This early critique of the abuse of power is razor sharp, appalling, and very funny. Toadies rush to his side to “curry fauvel,” the original form of the term “curry favor” still in use today. Fauvel, despite his utter incompetence, rises to the heights of political influence with the aid of Lady Fortune and her vacuous daughter, Vainglory. He is the incongruous “hero” of an epic French satire, Le Roman de Fauvel. These are the character traits of Fauvel, a Medieval hybrid creature, part human, part equine.
(with the performance available on demand as recorded content Monday, May 16, through Saturday, May 28)į.A.U.V.E.L: Flattery, Avarice, Vileness, Varieté (fickleness), Envy, Lascheté (cowardice). Lusty music with dazzling images from the fourteenth-century epic satire of political influence and utter incompetence performed by Mary Springfels and Severall Friendsįollowed by a roundtable discussion with the performers Monday, May 9 5 p.m. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr.
