Under Control: Women's Fates After the French Revolution

While Napoleon was redrawing the map of Europe, in France the «granite block» of the Civil Code was being erected — a law that turned women into eternal minors for an entire century. What were the aspirations, joys, and sorrows of women in a country undergoing such profound changes? What were they thinking, what were they dreaming of? How did they build relationships with men in everyday life?

Relying on unique archival sources — personal letters, diaries, memoirs — renowned researcher Chantal Prévot addresses the fates of women from various social classes, from salon owners to modest townswomen, peasant women, and market women. A fervent supporter of the Revolution, Rosalie Julien attends sessions of the Legislative Assembly and believes in social change. Artist Adélaïde Muatt writes in her diary about current events, argues with the authorities, manages her household, and arranges the engagement of her adopted daughter. Market woman Ida Saint-Elm travels across Europe for years, follows the army, and leaves behind a scandalous biography in 8 volumes. Strict monastic upbringing and the subtleties of salon etiquette, the horrors of childbirth and the hardships of life — this book shows how the «second sex» survived, loved, and protested in the shadow of the Civil Code.