Main description:

During the fin-de-siecle, stories about hysterical women filled the air of Paris and the novels emerging during this era conveyed this hysteria and openly portrayed the symptoms of the women being treated at the Salpetiere. This book examines the emergence of hysterical discourse and its influence on women's writing, specifically focusing on the presentation of female sexuality in three different narratives.

Contents:

Preface , Introduction , Historical Background , Widowhood and nineteenth-century culture , Rachilde, widowhood, and the fin-de-siecle , Sex, gender, and perversion in the Decadent text , Monsieur Venus , The construction of decorative fantasy: premarital desire , Monstrous sexualities , The eroticism of death , La Marquise De Sade , The birth of a female sadomasochist , The foundations of masochism , The dawn of sadism , Marriage: autonomy or imprisonment? , Widowhood: self-imposed or inescapable fate? , La Jongleuse , Black and white: vulnerability or a sign of power? , Performing autonomy: the widowed woman as fantasy , The whore's dress: blatant display of female sexuality , Final masquerade: birth of sexual freedom in death , Conclusion