Magnetism through the caricatural prism of the vaudeville A mise-en-abyme of the show

This article explores the representation of magnetism in four vaudevilles: Irène ou le Magnétisme by Scribe and Lockroy, Éther, magnétisme, et hatchis, by Cordier and Clairville, Les Extases de Monsieur Hochenez by Marc-Michel and La Fille bien gardée by Labiche and Marc-Michel. These plays reflect the stereotypes common around 1850 about magnetism, tell us how different writers took on the challenge of showing the invisible on stage, and show us how vaudeville ended up self-parodying.