French Feminism in the 19th CenturyHistories of France have erased the feminist presence from nineteenth-century political life and the feminist impact from the changes that affected the lives of the French. Now, French Feminism in the Nineteenth Century completes the history books by restoring this missing--and vital--chapter of French history. The book recounts the turbulent story of nineteenth-century French feminism, placing it in the context of the general political events that influenced its development. It also examines feminist thought and activities, using the very words of the women themselves--in books, newspapers, pamphlets, memoirs, diaries, speeches, and letters. Featured is a wealth of previously unpublished personal letters written by Saint-Simonian women. These engrossing documents reveal the nuances of changing consciousness and show how it led to an autonomous women's movement. Also explored are the relationships between feminist ideology and women's actual status--legal, social, and economic--during the century. Both bourgeois and working-class women are surveyed. Beginning with a general survey of feminism in France, the book provides historical context and clarifies the later vicissitudes of the "condition feminine." |
Contents
Patriarchy and Resistance | 1 |
The Image and Reality of Womanhood | 17 |
Creating a New World Order | 41 |
The Birth of an Autonomous Womens Movement | 61 |
Searching for Direction | 89 |
Feminist Activism during the Revolutionary Upheavals of 18481851 | 127 |
La Querelle des Femmes of the Second Empire | 151 |
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Common terms and phrases
activities Adam Aglaé Saint-Hilaire André Léo association birth bourgeois Cécile Fournel century civil Claire Bazard Claire Démar clubs Code congress Courtesy Bibl Daubié demand divorce Droit des femmes economic emancipation Enfantin equality Eugénie Niboyet father female feminine Femme libre Flora Tristan Fourier Fourierists français France French feminism French feminists Gazette des femmes girls Herbinot Héricourt Histoire Hubertine Auclert husband Ibid issue Jeanne Deroin journal Jules Juliette Adam La Citoyenne Legouvé Léon Richer liberal live Louise Madame male Maria Deraismes Marie marriage married Mauchamps Michelet morality mother nineteenth nineteenth-century French organized Paris patriarchal Pauline Roland petition Pierre-Joseph Proudhon political rights Poutret prostitution Proudhon published radical reform republican Revolution revolutionary role Saint-Simonian Saint-Simonian women Saint-Simonism schools sexual social Société society Souvenirs suffrage Sullerot Suzanne Voilquin Tribune des femmes Voix des femmes vote woman workers workshops wrote young