Metatheatrical reflection in the play “Le Fils naturel, ou les épreuves de la vertu” by Denis Diderot

The article analyzes metatheatrical reflection in Denis Diderot’s play “Le Fils naturel, ou les épreuves de la vertu” as one of the results of the French Enlightenment thinker’s theatrical reforms. The authors of the study characterize the innovative features of the comedy, which consist in the fact that the characters are aware of the performance of their roles, while being simulacra – artistic images that exist between reality and fiction. The article raises the question of how to achieve plausibility in a fictional text at the metatheatrical level. The main goal is to identify areas of double coding and describe their functions in the play. The authors conclude that the characters’ statements containing double codes can be addressed simultaneously to the author, reader, or viewer and interpreted by them accordingly. The role of paratextual elements, including the preface and director’s notes, which shape the recipient’s perception and reinforce the illusion of authenticity, is analyzed. Metatheatricality in the play is realized through the slowing down of the dramatic action, allowing the actor to reflect on the image he has created. The combination of a plausible image with elements of metatheatrical reflection indicates the presence in the play “Le Fils naturel, ou les épreuves de la vertu” of a special form of intellectual discourse in which the boundary between the fictional and the real is blurred.

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