There have been many editions of this licentious poem, some of them fetch very high prices owing to the sumptuous manner in which they were produced.
La Pucelle was translated into English by a lady of title, but owing to the freedom of the translation it was speedily suppressed, and copies of it are very scarce.
La Henriade Travestie, en vers burlesques. En Dix Chants. Par M. de M. (Fougeret de Montbron). Amsterdam, 1762. The first edition was published in 1745. In this the original is parodied almost verse for verse. The author says in his avant-propos:—“J’ose me flatter que Monsieur de Voltaire ne me sçaura point mauvais gré d’avoir mis son Poëme en Vers burlesques. Ce n’est pas faire injure au premier Poëte Français que de le traiter comme on a fait le Prince des Poëtes Latins.” (In allusion to Scarron’s burlesque of Virgil’s Æneid.)
Voltaire’s tragedy Zaire was burlesqued as “Caquire, Parodie de Zaire,” en cinq actes et en vers. Par M. de Vessaire, 1783. This was a coarse but witty production, even the names of the characters being too foul to reprint. Delepierre says it was written by M. de Combles, and that it was reprinted in 1853 in a small volume with an unmentionable title. The original edition is very rare.
Les Parodies du Nouveau Théâtre Italien, ou Recueil des Parodies représentées sur le Théâtre de L’Hôtel de Bourgoyne, par les Comédiens Italiens Odinaires du Roy. Three vols. Paris, 1731. Another, and more complete, collection was published in 1738.
These burlesques are principally based on French tragedies dealing with legends of the Heathen Mythology. The tragedies of Voltaire are especially singled out for imitation, two being upon Zaire, one called Les Enfants trouvés, another Arlequin au Parnasse.
Voltaire’s tragedy Semiramis was burlesqued under the title Zoramis, which was produced at the Théatre de la Foire, much to his annoyance, for whilst he had written a parody of Ossian’s poems, and a burlesque on Jeanne d’Arc, he could not suffer others to burlesque him.
Lettres inédites de Chactas d’Atala, par M. de Chateauterne. Paris. Dentu, 1811. A parody of Chateaubriand’s Atala.
Alala, was also a burlesque of Chateaubriand’s Atala.
Agnes de Chaillot, a parody of Lamotte’s tragedy Ines de Castro. This burlesque gave great offence to Lamotte, who styled it “une bouffonerie où l’on essaie de rendre la vertu ridicule.”