Editing Puppetry (section)

====France====
[[Guignol]] is the main character in the French puppet show which has come to bear his name. Although often thought of as children's entertainment, Guignol's sharp wit and linguistic verve have always been appreciated by adults as well, as shown by the motto of a prominent [[Lyon]] troupe: "Guignol amuses children… and witty adults". [[Laurent Mourguet]], Guignol's creator, fell on hard times during the French Revolution, and in 1797 started to practice [[dentistry]], which in those days was simply the pulling of teeth. To attract patients, he started setting up a puppet show in front of his dentist's chair.
[[File:Guignol de Lyon.JPG|thumb|Guignol de Lyon]]

His first shows featured [[Pulcinella|Polichinelle]], a character borrowed from the Italian [[commedia dell'arte]]. By 1804 the success was such that he gave up dentistry altogether and became a professional puppeteer, creating his own scenarios drawing on the concerns of his working-class audience and improvising references to the news of the day. He developed characters closer to the daily lives of his Lyon audience, first Gnafron, a wine-loving cobbler, and in 1808 Guignol. Other characters, including Guignol's wife Madelon and the [[Gendarmerie|gendarme]] Flagéolet soon followed, but these are never much more than foils for the two heroes. Guignol's inevitable victory is always the triumph of good over evil.