Fond of Enigmas, is set about 10 years after the Commune – and after the Siege of Paris (September 1870 – January 1871). The characters in the novel have all lived through both the Franco-Prussian War, the Commune and the Siege – and all left their marks on their lives and attitudes. The characters in my mystery are part of various sections of Parisian society: the police, the church, the universities and libraries and the army.
I will be posting, periodically, about different aspects of Parisian and French life as they pertain to my mystery, Fond of Enigmas.Topics will include, and there may be others: Wars and Politics, Women and Feminism in 19th Century Paris, Education of Women, Orphanages and Abandonment of Children, Working Women in Parisian Society – and much more. I will also list links to other sources I have found that will go beyond my short postings.
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Education of women in 19th century France was almost non-existent. It was left to convent schools, who understandably focused on religious education – with mathematics and reading rarely taught or taught minimally. Girls were not encouraged, or even allowed, to access secondary education as were boys. Girls were assumed they would marry, and the skills……
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The late 19th century was an era of ever increasing feminist movements and writings for women in Paris. Publications written by women, with feminist leanings were popular, and many women joined in this movement. Although opportunities for women – work opportunities – were still limited to seamstresses, milliners, nurses and teachers, other opportunities existed. Yet……
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War and Politics The 1880s was less than ten years after three defining events for the city, and really the country as a whole. The Paris Commune was short lived, three months in 1871. It was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian……
Patricia Keats 