La Souillonne: Dramatic Monologue

The character of the Souillonne was taken from Norman Beauprés first novel Le Petit Mangeur de Fleurs an autobiographical novel that came out in 1999. The author found so fascinating the figure of a marginalized woman carrying on her shoulders the burden of destiny at times exhausting and at the same time invigorating that he made her the protagonist of a dramatic monologue not unlike that of Antonine Maillets La Sagouine. In fact the Souillonne can be considered the Franco-American Sagouine. The Souillonne reveals through her stories a life full of setbacks low self-esteem and friendships preserved in the depths of her very soul. Rooted in unshakeable common sense much like the people who are used to daily toil (such as mill workers) the Souillonnes way of telling things is direct and at times harsh. She pours out her heart and expresses in no uncertain terms her view of things. This dramatic monologue was performed in Paris Dijon and Angers as well as in Lamèque N.B. Lewiston and Biddeford Maine.