Claudine à l'école
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| Claudine at School | |
 First edition cover of Claudine à l'école with Willy as author |
|
| Author | Colette |
|---|---|
| Original title | Claudine à l'école |
| Translator | Antonio White (1st English edition) |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Series | Claudine |
| Genre(s) | coming-of-age |
| Publisher | Willy (1st edition) |
| Publication date | 1900(1st edition) |
| Published in English |
1957(1st English language edition) |
| Media type | |
| Followed by | 'Claudine à Paris' |
Claudine at School, or Claudine à l'école, (1900) is Colette's first published novel, originally attributed to her first husband, the writer Willy. The novel recounts the final year of secondary school of 15-year-old Claudine, her brazen confrontations with her headmistress, Mlle Sergent, and her fellow students. The work is assumed to be highly auto-biographical, and includes lovely descriptions of the Burgundian countryside, where Colette grew up.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Claudine, a fifteen year old girl, lives in Montigny, with her father, who is more interested in mollusks than his daughter. Claudine attends the small village school, which is the primary location of her many adventures, presented like an intimate journal. The journal begins with the new school year, marked by the arrival of the new headmistress, Miss Sergent, and her assistant Miss Aimée Lanthenay, as well as the boys' instructors Mr. Duplessis and Mr. Rabastens. Although Claudine begins an affair early on with Miss Lanthenay, Miss Sergent soon discovers the liaison and discourages Miss Lanthenay, ultimately taking her on as her own lover. Claudine feels betrayed and causes trouble for the two women with the help of her friends Anaïs and Marie Belhomme. Miss Lanthenay's sister Luce arrives at school, and Claudine mistreats her. Some major events of the school year documented in the novel are the final exams, the opening of the new school, and a ball to mark the visit of an important political minister to the town.
[edit] Characters in Claudine at School
- Claudine - The 15-year old protagonist. Claudine is an only child who lives alone with her father. Extremely bright, Claudine revels in nature and feels underchallenged at school.
- Mlle Sergent, the new headmistress.
- Mlle Aimée Lanthenay, a new instructor - Young and attractive, Mlle Aimée soon attracts the attention of Claudine. She begins as Claudine's English tutor; but after the two begin a homosexual affair, she is forbidden to see Claudine and instead takes up with Mlle Sergent.
- Luce, the younger sister of Mlle Aimée, who emulates Claudine.
- La grande Anais, a friend of Claudine.
- Marie Belhomme, a friend of Claudine.
- Antonin Rabastiens - the music teacher who woos Claudine. He also teaches courses for the male students.
- Claire - the foster sister (sœur de lait) of Claudine.
[edit] Major themes
Claudine at School is an example of homoerotic fiction in the tradition of Gertrude Stein's Fernhurst (1904), Ivy Compton-Burnett's More Women than Men (1934), Christa Winsloe's The Child Manuela (1933), or Dorothy Bussy's Olivia. [1]
[edit] Literary significance and reception
Upon its publication in 1900, Colette's novel was heralded by Charles Marras for its "maturity of language and style" [2] It was immediately successful, yet it brought Colette scandal as well.[3]
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
Claudine at School has had several French film adaptations.
- Claudine à l'école (1917)
- Claudine à l'école (1937)
- Claudine à l'école (1978 - made for TV)
[edit] External links
- Claudine à l'école in French
[edit] References
- ^ Blackmer, Corinne E. (Fall), “'The Finishing Touch' and the Tradition of Homoerotic Girls' School Fictions”, Review of Contemporary Fiction 15 (3): 32-39
- ^ Kristeva, Julia (2005). Colette. New York: Columbia University Press, 448. ISBN 9780231128971.
- ^ Dugast, Francine. "Views of Colette". Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
