The Convent: A Place of Refuge in Les Misérables and Histoire de ma vie

In the nineteenth century, amidst the rise of anti-Catholicism in the Western world, narratives served as a persuasive medium to influence the reading public. Anti-clerical sentiment was conveyed in various forms of text, often depicting the Catholic convent as a place of sinister confinement. This thesis offers an alternative representation of the French nineteenth-century convent. Considering the prevailing social, economic, and political environment in France, along with the conception of social space, I argue that the convent represents a place of sanctuary and opportunity for some women and girls. Further, in view of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, I examine the representation of the convent as a place for rebirth. Likewise, in analyzing George Sand's autobiography Histoire de ma vie, I explore the representation of the convent as a haven for reviving creativity. Thus, by close reading and critical examination of these literary representations, I contend that the nineteenth-century convent can provide a place of refuge.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures

Department dc:contributor.department

Foreign Languages

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Fleming, Teresa Apple

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Watson, Ronda J.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Shryock, Richard L.
• Johnson, Sharon P.

• French nineteenth-century convent
• social space
• refuge
• Victor Hugo
• George Sand
• monasticism
• anti-clericalism
• religieuses

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:24231

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/97590