ABSTRACT
Of the four stage works by Alexis Piron designated parodie, two were written for the Fairs and two for the Italians, but all share opéra-comique form. For the Fairs in particular, parodies were one of the weapons in the war they waged with the established theatres, showing their superiority by pointing out the weaknesses of their rivals. This is perhaps one of the things Piron has in mind when he mounts a justification of parody in L'Antre de Trophonius, his second play, first performed in 1722, hence before any of his own parodies. In Piron's own output for the Fairs and the Italians, we find a characteristically inventive but far-from-serious version of the myth of Tiresias as well as adaptations of non-dramatic works from various periods. But it is only the four plays devoted entirely to lampooning specific tragedies or operas from the French repertoire which had recently been either premièred or revived that qualify for the designation parodie.
