Bécassine
Encyclopedia
Bécassine is a comic strip
and the name of its heroine, appearing for the first time in the first issue of La Semaine de Suzette
on February 2, 1905. She is considered the first female protagonist in the history of comics.
The character Bécassine is a young Breton
housemaid, usually depicted wearing a green dress pastiching traditional Breton peasant costume, with lace coiffe and clogs. She is said to come from Finistère
, the area most associated with traditional Breton culture. However, her clothing has non-Breton elements, reminiscent of the local costume of Picardy
. She is usually portrayed without a mouth.
Seen as a stereotype and remnant of the contempt with which the Bretons were long seen, she is the typical provincial girl as seen by the more refined city people of Paris
, the target audience of the young girls magazine La Semaine de Suzette. But over the course of the stories, and coupled with the success she had, she is depicted more and more favourably. "Bécassine" is a nickname, derived from the French word for a number of birds of the family of the snipe
, which is also used as a way of saying "fool" in French.
Only in 1913 did Bécassine become the heroine of more structured stories. Still drawn by Pinchon, the stories were then written by Caumery (pseudonym of Maurice Languereau), one of the associates of Gautier-Languereau, the publisher of La Semaine de Suzette. At that time, the character's real name was revealed to be Annaïck Labornez, her nickname coming from her home village, called Clocher-les-Bécasses.
Between 1913 and 1950, 27 volumes of the adventures of Bécassine appeared. Pinchon drew 25 of them, and Edouard Zier the other two. All 27 were credited as being written by "Caumery", but after Languereau's death in 1941, the pseudonym was used by others.
After Pinchon's death in 1953, the series continued with other artists, most notably Jean Trubert beginning in 1959.
With a first appearance three years before Les Pieds Nickelés, Bécassine is considered the birth of the modern bande dessinée, the Franco-Belgian comic
. It marks the transition between the illustrated histories and the true bande dessinée. Its style of drawing, with lively, modern, rounded lines, would inspire the ligne claire
style which Hergé
25 years later would popularise in The Adventures of Tintin
.
After a decline in popularity, Bécassine regained prominence due to the hit single "Bécassine, c'est ma cousine" ("Bécassine, she's my cousin") by Chantal Goya
, which sold over 3 million copies in 1979. It has been replied to by the Breton guitarist Dan Ar Braz
with the song "Bécassine, ce n'est pas ma cousine" ("Bécassine, she's not my cousin").
The popular television show Le Bébête Show
, a kind of Spitting Image
, showed far right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen
in the guise of the puppet "Pencassine".
In April 2005, the French Post issued a stamp depicting Bécassine for her centenary. In contemporary Brittany she remains a familiar figure, with Bécassine dolls and ornaments available in tourist shops.
was made into a movie in 1939, directed by Pierre Caron
with a story by Jean Nohain and René Pujol, and starring Paulette Dubost
as Bécassine.
An animated movie, (Becassine and the Viking Treasure) was made in 2001.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299619/
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
and the name of its heroine, appearing for the first time in the first issue of La Semaine de Suzette
La Semaine de Suzette
La Semaine de Suzette was a French magazine aimed at girls, which appeared from 1905 until 1960. It contained early comics like Bécassine.-History:...
on February 2, 1905. She is considered the first female protagonist in the history of comics.
The character Bécassine is a young Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
housemaid, usually depicted wearing a green dress pastiching traditional Breton peasant costume, with lace coiffe and clogs. She is said to come from Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
, the area most associated with traditional Breton culture. However, her clothing has non-Breton elements, reminiscent of the local costume of Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
. She is usually portrayed without a mouth.
Seen as a stereotype and remnant of the contempt with which the Bretons were long seen, she is the typical provincial girl as seen by the more refined city people of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, the target audience of the young girls magazine La Semaine de Suzette. But over the course of the stories, and coupled with the success she had, she is depicted more and more favourably. "Bécassine" is a nickname, derived from the French word for a number of birds of the family of the snipe
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
, which is also used as a way of saying "fool" in French.
History
Initially made as filler for a blank page, the story, written by Jacqueline Rivière and drawn by Joseph Pinchon, was such a success that new pages regularly appeared, still in the guise of page fillers.Only in 1913 did Bécassine become the heroine of more structured stories. Still drawn by Pinchon, the stories were then written by Caumery (pseudonym of Maurice Languereau), one of the associates of Gautier-Languereau, the publisher of La Semaine de Suzette. At that time, the character's real name was revealed to be Annaïck Labornez, her nickname coming from her home village, called Clocher-les-Bécasses.
Between 1913 and 1950, 27 volumes of the adventures of Bécassine appeared. Pinchon drew 25 of them, and Edouard Zier the other two. All 27 were credited as being written by "Caumery", but after Languereau's death in 1941, the pseudonym was used by others.
After Pinchon's death in 1953, the series continued with other artists, most notably Jean Trubert beginning in 1959.
With a first appearance three years before Les Pieds Nickelés, Bécassine is considered the birth of the modern bande dessinée, the Franco-Belgian comic
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
. It marks the transition between the illustrated histories and the true bande dessinée. Its style of drawing, with lively, modern, rounded lines, would inspire the ligne claire
Ligne claire
Ligne claire is a style of drawing pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian creator of The Adventures of Tintin. It uses clear strong lines of uniform importance. Artists working in it do not use hatching, while contrast is downplayed as well...
style which Hergé
Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi , better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. His best known and most substantial work is the 23 completed comic books in The Adventures of Tintin series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, although he was also...
25 years later would popularise in The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
.
After a decline in popularity, Bécassine regained prominence due to the hit single "Bécassine, c'est ma cousine" ("Bécassine, she's my cousin") by Chantal Goya
Chantal Goya
Chantal Goya is a French singer and actress.Chantal Goya started her career as a yé-yé girl, singing a catchy mid-'60s hybrid of girl-group pop and French chanson...
, which sold over 3 million copies in 1979. It has been replied to by the Breton guitarist Dan Ar Braz
Dan Ar Braz
Dan Ar Braz, born Daniel Le Bras , is a French guitarist and the founder of Héritage des Celtes.- The apprenticeship years :...
with the song "Bécassine, ce n'est pas ma cousine" ("Bécassine, she's not my cousin").
The popular television show Le Bébête Show
Le Bébête Show
Le Bébête Show was a satirical puppet show shown on French television. The show was introduced in Stéphane Collaro's Collaroshow on channel TF1, before becoming a daily broadcast. Major French political figures were designed by artists: Alain Duverne, Jacques Loup, Jean-Yves Grall.....
, a kind of Spitting Image
Spitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
, showed far right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen is a French far right-wing and nationalist politician who is founder and former president of the Front National party. Le Pen has run for the French presidency five times, most notably in 2002, when in a surprise upset he came second, polling more votes in the first round than...
in the guise of the puppet "Pencassine".
In April 2005, the French Post issued a stamp depicting Bécassine for her centenary. In contemporary Brittany she remains a familiar figure, with Bécassine dolls and ornaments available in tourist shops.
Movie versions
BécassineBécassine (film)
Bécassine is a 1940 French comedy film directed by Pierre Caron and starring Max Dearly, Paulette Dubost and Marguerite Deval. It is an adaptation of the French comic series Bécassine.-Cast:* Paulette Dubost - Bécassine...
was made into a movie in 1939, directed by Pierre Caron
Pierre Caron (director)
Pierre Caron was a French film director. At the end of the Second World War he was forced to flee to South America, where he later died.- Filmography :* 1920 : L'Homme qui vendit son âme au diable...
with a story by Jean Nohain and René Pujol, and starring Paulette Dubost
Paulette Dubost
Paulette Dubost was a French actress who began her career at the age of 7 at the Paris Opera.She appeared in over 250 films and worked with such directors as Jean Renoir, Jacques Tourneur, Marcel Carné, Julien Duvivier, Preston Sturges and Max Ophüls. One of her most famous roles was as Lisette in...
as Bécassine.
An animated movie, (Becassine and the Viking Treasure) was made in 2001.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299619/
External links
- Site about Joseph Pinchon, creator of Bécassine
- Bécassine stamp
- Bécassine, ma passion - collector's site
- Henri Gautier