Guy de Maupassant's short stories "Une Aventure Parisienne" and "Le Signe" tell the tales of two female protagonists caught by curiosity. In "Une Aventure Parisienne," a notary's wife (the petite provinciale) leaves her home and ventures to Paris in search of an affair with a celebrity. After finding one and sleeping with him, the petite provinciale becomes disillusioned with her fantasy: she returns home deflated from the realization that her celebrity snores and drools just as her husband does. The high-society protagonist in "Le Signe," Madame de Grangerie, is also disenchanted with her interest in imitating the gesture of a prostitute she notices across the street. When faced with a male client she frantically gives in to what she has offered. Needing to reaffirm her identity as an "honnête femme," she solicits advice from her friend on what to do if the client returns. While both protagonists do not face legal punishment for their affairs, they do confront personal consequences. The petite provinciale's dreams about celebrities burst and Madame de Grangerie's reputation appears at risk. Maupassant not only comments on feminine curiosity and adultery, but also on the internal effects such actions could potentially have on women of his time. In this thesis I argue that even though both protagonists act on their curiosities and flirt with private/public boundaries, the petite provinciale and Madame de Grangerie are ultimately presented through masculinized lenses. I also show how discursive nineteenth-century traditions of a limited view of female sexuality are reconstructed in Maupassant's tales. / Master of Arts

Cette thèse de doctorat étudie la place des femmes dans la société urbaine des derniers siècles du Moyen Âge. Son objectif réside en l’examen des multiples opportunités offertes alors aux femmes, tant dans le domaine juridique qu’économique et social. La recherche s’appuie sur l’observatoire privilégié de la ville d’Amiens, capitale régionale dynamique, qui présente l’intérêt d’appartenir à un système coutumier original, particulièrement favorable aux femmes. La caractéristique des coutumes picardes tient essentiellement à ce qu’elles donnent la priorité au ménage sur le lignage. L’institution de la communauté de biens entre époux permet ainsi de considérer les femmes comme de véritables actrices économiques. Leurs différentes occupations révèlent leur présence quotidienne et leur participation constante à la vie économique de la cité. Sur le plan social, elles en retirent une visibilité certaine et font partie intégrante de la communauté des habitants. De plus, l’étude des registres de délibérations et livres de justice démontre qu’elles n’hésitent pas à s’affirmer par la verdeur de leur propos sur la place publique, où tous sont en représentation. L’objectif de ce travail est également d’améliorer notre compréhension des rapports de genre dans le contexte du renforcement de l’ordre social à l’aube des Temps Modernes. Enfin, d’un point de vue méthodologique, ce sujet, centré sur un espace de syncrétisme aux confins des influences flamande et orléano-parisienne, entend réinterroger les périodisations académiques et conduire, par le dialogue entre sciences humaines, au décloisonnement des réflexions. / This dissertation examines the place of women in the medieval town of Amiens and demonstrates the continuing significance of women’s participation in diverse aspects of social and economic life during the historical shift from the medieval to the early modern era. This city adhered to a unique legal system called ‘picard-wallon’, which was particularly favourable to women, making them the owners of half of the family patrimony. Since family structures played a determining role in the ideological choices and economic behaviour of family members, the institution of community property between spouses allows us to consider women as legitimate economic agents. The study of women’s activity in the marketplace in particular, shows that we should first rethink the public/private dichotomies that have long been applied to gender studies. This work also highlights the nature of women’s contribution to the medieval society. Public space fostered orality and the production of specific speech acts. The study of women’s involvement in crime shows that they were not afraid of defending their honour if necessary. Therefore, this dissertation sheds light on the reinforcement of the public order at the end of the Middle Ages and its consequences on gender relations at the beginning of the early modern period. Finally, this dissertation makes use of new methodological perspectives. By focusing on a place of syncretism, at the intersection of three different regional areas, this study highlights the multi-cultural influences at work in the city in order to interrogate the relevance of classical periodization and establish the importance of a transdisciplinary approach to medieval studies.