The Madwoman Of Chaillot

THE STORY: The play is a kind of poetic and comic fable set in the twilight zone of the not-quite-true. At the Cafe Chez Francis, a group of promoters plot to tear up Paris in order to unearth the oil which a prospector believes he has located in t

[Adelaide High School, October 2009].

Most people want to be able to make valid moral judgments and to respect the ethical values of other cultural groups. Taking Jean Giraudoux's play THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT as a starting point, philosopher Nancy Holland draws on the work of Heidegger and Derrida in an effort to find a middle way in ethics between relativism and foundationalism.

Here is the quintessence of Giraudoux's extraordinary imagination and style. A shy girl applying for a job at the Office of Inventions learns from a nondescript man that she can have her way with any man if she declares that he is as handsome as the nonexistent statue of the Apollo of Bellac. The play is alive with wry and trenchant observations on the comical attitudes and truths that men assume in life.

A Study Guide for Jean Giraudoux's "The Madwoman of Chaillot," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama For Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama For Students for all of your research needs.