Reconstructing Woman

Reconstructing Woman: From Fiction to Reality in the Nineteenth-Century French Novel, Volume 1, examines the complex relationship between gender and identity in nineteenth-century French fiction. Dorothy Kelly analyzes the works of Balzac, Flaubert, Zola, and Villiers to explore how these authors depicted the creation of artificial female identities. This history and criticism study investigates the recurring theme of men preferring idealized, manufactured versions of women over their real counterparts.

The text connects these literary narratives to the scientific advancements of the era, including evolution, mesmerism, and new understandings of human reproduction. Kelly demonstrates how scientific shifts allowed novelists to imagine the control and transformation of human bodies. By focusing on women in literature and sex roles in literature, this volume shows how linguistic and social structures shape identity. Reconstructing Woman provides a scholarly look at how these French fiction narratives reflect the era's fascination with transforming reality through text.