Knowra Charles Paul de Kock Charles Paul de Kock Charles Paul de Kock (1793–1871) was a French novelist and playwright whose comic fiction portrayed working- and lower-middle-class life in early nineteenth-century Paris.
Gustave ou le mauvais sujet : A comic novel by Charles Paul de Kock, first published in 1821. This early success helped establish the lively Parisian fiction that defined his reputation.
French vaudeville : A French theatrical form combining spoken dialogue with songs, often built around comic plots. Its brisk scenes and popular humor illuminate the theatrical side of de Kock's writing.
French Restoration : The period of Bourbon rule in France from 1814 to 1830. De Kock began publishing as Paris's literary market and political order were being remade.
French feuilleton : A section of a French newspaper devoted to literature, criticism, and entertainment. The newspaper culture surrounding serial reading helped popular fiction reach broad audiences.
La Laitière de Montfermeil : A comic novel by Charles Paul de Kock, published in 1827. Its popular story exemplifies his use of Parisian settings and accessible humor.
Parisian working class : Wage earners and artisans who formed a large part of Paris's urban population. Their speech, occupations, and domestic lives supply much of his fiction's comic texture.
July Monarchy : The French constitutional monarchy of Louis-Philippe, lasting from 1830 to 1848. Much of his popularity grew during this period of expanding print culture and urban readership.
Penny dreadful : An inexpensive British serial publication featuring sensational fiction, popular in the nineteenth century. Its later mass-market readership offers a British comparison to de Kock's popular reach.
André le Savoyard : A novel by Charles Paul de Kock about a young Savoyard in Paris. It brings an outsider into the urban social world central to his fiction.
Domestic comedy : Comedy centered on households, courtship, marriage, and family relationships. De Kock often turns intimate misunderstandings into plots set within Parisian society.
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