Le Paysan, Soldat Malgré Lui

Le Paysan, Soldat Malgré Lui is the title of a French one-act play by an anonymous author.

The original text

Nothing of substance is known about this text, and there is in fact a great deal of confusion.

François Parfaict and Claude Parfaict (Dictionnaire des Théâtres de Paris, 1756:p.194[1]) do mention a one-act verse play called Le Soldat Poltron (1668)[2], also known as Soldat Malgré Lui, ou l'Epreuve Amoreuse, written by Chevalier (pseudonym of Jean Simonin).

However, the text is also given as Argument de Le Soldat Poltron, ou Le Soldat Malgré Lui by Chevalier in Google Books.[3], though M. Antoine de Léris (Dictionnaire portatif historique et littéraire des théatres , 1763: p. 408 - Google E-book[ ]), mentions that a play by this same name was performed at the Theatre de Marais, Paris, in 1668, but that he believes it to be by Rosimond. (F.C.L. Bosman, 1928: p. 91) suggests it may be a play by either Chevalier or Rosigmond)

B. Babault (Annales dramatiques: ou, Dictionnaire général des théâtres Vol 8, 1811: p. 352 - Google E-Book [4] has Le Soldat Poltron, ou Le Soldat Malgré Lui a one act comedy by an anonymous author, also from 1668.

Translations and adaptations

F.C.L. Bosman (1928: p. 91) suggests that Chevalier's text may have been the original, and that Monsieur Delémery did an adaptation of it under the new title, for performance on his tour and more specifically in Cape Town. He also suggests whether it is not by Rosigmond