Claudine à l'école

Claudine at School
First edition cover of Claudine à l'école with Willy as author
Author(s)	Colette
Original title	'Claudine à l'école'
Translator	Antonio White (1st English edition)
Country	France
Language	French
Series	Claudine
Genre(s)	coming-of-age
Publisher	Willy (1st edition)
Publication date	1900(1st edition)
Published in English	1957(1st English language edition)
Media type	Print
Followed by	'Claudine à Paris'

Claudine at School, or Claudine à l'école, (1900) is Colette's first published novel, originally attributed to her first husband, the writer Willy. The novel recounts the final year of secondary school of 15-year-old Claudine, her brazen confrontations with her headmistress, Mlle Sergent, and her fellow students. The work is assumed to be highly autobiographical, and includes lyrical descriptions of the Burgundian countryside, where Colette grew up.

Plot summary

Claudine, a fifteen year old girl, lives in Montigny, with her father, who is more interested in mollusks than his daughter. Claudine attends the small village school, which is the primary location of her many adventures, presented as an intimate journal. The journal begins with the new school year, marked by the arrival of the new headmistress, Miss Sergent, and her assistant Miss Aimée Lanthenay, as well as the boys' instructors Mr. Duplessis and Mr. Rabastens. Although Claudine begins an affair early on with Miss Lanthenay, Miss Sergent soon discovers the liaison and discourages Miss Lanthenay, ultimately taking her on as her own lover. Claudine feels betrayed and causes trouble for the two women with the help of her friends cynical Anaïs and childlike Marie Belhomme. Miss Lanthenay's sister Luce arrives at school, and Claudine mistreats her, but Luce idolizes Claudine nonetheless. Some major events of the school year documented in the novel are the final exams, the opening of the new school, and a ball to mark the visit of an important political minister to the town.

Characters in Claudine at School

• Claudine - The 15-year old protagonist. Claudine is an only child who lives alone with her father. Extremely bright, Claudine revels in nature and feels underchallenged at school.
• Mlle Sergent, the new headmistress, a stern woman who frequently clashes with Claudine. At the same time, she admires Claudine's strength of character and finds her high-spirited pranks amusing.
• Mlle Aimée Lanthenay, a new instructor - Young and attractive, Mlle Aimée soon attracts the attention of Claudine. She begins as Claudine's English tutor; but after the two show signs of beginning a homosexual affair, she is forbidden to see Claudine and instead takes up with Mlle Sergent.
• Luce, the neglected younger sister of Mlle Aimée, whom she resents. She adores Claudine, who frequently bullies her.
• La grande Anaïs, a tough-minded and amoral friend of Claudine.
• Marie Belhomme, a friend of Claudine, sweet and rather simple-minded.
• Antonin Rabastiens - the music teacher who woos Claudine. He also teaches courses for the male students.
• Claire - the foster sister (sœur de lait) of Claudine.

Major themes

Claudine at School as well as being a coming of age story is an example of homoerotic fiction in the tradition of Gertrude Stein's Fernhurst (1904), Ivy Compton-Burnett's More Women than Men (1934), Christa Winsloe's The Child Manuela (1933), or Dorothy Bussy's Olivia (1949). ^[1]

Literary significance and reception

Upon its publication in 1900, Colette's novel was heralded by Charles Marras for its "maturity of language and style" ^[2] It was immediately successful, yet it brought Colette scandal as well.^[3]

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Claudine at School has had several French film adaptations.

• Claudine à l'école (1917)
• Claudine à l'école (1937)
• Claudine à l'école (1978 - made for TV)

On 7th August 1910, the New York Times reported: "Paris, Aug. 6. -- G. P. Centenini, in conjunction with Gabriel Astruc, has obtained from Rudolph Berger the right of representation in th United States of Berger's operetta "Claudine," the libretto of which is based on a series of lively French novels by Willy, which have had considerable vogue. Berger is a Viennese and Parisian combined. He has written many popular waltzes, of one of which 2,000,000 copies were sold in a year. "Claudine" will be produced in Paris at the Moulin Rouge." The Actors' Charitable Trust in London (www.tactactors.org) has an A4 coloured poster (by Clérice Frères) for the Moulin Rouge production of "Claudine", which thankfully does mention Colette herself: "Opérette en 3 Actes de Willy, d'après les Romans de Willy & Colette Willy."

External links

• Claudine à l'école in French

References

1. ^ Blackmer, Corinne E. (Fall). "'The Finishing Touch' and the Tradition of Homoerotic Girls' School Fictions". Review of Contemporary Fiction 15 (3): 32–39 
2. ^ Kristeva, Julia (2005). Colette. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 448. ISBN 9780231128971. 
3. ^ Dugast, Francine. "Views of Colette". http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/article-imprim.php3?id_article=4542. Retrieved 2007-10-01.