(Un) Dressing Renée: Clothing and Identity in Zola's novel La Curée Pubblico

Abstract

Abstract
(Un) Dressing Renée: Clothing and Identity in Zola's novel La Curée
By Clara J. Pauw
This thesis analyzes themes of female sexuality and identity in relation to clothing
in Emile Zola's La Curée. The novel's protagonist, Renée Saccard, adorns her body with
clothing that alters her sense of her own identity and how others perceive her. Her dress
allows Renée to negotiate her surroundings in new and unconventional ways, through
undressing, transvestive representation, and as a visual sign of her incestuous relations
with her stepson Maxime Saccard. Yet, using dress to identify herself also allows the
men in her life, namely her tailor, Worms, her husband Aristide Saccard, and Maxime, to
manipulate her. This project traces how Renée's use of dress leads to her own downfall,
which she realizes in her prise de conscience at the end of the novel.
This thesis also explores Zola's naturalist approach, which permits us to view
Renée as a reflection of Second Empire French society. It delves into Renée's vie à
outrance, as a window into her inner-identity. Beneath all of the jewels and layers of
fabric that ornament her body, Renée is naked, searching for something to fill the vide in
her life. Finally, as these themes are evinced through dress, this project considers the role
of sight and visual perception in making and unmaking Renée's identity.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chapter
1. Introduction: Cette étrange femme de soie rose: Clothing as a Literary Device 1
2. From "la robe de Pierrot" to "le costume en Otaïtienne": (Un)Veiling the Female Body 8
3. Transgressing the Limits: Elements of Transvestism in La Curée 22
4. La soie avait fait son crime coquet: Clothing and Incest 35
5. Qui donc l'avait mise nue: Dissolution of the "illusio fondamentale" 46
6. Conclusion 58

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	French Studies
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Literature, General
Parola chiave	La Curée naturalism Renée Saccard sexuality Les Rougon-Macquart Emile Zola clothing gender
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Coropceanu, Lilia, Emory University
Committee Members	Judovitz, Dalia, Emory University Amdur, Kathryn E, Emory University

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