''The Serenade'' was introduced by the Théâtre Libre in 1887. It is a prime example of ''rosserie'', that is, plays dealing with corrupt, morally bankrupt characters who seem to be respectable, "smiling, smiling, damned villains..." Jullien gave us the famous apothegm defining naturalism in his ''The Living Theatre'' (1892): "A play is a slice of life put onstage with art." He goes on to say that "...our purpose is not to create laughter, but thought." He felt that the story of a play does not end with the curtain which is, he says, "only an arbitrary interruption of the action which leaves the spectator free to speculate about what goes on beyond your expectation..."〔(Turney, Wayne S. "Notes on Naturalism in the Theatre". )〕