Customer Reviews

The Courtesans: The Demi-Monde in 19th-Century France

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Courtesans deals with the lives of twelve women who meet the definition of a courtesan: according to Richardson a woman who is "less than a mistress, more than a prostitute". An interesting feature of this book is that women who are usually treated as secondary figures in literature on nineteenth century French culture, are now for once the leading ladies. The 'great men'of the period, such as Théophile Gautier, Charles Beaudelaire and Napoleon III, are simply reduced to customers and admirerers of these women. Unfortunately, most primary sources that shed light on the lives of the courtesans, and therefore most information on which this book is based, is highly subjective. Richardson quotes these sources without making any distinction between the unreliable and the reliable ones. In my opinion, she should have been more critical towards ego-documents such as memoirs and diaries. Also, I had expected a little more historical background information. Even though I've already read a fair amount of books on nineteenth century French history, it would have been interesting to read about this period from a totally different point of view. In the end, the biographical facts in this book are not interesting enough to make up for that shortcoming. However, I did enjoy reading it, but I have to admit I hoped to get more out of it.

This book is a good portrait en bref of a particular group of women who lived to the point of prosperity off of their ability to give pleasure to mostly wealthy,influential, and sometimes literary men. They were primarily active between the Napoleonic and Franco-Prussian wars (being blamed by such as Maxime du Camp for France's defeat in 1870)and lived ostentatious lives filled with trips to the opera, spas, casinos and even the palaces of their imperial lovers. As the book's introduction states, these women differed from prostitutes in that they chose their lovers and operated independently. Some, such as "La Paiva" and Esther Guimond, were usurious, traitourous, and dishonest. Others, such as Marie Duplessis ("La Dame aux Camillias), "La Presidente," and "Mogador," were basically benevolent and even capable of loving some of their patrons/clients. Many died sick and poor, deserted or forgotten by their former clients, lovers, friends, and Parisian society (i.e. the Englishwoman Cora Pearl). Alice Ozy died in her seventies, wealthy due to investments basically paid for by her lovers. Yet she herself faced a lonely old age. These women mostly came from humble backgrounds, but were often also actresses and authors, and perhaps an unstated point to this readable book is that had they lived a more emancipated century later, they might have achieved success in fields other than the boudoir.

'The Courtesans' is a biography written in the style of literary fiction. Artists, dancers, and witty political commentators, these Parisian courtesans were real people not 'sluts'. Read 'The Courtesans' to appreciate the lives of women who faced hardship, but treasured, above all, beauty.