Germinie Notes

Women during and post-revolution

https://www.sutori.com/story/the-french-revolution-its-impact-on-women-in-society

Narrative very focused on the intertwining social conditions within women and class

Maid and M Varandeuil open the narrative, both personal histories are compared which gives reason to their close bond unusual for women from such disparate backgrounds/classes

Strong parallels in their personal histories - highlights how the revolution posed as enlightenment even for the rich and especially for weal thy women such as Varandeuil - due to the revolution she experienced poverty and mistreatment

Interestingly the maid’s story is significantly shorter than Varandeuil’s history which is given to us in such specified detail, is this the privilege of the wealthy? Was her story supposed to make us feel more sorry for her/more connected to her despite the significant parallels between the two?

Germinie

Clinique is medical and physiological and Amour is a biological impulse/addiction (clinique d’amour)

Goncourt didnt know about their servant’s life, is it sympathetic to working class? Think of ending and MV’s distaste for Germinie’s secret life

Preface, makes clear it is for a middle-class readers

Lesson on what not to do like M.V, trusting her servant girl

Clinique D’Amour

- Clinique - being in bed/bed bound/beside

- Study/Finalement, nous pourrions également souligner l′importance de la clinique comme méthode heuristique. Presenting her like a case-study.

-Study is also about il s′agit de l′inscription dé nitive de l′Amour même dans la nosographie du XIXe siècle.

-Scientific povitism

-virgin varandeuil vs sexually active/mad Germinie

Revolution - Varadeuil representing the good France

Questions:

1. Why do the Goncourt brothers - like George Sand before them and Zola after them - prepare a preface that anticipates and even seems to invite public disapproval?

-bildungsroman, moral story

-preface informs us that the text is a clinique de l’amour whether without the preface it could be read as sympathetic to Germinie

2. Think of the figure of the maid, in this book and in others that we have read. What is the role of the servant, how is it characterised?

-characterised, servant is like a companion/maid, relationship between the two/abusive relationship. Kissing/affectionate.

-similar devotion of maidhood in Varadeuil and Germinie, life to others/can’t live for self - yet Germinie often engages in selfish acts//emotionally internal

-sympathetic in a patronising way

3. Why start the story with the description - and the story

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