François de Curel has gone down in posterity as the partisan of boulevard theatre. However, while remaining somewhat attached to the canonical form of the drama, the author of Les Fossiles calls into question the construction of the Aristotelian “beautiful animal”, while proposing new solutions aimed at overcoming the formal constraints of tradition. It is curious to note in this regard that the French writer attacks the very foundations of the genre at the moment when Henrik Ibsen launches a new dramatic paradigm. In fact, the staging of Ghosts at the Théâtre-Libre upsets those accustomed to the “well-made play” by its undeniable novelty. Therefore, reviewing and comparing the two landmark dramas reveals the analogous processes that the writers adopted in their works, the emphasis being placed on the questioning of the fable and the new approach to the character.