Viewpoints, Or the in Depth Knowledge Acquired in Classes on History, Literature, and Culture from the Italian and French Departments
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2016 Confessions in Fiction, Opera, and Memoir: Subversive Elements of Courtesan Celebrity in Nineteenth-Century Paris Renée-Michèle Sasson Follow this and additional works at the DigiNole: FSU's Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES CONFESSIONS IN FICTION, OPERA, AND MEMOIR: SUBVERSIVE ELEMENTS OF COURTESAN CELEBRITY IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY PARIS By RENÉE-MICHÈLE SASSON A Dissertation submitted to the Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 Renée-Michèle Sasson defended this dissertation on December 13, 2016. The members of the supervisory committee were: Aimée Boutin Professor Directing Dissertation James O’Rourke University Representative William Cloonan Committee Member Mark Pietralunga Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii To Dee Smitley, my mother, who would be so proud to see her daughter arrive at this point in her life. Even with a full scholarship from the National Honor’s Society my mother was not allowed to study as a pharmacist in the late 1940s because it was not yet a field open to women. She never went to university, but instead got married and worked her entire life as a secretary. This is for her. To Gordon Smitley, my step-father, whose influence and affluence made this possible. To my father, Harold Conrad Evans, who taught me to sing with my heart which led me to put “heart” into everything I do. I could not have completed this stage of my journey without their loving spirits. Finally, to Michael Phillip Mazey who sacrificed so I could complete the steps to get to this place in my life. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I did not complete this dissertation alone. During the course of the journey I have had encouragement, support, and confirmation from several people for whom I am truly appreciative. Many thanks to Dr. Aimée Boutin, my major professor and Dissertation Advisor, for suggesting the fascinating topic of the Parisian courtesan as seen through the lens of celebrity through confession. Not only did she teach me about the rich world of critical thinking in class but she opened my eyes to the astonishing world of French author George Sand and had faith in my ability to work in the French language. A note of gratitude to Dr. Boutin whose eye for editing and comments about theory and literature were always thoughtful and on track. Dr. Boutin’s knowledge of French and Parisian literature and culture, her critical advice, encouragement, and friendship has been vital in assisting me to make it to this point. I am grateful for committee members, Doctors O’Rourke, Cloonan, and Pietralunga for their guidance, for their patience, and for the time they spent on the dissertation process. A number of individuals in the Humanities and Modern Languages and Linguistics departments were invaluable in helping me at various points along the way. To be entirely honest, all of the Humanities, English, and Language and Linguistics professors were helpful along the way, whether it was through taking interesting and useful literature courses that opened doors to thinking about the works from unorthodox viewpoints, or the in depth knowledge acquired in classes on history, literature, and culture from the Italian and French departments. Thanks for the help and guidance from the department chair John Kelsey, and graduate advisor Dr. Carla Reid and thanks to Drs. Katherine Cashin and Katherine Stoddard who were supportive with kindness. Special thanks to Dr. Ray Fleming without whose encouragement I never would have attempted to take part as a Graduate Instructor in the Italian department. My initial iv interview with him during which we conversed in Italian, his appreciation of my operatic singing voice, and his kind words helped and inspired me to do something new with my life. Thanks as well to Shannon Walker and Wendy Piggott who helped walk me through the long process. Finally, a special thanks to Dr. Jeff Norcini for all his assistance with formatting difficulties and submission issues, as well as Pamela Brown, who guided me on this journey with Graduate Manuscript Workshops. Many thanks go to my friends and family on and off the Florida State campus for their support and friendship. My Tallahassee Community College colleagues were marvelous with their encouragement. Thanks to Drs. Marge Banocy-Payne and Roy Barineau for hiring me in the Communication and Humanities department. Thanks to all my co-workers in the Testing Center: Tim Roberts, Brian Michalowski, Anne Hebrock, Olajibike Mustapha, and Shamus Mayes for all their continued support in completing the dissertation while working fulltime, often dually employed. Thanks to Drs. Rosalinda Wright and Nelson Madera, Mrs. Christel Heil, and Ms. Shelley Bayless for sending me over to Florida State University in the first place with a gentle push for an interview with Dr. Ray Fleming. Additionally, I will never forget the friends who encouraged me with inspirational words, support, and prayers. This is especially true of my partner, Michael Phillip Mazey who should earn a doctoral degree just for tolerating what has to be tolerated to be with a person working on a PhD. A big “hug” to my brother and sister-in-law, Kirk and Robin Evans, for their support via phone and I would be amiss not to mention my sister colleague Jerrie del Vecchio who took the same path as me at more-or-less the same time. We shared the same fears and concerns together and made it to the end. Lastly, I stand on the shoulders of numerous persons and family members, named and unnamed. I give thanks to you and honor you for lending a hand along the way. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 Chapter Outline .........................................................................................................................10 2. SAND’S ISIDORA AND DUMAS FILS’S LA DAME AUX CAMÉLIAS NOVEL AND DRAMA: GIVING THE CELEBRATED COURTESAN VOICE THROUGH CONFESSION AND REHABILITATION TO CONSTRUCT SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION ........................13 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................13 Sand’s Isidora ...........................................................................................................................28 Isidora’s Plot .............................................................................................................................29 The Analysis of Sand’s Isidora and Some Autobiofictional Elements.....................................35 Application: Rousseauian Confessional Aspects of Isidora .....................................................49 Alexandre Dumas fils’s La Dame aux camélias Plot ................................................................58 The Analysis of Dumas fils’s La Dame aux camélias and Autobiofictional Elements ............62 Application: Rousseauian Aspects of Dumas fils’s La Dame aux camélias .............................71 Sand and Dumas fils: A Comparison ........................................................................................75 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................77 3. GIVING VOICE TO VERDI’S REAL TRAVIATA ...............................................................79 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................79 Strepponi: Celebrity Opera Singer and Courtesan ....................................................................95 Verdi and Strepponi Liaison ...................................................................................................109 La traviata Project ..................................................................................................................128 Epistolary Section ...................................................................................................................151 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................156 4. COUNTESS CÉLESTE DE CHABRILLAN’S QUEST FOR SOCIAL EXCULPATION THROUGH MEMOIR CONFESSION .......................................................................................159 Introduction: Mogador to Chabrillan ......................................................................................159 Rousseauian Narrative in the Memoirs and Lejeune on Retrospective Narrative Structure...166 “The Law Lesson”: Manipulating Public Opinion and Unintended Future Results ...............183 vi Clancy and Allen: Some Findings in The French Consul’s Wife ...........................................186 Verhoeven: Findings in the Third Memoir—Courtesan and Countess ...................................191 Epistolary Section ...................................................................................................................193