Sotie (or sottie). Short comic play of the 15th and 16th c.; about 60 have survived. It is clearly distinct from the farce in several respects. Characters are often numerous and designated by a number rather than a name—Premier Sot, Second Sot … The place of the action is vague or symbolic, the language more stylized, and the tone cruelly sarcastic or fanciful; the sotie presents, not a slice of life leading to a clear denouement (as does the farce), but a series of verbal exchanges which constitute a vicious mockery of some social or political target. It is intellectual, conflictual drama which uses bitter laughter to provoke thought and political action. The Sot (Fool) is a public censor, who criticizes with impunity thanks to the excuse of his folly. Even when named, e.g. Teste-Verte, Sotte-Mine, Chascun, Chose Publique, the Sot is not individualized, but remains simply one of a number of points of view; the Sots are often controlled by a meneur du jeu, Mère Sotte. Traditionally, Sots wore a simple grey robe, and a hood with asses' ears—a sign of their folly, i.e. both of their exclusion from normal society and of their fools' superior wisdom. Although some later soties have a loose plot with chronological development, thus coming close to some moralities, many are simple parades (as in the Sotie des menus propos, where three Sots exchange a series of disconnected satirical observations) or mock trials (e.g. the Sotie des sots triumphants, where Mère Sotte passes judgement on a series of complaints).
The origins of the sotie go back to the Fête des Fous and other ceremonies associated with Carnival, organized on the principle of the world turned upside-down. The juridical aspects of many soties suggest that their authors belonged to the Basoches, and that they were aimed at an educated middle-class audience. [See also Gringore.]
In the 20th c. the label sotie was used by Gide for Les Caves du Vatican.
[Graham Runnalls]
Bibliography
- J.-Cl. Aubailly, Le Monologue, le dialogue et la sottie (1976)
