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Farce is a form ofcomedy that relies onexaggerated, improbable, orridiculous situations toentertain anaudience. It is typically marked byphysical humor,absurdity,satire orparody,improbable scenarios, misunderstandings, and broadlystylized characters andperformances.
Despite involving absurd situations and characters, the genre generally maintains at least a slight degree of realism and narrative continuity within the context of the irrational or ludicrous situations, often distinguishing it from completely absurdist or fantastical genres. Farces are often episodic or short in duration, often being set in one specific location where all events occur. Farces have historically been performed for thestage and film.
The termfarce is derived from the French word for "stuffing", in reference to improvisations applied by actors to medievalreligious dramas. Later forms of this drama were performed as comical interludes during the 15th and 16th centuries.[1] The oldest surviving farce may beLe Garçon et l'aveugle (The Boy and the Blind Man) from after 1266, although the earliest farces that can be dated come from between 1450 and 1550. The best known farce isLa Farce de maître Pathelin (The Farce of Master Pathelin) from c. 1460, although, at some 1500 verses long, it is among the most unusual.[2] The entire repertoire of typically shorter pieces experienced a heyday in medieval and Renaissance France, where over 200 such comedies survive. Over 70 of these have been translated into English, many of which can be found in these anthologies:
Spoof films such asSpaceballs, a comedy based on theStar Wars movies, are farces.[3]
SirGeorge Grove opined that the "farce" began as acanticle in the common French tongue intermixed withLatin. It became a vehicle for satire and fun, and thus led to the modern Farsa or Farce, a piece in one act, the subject of which is extravagant and the action ludicrous.[4]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Grove, Sir George (1908).Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. New York, McMillan.
