Metatheatricality in “La Grotte” by Jean Anouilh
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikpsy-2026-1-7
- Pages
- 83-96
Abstract
Jean Anouilh’s play “La Grotte” (“The Basement”) is examined as an example of “theater within theater,” where different levels of fiction overlap: there is no clear separation between the main play and the embedded play, and they intertwine throughout the action. At the center of the analysis is the figure of the Author, who functions simultaneously as a character and narrator, elevated above the other characters. However, his position is unstable, as, being the creator of the embedded play, he cannot fully control it and struggles to manage his characters. This duality highlights the central theme of the play — a conflict between the author and his creation, inherently metatheatrical. The play has a complex structure, developing two main threads: one concerns the murder of a cook in a mansion in the Saint-Germain suburb, and the other follows the Author’s attempts to keep his play afloat without losing face before the audience. These threads intertwine, connecting different levels of fiction. The study emphasizes the metatheatrical conflict, linked to self-reflection and the search for authorial identity. Another indication of metadrama is intertextuality: Anouilh references other metaplay works, explicitly and elegantly situating himself and his text within the metatheatrical tradition. The article demonstrates Anouilh’s virtuosity in using theatrical techniques to create a profound philosophical subtext that explores the nature of theater and the relationship between the author and his creation.