Avatars of Gendered Societal Constructs in Seventeenth-Century Contes de fées By © 2014 Gillian Avril Weatherley Submitted to the graduate degree program in French and Italian and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Professor Paul Scott ________________________________ Professor John T. Booker ________________________________ Professor Caroline Jewers ________________________________ Professor Allan Pasco ________________________________ Professor Maggie Childs Date Defended: March 5 2014 ii The Dissertation Committee for Gillian Avril Weatherley certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Avatars of Gendered Societal Constructs in Seventeenth-Century Contes de fées ________________________________ Chairperson Professor Paul Scott Date approved: 5 March 2014 iii Abstract This dissertation considers the contes de fées written towards the end of the seventeenth century. These tales have been the focus of research and interest for the last thirty years, but much of the research has been concentrated on the work on Madame d’Aulnoy. By widening the selection of works considered, the writer argues that the attitudes expressed about the roles assigned to women and men find an echo in many other fairy tales written during this period. By using close textual analysis, the study considers the depiction of women and their lives in a patriarchal society. It further shows that the tales’ challenge to the hierarchical society was broader, and a concern not only of women writers, but also of the males. The world that the authors depict is sumptuous, a regal world in which aristocrats rule and govern. However, although the stories usually end in a ‘happy ever after’, the princes and princesses, and their parents, often go through life-changing experiences. The authors use metamorphosis and cross-dressing, to move their heroes and heroines into situations that challenge them. Shape-shifting becomes a didactic tool, and the story-tellers use an amazing variety of symbols to reflect the changes and discoveries that were being made at the end of the century. The adoption of the persona of the opposite gender, a trope in seventeenth-century literature, questions the assumptions of what gender implies in society. The depiction of women who can fight and be brave is unsurprising, particularly since there is the historical example of the frondeuses , but women are often shown as being necessary for the functioning of good government and are not confined to the purely domestic sphere. Man dressed as woman sets different parameters. Such disguise may be used as a means to access a woman in her private space and attempt seduction or suggest emasculation, or a desire for egalitarianism. Both male and female authors contend that equal status provides better governance, and argue for freedom from a paternalistic and authoritarian society. iv Acknowledgements I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the professors in the Department of French and Italian at the University of Kansas. Their enthusiasm and scholarship encouraged me in my own learning. I also am very grateful to Professor Bruce Hayes, the Director of Graduate Studies who has listened and counselled with wit and cheerfulness. My dissertation director, Professor Paul Scott, read and advised with unfailing patience. His erudition and knowledge started me on my voyage of discovery, and his wide understanding of the field and cogent insights have enabled me to refine and clarify my ideas. Thanks are due to Professor Tom Booker who as my second reader, consistently and kindly pointed out areas where clarification was needed. I am also grateful to the rest of the members of my committee for their time, guidance, and comments. My own scholarship would have much more difficult without the love and support of my family. In particular, my husband, Professor Laurence Weatherley, whose own outstanding work is in such a different field from my own, has listened, advised, and supported me with great equanimity and love. My sons, Al Weatherley and Daniel Weatherley, have also been interested in and curious about their mother’s work; their affection and desire for my success helped make the experience worthwhile. I also acknowledge the friendship and camaraderie I have enjoyed with my fellow graduate students in the department. v Table of Contents ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... IV INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 1 Gender Constructs ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 Fairy Tales and Short Stories ................................................................................................................................... 10 The Choice of Tales ................................................................................................................................................... 14 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................... 18 Notes on Citations to the Texts ................................................................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................................. 21 WOMEN: DOMESTIC GODDESSES OR EQUAL PLAYERS .......................................................... 21 Pregnancy and Birth ................................................................................................................................................. 27 Breast Feeding and Nourrices: Maternal Love ....................................................................................................... 34 Fairies: Benign or Malign Substitutes for a Mother ............................................................................................... 44 Step-Parents and Mothers in Law ............................................................................................................................ 50 Chaste Until Marriage ............................................................................................................................................... 54 Filial Obedience ......................................................................................................................................................... 57 Siblings ....................................................................................................................................................................... 60 Virtuous women ......................................................................................................................................................... 66 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................................. 75 SHAPE – SHIFTING THE FEMALE: POWER AND FREEDOM .................................................... 75 Societal Norms and the Need for Liberation ........................................................................................................... 77 Shape-Shifting and its Importance in Fairy Tales. ................................................................................................. 80 vi Arboreal Metamorphs and Sexuality ....................................................................................................................... 86 Female Curiosity and Fulfilling the Female Role. .................................................................................................. 91 Retaining Humanity in the Metamorph .................................................................................................................. 93 The Story-Tellers’ Objectives in Using Metamorphosis. ....................................................................................... 95 The Progeny of Maternal Transgressions ............................................................................................................. 101 Adolescent Desires ................................................................................................................................................... 108 Passivity or Acquiescence........................................................................................................................................ 110 Cruelty and Rage ..................................................................................................................................................... 116 Portrait of Care ........................................................................................................................................................ 118 CHAPTER 3 .......................................................................................................................................... 122 MALE METAMORPHS: A CRITIQUE OF PATRIARCHAL VALUES