Colette's republic; work, gender, and popular culture in France, 1870-1914.

9781845455712

Colette's republic; work, gender, and popular culture in France, 1870-1914.

Tilburg, Patricia A.

Berghahn Books

2009

231 pages

$90.00

Hardcover

DC33

Through the lens of the life and career of noted French author/ music hall performer Colette (1873-1954), Tilburg (history, Davidson College, near Charlotte, NC) examines the influence of the new secular morality and schools on popular culture, gender roles, and perceptions of work in France's Third Republic during the belle epoque period. Offering new insights into the influences on Colette's unconventional life and writing, the author's thesis is she was shaped by, reflected, and reacted to the new values engendered by the new secular education for girls as well as boys. Her work ethic, independence, and even her scantily- clothed performances embodied the emphasis on cultivating a craft and the New Woman's physical fitness.

([c]2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)