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UBC Theses and Dissertations

Two Goncourt women and frustration Marles-Osberg, Brenda L.

Abstract

This thesis was commenced with the idea of studying woman as she is portrayed by Edmond and Jules de Goncourt in the mid-nineteenth century. The two novels under discussion, "Germinie Lacerteux" and "Renée Mauperin", were chosen to provide examples of two very different kinds of woman: one, a servant girl from a provincial background, and the other, a younger girl from the bourgeoisie. This study is divided into three sections: such an arrangement is in keeping with the way the Goncourt Brothers saw the development of their characters. The first section presents a study of woman in the nineteenth century; more particularly, it is a study of Renee and Germinie in relationship to their environments. The second part is a study of the frustration which motivated them both and played a large part in the development of their character. The final portion is a study of death, which is seen as their ultimate frustration and which nonetheless provided them with insight into the reasons for their ultimate acceptance of their fate. In addition to these studies, an analysis of the role of Naturalism with respect to the works of the Goncourt Brothers is included. It is hoped that some light is thus shed upon the female character itself, and that this will lead to a greater understanding of the Goncourt Brothers as painters of realistic portraits of people of the nineteenth century.

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