Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-231) and index
Contents:
Introduction : Femina, La vie heureuse and the invention of the femme moderne -- Chères lectrices : Cinderella powder, poet queens and the woman reader -- Beyond the bluestocking : images of work-life balance in the Belle Epoque -- The 'oriental' authoress : Myriam Harry and Lucie Delarue-Mardrus -- The writer writes back -- A new man for the new woman? : Belle Epoque literary feminism and the French marriage plot -- Jean Lorrain's women's magazine : Emma Bovary meets celebrity culture -- A Belle Epoque media storm : Marcelle Tinayre and the Legion of Honor -- Conclusion : imagining the académicienne
Summary:
"At once deeply historical and surprisingly timely, Having it All in the Belle Epoque shows how the debates that continue to captivate high-achieving women in America and Europe can be traced back to the early 1900s in France. The first two photographic magazines aimed at women, Femina and La Vie Heureuse, created a female role model who could balance age-old convention with new equalities. Often referred to simply as the "modern woman," this captivating figure embodied the hopes and dreams as well as the pressing internal conflicts of large numbers of French women during what was a period of profound change. Full of never-before-studied images of the modern French woman in action, Having it All shows how these early women's magazines exploited new photographic technologies, artistic currents, and literary trends to create a powerful model of French femininity, one that has exerted a lasting influence on French expression. Through an astute blend of historical research, literary criticism, and visual analysis, Mesch's study offers an original window onto a bygone era that can serve as a framework for ongoing debates about feminism, femininity, and work-life tensions."--Jacket