Le Calvaire des Femmes

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gagneur, M.-L. (Marie-Louise), 1832-1902.

Language:

French

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Le Calvaire des Femmes" by M.-L. Gagneur is a novel written in the mid-19th century. The book delves into the struggles and miseries faced by women, particularly in the context of poverty and societal expectations, and introduces the Bordier family, including the father Jacques, the mother Françoise, and their five daughters, whose challenging lives set the stage for the narrative. The opening of the novel establishes a bleak scene in a tiny, impoverished house in Ardèche, where the Bordier family struggles with the harsh realities of their existence. On a winter's night, Françoise labors through childbirth, while Jacques grapples with despair over the birth of yet another daughter instead of a son, reflecting his views on poverty and gender roles. As the family navigates their dire situation, a benevolent figure, Mlle Borel, arrives to offer assistance. She represents hope amid despair, aiming to uplift the Bordiers without demeaning them through charity. This interplay of suffering, resilience, and the larger societal issues concerning women and labor fuels the initial chapters, setting the scene for the exploration of the deeper themes of class struggle, gender inequality, and the quest for dignity within the grim realities of life. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images generously made available by Gallica, Bibliothèque nationale de France.)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 83.0 (6th grade). Easy to read.

Release date is 2021-08-11