." Montreal: Les Editions Leméac, 1980. 420 p, ill, $19.95.
Barbara McEwen
1 Canadian Literature no. 58, Autumn 1973, pp
26-38.
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