On the basis of Charles Perrault's tale "Riquet à la houppe" ("Ricky with the Tuft"), Jean-Antoine Romagnesi and Michel Procope-Couteaux wrote a comedy entitled "Les Fées", which premiered in 1736 at the Comedy-Italienne and remained in the repertory of that theatre for close to twenty years. A few editions were printed and the play was performed several times at court. Why was it blessed with such an exceptional fate compared to the other contemporary fairy-tale-like-theatrical productions, whose success, how ever bright it might have been, was never more than short-lived? Our detailed dramaturgical analysis seeks to provide some elements of response through three different angles : emphasizing the "mixed" approach of both dramatists, who strove much beyond the conventional supernatural element to set their play in the wake of Marivaux's love comedies, such as "Arlequin poli par l'amour" and "La Seconde surprise de l'amour"; illustrating the full scope and power of the spoken word, which supersedes spectacular effects (relegated here to a secondary position) throughout the plot, and which boots langage itself as the driving force of the play; and lastly, correlating that tale, in which the primacy of experience is consecrated and the unconditional faith in the human mind is validated, with philosophical reflections that contributed during that period to the dissemination of Locke's empiricism and led the way to the triumphant optimism of the Enlightenment. (Translation : Gilles Plante).