Bellefleur: Roman d'un comédien au XVIIe siècle

A first-person narrator from a recently ennobled provincial family recounts his awkward upbringing, constrained household finances, and schooling, then his enchantment with a visiting company of actors. An embarrassing mishap with a basket of eggs propels him onto the stage and into itinerant troupe life; subsequent chapters chronicle his apprenticeship, comic mishaps, and encounters with theatrical practice and provincial society. The narrative balances anecdote and satire, exploring social pretension, the practicalities of performance, and the transformation from aspiring gentleman to working performer.