B. Louichon, Sentimental Women Novelists (1789-1825) - Novel and Narrative Prose

French Literature Reviews - 2026

B. Louichon, Sentimental Women Novelists (1789-1825)
Novel and Narrative Prose

Brigitte Louichon, Sentimental Women Novelists (1789-1825)

Saint-Denis : Presses universitaires de Vincennes, coll. "Culture et société", 2010, 343 p.

  • ISBN : 978-2-84292-239-9
  • Price: 25 €

Publisher's overview:

Extremely famous between 1789 and 1825, before Stendhal, Balzac, or Hugo took center stage in the novelistic landscape, these "sentimental women novelists" were nonetheless very quickly forgotten.
Sophie Cottin, Adélaïde de Souza, Claire de Duras, Félicité de Genlis, Sophie Gay, Julie de Krüdener, and Germaine de Staël all saw their destinies upended by the Revolution. This fracture gave them both the opportunity and the desire to write. But why did their novels disappear from literary history when they were so widely enjoyed by their contemporaries? What meaning did these texts—so quickly dismissed as unreadable—hold for readers during this transitional period between the 18th and 19th centuries, which witnessed the close of the Enlightenment and the birth of Romanticism? And what do these forgotten feminine sentimental novels reveal about the men and women who devoured and admired them? These are just a few of the questions that Sentimental Women Novelists seeks to answer.
The book concludes with an interpretation of Armance, enabled by bringing to light this tradition of women's fiction alongside and against which Stendhal’s first novel was written. Contributing thus to cultural history, as well as the history of sensibilities and mentalities, the study also advances a literary history that bridges the history of texts and authors with the history of readers and reading practices.

Contents:

  • BEST-SELLING WOMEN NOVELISTS
  • ENCHANTMENTS, DISENCHANTMENTS
  • OPENINGS
  • VOICES AT WORK
  • NARRATIVE CONJUNCTIONS AND DISJUNCTIONS
  • HISTORIES OF TIME
  • THE TIME OF HISTORY
  • ANOTHER VOICE
  • READING ARMANCE

The period between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries marked a significant transitional phase in French literature, bridging the close of the Enlightenment and the emergence of Romanticism. During this era of political and social upheaval following the Revolution, numerous women writers achieved immense popularity with their prose fiction before later being marginalized within standard literary histories. Works by authors such as Sophie Cottin, Claire de Duras, and Germaine de Staël captured the imaginations of contemporary readers, reflecting the shifting mentalities, sensibilities, and cultural values of a society navigating profound historical transformation.

Brigitte Louichon examines the works, reception, and historical context of these widely read figures to understand why their contributions faded from prominence. By analyzing the interplay between texts, authors, and reading practices, the study situates feminine sentimental fiction within the broader cultural landscape and connects it to the evolution of the novel. Readers interested in the history of reading, French women's writing, or the literary culture of the post-revolutionary era may find this volume relevant to their inquiries.