| Title | : | Claudine at School |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0345300564 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780345300560 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1900 |
Claudine at School Reviews
-
”My name is Claudine, I live in Montigny; I was born there in 1884; I shall probably not die there.”
Colette as a young girl.
She is, considering the times, a wild child. It is the turn of a new century, and she is well ahead of her contemporaries and far removed from the Flappers of the 1920s, who were trying to be emancipated women. The headmistress of her school, Sergent, finds her nearly intolerable, not only because of her attitude, which is certainly rebellious, but also because she is jealous of her relationship with one Aimee Lanthenay.
”I talk to Mademoiselle Aimee. Our intimacy is progressing very fast. Her nature is like a demonstrative cat’s; she is delicate, acutely sensitive to cold, and incredibly caressing in her ways. I like looking at her nice pink face, like a fair-haired little girl’s, and at her golden eyes with their curled-up lashes. Lovely eyes that only ask to smile! They make the boys turn and look after when she goes out.”
Things have progressed to lingering kisses and some heavy petting when Aimee drops Claudine for Mademoiselle Sergent. It is, after all, in her best interest. What can Claudine offer, except passionate embraces, but the headmistress can litter her future with little presents and not to mention provide her a helping hand with her career.
How scandalous! The ”Heartless Little Thing” has handed Claudine her first taste of unrequited love.
Lanthenay’s little sister, Luce, is also attending the school, and she is head over heels in love with Claudine. Under different circumstances, Claudine might have welcomed the attentions of such a little dove, but given her state of mind over Luce’s sister, she is more interested in applying a steady stream of torture lightened by moments of paying some mild attention to her. She gives her hope and then dashes it unmercifully.
Colette
Claudine is also navigating the treacherous waters of the attentions of older males. Whenever the District Superintendent Dutertre visits, he is very attentive to her. ”Oh, you little thing, you charming little thing, why are you so frightened? You’re so wrong to be frightened of me! Do you think I’m a cad? You’ve absolutely nothing to fear...nothing. Oh, little Claudine, you’re so frightfully attractive with your warm brown eyes and your wild curls!”
How could he help himself? After all, she had ”naughty eyes”. She is just beginning to understand her appeal to men. After all, she may only be 15, but she has the curves of a grown woman. She is ripe for the plucking, as far as Dutertre is concerned. Claudine, in her pride, might have brushed it all off as just part of being an attractive woman, but this scene is a great example of the underlining, cynical theme of the novel that lends some understanding into why an attractive, intelligent girl, like Claudine, might rebel against a corrupt adult system.
At the same time, Claudine is not above using her beauty to get herself out of some tight spots. Like when she is late for her final exams before a panel of men.
”’I was in the garden over there. I was having a siesta.’ A pane of the open window showed me my dim reflection; I had mauve clematis petals in my hair, leaves on my frock, a little green insect and a lady-bird on my shoulder; my hair was in wild disarray...The general effect was not unattractive...At least, I could only presume so, for their Lordships considered me at length and Rouibaud asked me point-blank:
‘You don’t know a picture called Primavera, by Botticelli?’
Aha! I was expecting that.
‘Yes, I do, sir...I’ve been told that already.’
I had cut the compliment off short and he pinched his lips with annoyance.”
The interesting thing is they are so distracted by her appearance that she is forgiven, but she could have gained even more points if she had allowed Rouibaud to believe the compliment was not only well received, but original. In true Claudine fashion, she uses her advantages to titillate the men, but at the same time, she lets them know what a bunch of lecherous idiots they are.
Her father has over 3000 volumes of books in his library, of which Claudine takes full advantage, but he is an indifferent parent, more interested in studying slugs than paying attention to his daughter. She comes home and talks to him about the grand part she is playing in a school festival:
”’Ye gods! Am I going to have to show myself over there?’
‘Certainly not, Papa. You remain in the shadow!’
‘Then you really mean I haven’t got to bother about you?’
‘Really and truly not, Papa. Don’t change your usual ways!’”
I may identify with the father more than I’d like to admit.
I’ve noticed that some reviewers consider Claudine ruthless and are appalled by her behavior, but I had a completely different read on Claudine. She is the smartest girl in the school, and that gives her a wider margin of error with her numerous offenses because the headmistress knows she needs her final exam scores to increase the prestige of the school. Claudine pushs back against those who are impressing morality upon her without living moral lives themselves. Her father is as nice as they come, but knows absolutely nothing about parenting a young girl. Basically, she is raising herself. She is trying to come to terms with her attraction to women and the attention she is receiving from men. She acts like she despises all of her classmates, but in truth she knows she will miss them. Claudine is prideful, willful, and probably doomed once the outside world starts to exert pressure to conform her.
I didn’t like 15 year old girls when I was 15. In fact, I didn’t like myself very much, either. When I first started the book, I was fighting my own reluctance to become mired in the trials and tribulations of a teenage girl, but it wasn’t long before I started to notice aspects that I respected and, dare I say, liked about Claudine. This novel was published in 1900, but feels contemporary in style and theme. It is a strangely compelling and breezy read.
Colette and the lecherous Willie.
Originally, the book was published under Colette’s husband’s name, Henry Gauthier-Villars, known as Willy, who seemed to make a living off publishing other writers’ novels under his name. It was his idea for his wife to mine her experiences at school and mix in some titillating scenes of young girls with burgeoning sexual interests. Those scenes are mild by the standards of today, but at the same time, I could see how they would have been scandalous in the day. Henry was quite the libertine with a steady stream of steamy affairs, and he encouraged Colette to engage in lesbian dalliances, certainly more for his stimulation (my impression) than for any concern for her own pleasure. I plan to read a biography of Colette next, which should provide more insight into her novels as I steadily work my way through her body of work.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit
http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:
https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten -
Kad bih mogao da odem na odmor u neki roman, onda bi to sigurno bio neki Koletin roman (ovo mi je šesti). Ne zato što u njima ima nešto posebno što mi fali u ovom svetu, već zbog životnog stava - problemi i nevolje nisu bitni, bitna je veština da se iz života iscedi sve što se može iscediti. Recimo da je Koletin roman osoba i da je pitate da li vidi polupunu ili polupraznu čašu, umesto da odgovori, uzela bi čašu, ubacila kocku leda i list mente, izašla na sunce i popila je polagano, osetivši svaku kap. U životu (pa i u čašama) punoća zavisi od uživanja a ne od prevelikog mozganja. Tog životnog elana ima i u ovom romanu, njenom književnom prvencu i prvom delu kvatrologije o Klodini. U središtu je Klodin, petnaestogodišnja šiparica i njene dogodovštine u ženskoj, varoškoj školi u belle epoque, upakovane u mladalački dnevnik, čija je autorka briljantna u svakom smislu: inteligentna, radoznala, pakosna, sujetna, čulna i superiorna u odnosu na svet koji opisuje. Rezultat je jedan poletan joie de vivre o prvoj mladosti, lepršav, duhovit i, kako već biva u tim životnim godinama, više imoralan nego amoralan.
-
I recently watched the movie Colette with the breathtaking Keira Knightley portraying the french author who I hardly knew anything about. The movie told her incredible story well, and made me want to pick up this book. Colette's debut novel.
I've read my fair share of coming-of-age novels written in the beginning of the 20th century. After all, L. M. Montgomery was my idol when I was younger.
But I've never read anything like this.
Claudine is not your typical young heroine; she is perceptive, manipulating and almost cruel in her treatment of those she considers beneath her. She is witty and charming too, but it is her sharp intellect that really makes the book. Her youthful love affairs and flirtations almost reads like caricatures and it's easy to see why this book caused such a riot when it was first published.
It's fun. And it's biting.
While the book on the whole is very unsentimental (as a sharp contrast to L. M. Montgomery's writing), it does contain the most vivid descriptions of the the village of Montigny. I could almost see the village and its surrounding forests before me as I read the book. It was nostalgic. And utterly bittersweet. -
"Sé muy bien, desde hace tiempo, que tengo un corazón imprudente, pero el saberlo no me detiene en absoluto"
Brevemente podemos decir que es una historia a lo "Tom Sawyer" pero en versión mujer con algunas inclinaciones lésbicas. La historia narra las aventuras de Claudine en su escuela rural. Ella es una chica de 15 años de posición más o menos acomodada que por motivos de falta de tolerancia al encerramiento (y desde aquí empezamos con el gran parecido desde luego con Colette y ,en general, es una novela bastante autobiográfica) acude a una escuela pequeña de su comunidad, sin embargo, duerme en su casa que queda muy cerca, es decir no es una interna de aquella escuela. La ciudad es una provincia pequeña y humilde: Montigny - en - Fresnois.
Claudine tiene una amiga de su comunión Claire, en la escuela tiene una "pandilla" que la compone Anaïs, una grandulona de buena memoria y bastante socarrona y grosera pero que suele ser por momentos cobarde, las hermanas Jaubert muy aplicadas y Marie Belhomme quizás la más ingenua de todas.
La novela empieza presentándonos a las nuevas profesoras: por un lado la Sta. Sergent (sargento literalmente) y luego la más joven Sta. Aimée Lanthenay. Ambas están bajo la autoridad del Dr. Dutertre y además están los profesores Antonin Rabastens y Armand Duplessis.
Es una novela simple, de cronología lineal y que te presenta los hechos de manera muy amena y jocosa. El relato prácticamente está en primera persona. Claudine es la que nos narra los episodios que le sucede a ella y a las chicas durante su estancia del último año en la escuela. Hay en mi opinión una gran originalidad en la trama de la historia, desde luego escandalosa para la época. La manera de contar las peripecias de Claudine es de una forma muy desenfadada, liberada y hasta maliciosa. La protagonista describe todas las relaciones lésbicas que presencia y que por momentos vive que no solo van por ese tema sino incluso por relaciones entre personas menores de edad o de subordinación. Se podría decir que son relatos picantes dependiendo del contexto por donde lo veas. Pero algunas desde luego muy censurables toman aquí un tinte a lo más anecdótico que hace reír al lector o escandalizarse a la población que la vive. Y en esto se puede ver lo que posteriormente Colette desarrolla en "Chéri" el aspecto sensual muy importante en toda su obra. Con descripciones precisas del cuerpo de las alumnas, profesoras, de sus hábitos, maniobras de seducción, mentiras, infidelidades y un largo etcétera.
"El amable Antonin me dedica una graciosa sonrisa extremadamente gentil; no creo tener que responderle, a causa de mis compañeras, pero doblo mi cintura y sacudo mis rizos. Hay que darle diversión al muchacho"
Claudine por su parte es una joven "muy despierta" para su edad, que sabe llamar la atención, seducir y muchas veces manipular tanto a sus profesoras como a sus compañeras de clase. Tiene algo de maldad en el sentido que disfruta con el sufrimiento ajeno o tiene placer en ocasionar problemas. Se entromete en pleitos ajenos y trata siempre de tener las noticias pecaminosas antes que nadie para luego poder usarlo a su favor.
Al lado de todo este contenido sensual también está desde luego las anécdotas de la escuela, los exámenes, las actividades, lo terrible de los cursos, las tonterías que hay que aprender y un largo etcétera. La "amistad" también es ampliamente tratada pero una de tipo especial, la de jóvenes despiertas, inteligentes pero muchas veces más aburridas y ansiosas de experiencias peligrosas. Todo ello lleva a Colette a poder hacer muchas bromas y mantener una ironía pero inmadura, como la protagonista.
"Anais, que por supuesto también lo ha visto, corre golpeando con las rodillas su falda, para dejar ver sus piernas - muy poco atractivas, la verdad - y ríe, y suelta grititos de pájaro. Esta chica coquetearía hasta con un buey"
Este libro fue el primero que escribió Colette aunque fue publicado bajo el nombre de su esposo Willy. De hecho, me animé a leer este libro luego de haber visto por primera vez la película de "Colette", una que me gustó mucho desde todo punto de vista. Ahí se muestra que Willy ayudó a Colette en algunas cosas, el porcentaje real no lo sé y espero investigar, pero intuía que el estilo sería algo diferente a "Chéri" y que me gustaría más. Sinsabores y anécdotas de la literatura que hicieron nacer la carrera de Colette de la mano de este libro que fue un fenómeno editorial en su momento. Me encontré con un libro más divertido y gracioso que "Chéri". Recuerdo que hay algo de gracia en "Chéri" sin embargo est�� a cuenta de gotas. Tal vez es por la etapa de madurez de la autora, de hecho "Chéri" es más profundo pero al final puedo decir que me gustó más "Claudine en la escuela". Leeré desde luego los demás libros de la serie de Claudine. -
“Lord, how idiotic women are! (Little girls, women, it’s all one.)”
Um, no. Not only are there often big differences between women and little girls, all little girls are, thankfully, not like Claudine.
I can imagine this being an enjoyable read in France in the early 1900’s. It’s probably better in French, and at the time it was written it might have been seen as risqué, even scandalous. But here and now I don’t find Claudine exciting at all. I find her obnoxious.
I’m giving this two stars because it wasn’t just boring, it was annoyingly boring. Sorry to be so negative, but I’ve read so many good books lately and this one is just … not.
Scattered around in here were some quirky and well-drawn descriptions that made me decide not to give up totally on Colette. I will try another. Someday. -
Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954), was a French writer, best known for her novel Gigi, which has been adapted into a movie and several stage plays. She also wrote a series of novels of her character Cheri that critics consider her masterpiece. But she started out writing about Claudine. The four Claudine novels are partly autobiographical and Claudine at School is the stoty of a precocious, 15 year old girl who delights in tormenting her headmistress and her fellow students. Set in a small village in the countryside of France at the end of the 19th century, Claudine at School is filled with humor and was very entertaining. Colette was an excellent writer but I think overlooked by most of today's readers, even the one's who tend to read classics.
-
I aways found snippy little bitches so charming and easily forgave them when they made me the victim of the their mocking. Claudine is the sauciest of all school girls in Western literature. You should love this tale of a horrid little brat.
-
Déconcertant. Récit au nom d'une petite fille délurée avec le langage d'une adulte au-dessus des lois du milieu scolaire de ce début du XXe siécle. Satire, moquerie? Amusant. Mais beaucoup de longueurs, de répétitions, dans cette critique d'une gamine peu ordinaire. Envie de choquer, en descriptions d'amours homosexuelles affichées difficiles à amaginer en cette époque, d'abus d'édiles lubriques envers des gamines elles-mêmes délibérément provocantes. Mais envie de poursuivre la découverte de cette auteure célébrisimme que je ne connais pas du tout, sinon de nom, évidemment.
-
Claudine is the embodiment of Colette as a teenager: intelligent, observant, mean, yet also consoling, outgoing yet private, gossipy but keeping secrets, a sexual rebel but conservative; annoying, cheeky, flippant, funny, attractive but difficult; full of contradictions; lost and found; charming but overbearing... strong and lost. So hard to get a feel for her in this young-adultish but not quite school story.
This was Colette’s first book, based on her own school years, instigated by her husband and published under his pen name as Willy. Willy was a purveyor of semi-titillating romantic pulp fiction and he inserted erotic details to make it suit his audience. I was wondering how many of the fondlings and kisses were added by Willie as they often did nit quite suit the descriptions of school activities, exams and Claudine’s teen girl shenanigans.
My favorite part was the opening, where Claudine describes her village and the surrounding nature with both fondness and snark, the same going for her classmates. The love affair between the two school mistresses was probably a scandalous detail for the time, and I found it way overdone, just as other semi-erotic details - perhaps Willy’s hand?
Nevertheless, the book is worth reading just for Claudine’s persona and Colette’s language. I also found the details of a country school in end of 19th century France, and the fact that teenage girls have not changed since then, really fun. -
I am going to cheat a bit because I'm reading The Complete Claudine but I only want to review Claudine at School for now. I dislike long reviews and most long books, so, whereas I have reservations about The Complete Claudine, I like Claudine at School.
The first dozen pages are brilliant. The description of Montigny is as good as anything I've ever read. Even in English the descriptions roll off the tongue and create luxuriant images in your mind's eye. You can tell the author is very sensual and thinks about sex all the time.
The way Claudine establishes an immediate intimacy with her English teacher, Aimée, is also brilliantly conceived and executed. This is wonderful, wonderful writing and I was melting with pleasure reading it.
But, shortly after this, the author introduces several ludicrous plot twists that stretch credulity. They are charming and funny in their way but the situations become caricatures of reality and Claudine loses her charm and becomes cruel, spiteful and selfish.
I lost patience with her but fortunately the book is short. And I have not lost patience with Colette, whose works I am continuing to explore. I will eventually read the other Claudine novels but for now I might take the Complete Claudine off my shelf and dip into something else. -
В усіх у школі була язиката і самовпевнена подруга на кшталт Клодін. Це роман про дівчаток у випускному класі школи, але не ніжних романтичних лілей, а радше маленьких зміючок, що беруть на кпини весь світ. У романі немає якогось конфлікту чи динамічного сюжету, дівчата вчаться, здають іспити, підбирають сукенку на випускний і злословлять як тільки можна. Вони висміюють чоловіків, що на них витріщаються, дівчат з інших шкіл, злиденних вчительок, що втішаються лесбійськими стосунками і одна одну також. Вони бачать проблеми суспільства навколо себе, але не мають жодних амбіцій їх вирішувати.
Колетт зробила великий крок у літературі, врізавши правду-матку про життя підлітків в той момент, коли вони ще не бояться бути щирими, голосно реготати і вірити в свою майбутню звитягу над світом. Не впевнена що це завжди приємно читати, часом трігерить, бо Клодін розумна, красива і заможна та відповідно ставиться до всіх, кому чогось з цього бракує. Вона роздає направо і наліво ляпаси подружкам та грубіянить вчителькам. Спойлер - моралі і навернення не буде, взагалі, головна героїня не є негативним персонажем, просто кмітливим підлітком, в якого ще не прокинулася емпатія. -
Delightfully sensual French classic with LGBT+ representation. Claudine is exactly the kind of girl I wouldn't like to have been friends with at school but that only makes her more interesting character to follow. I can imagine what kind of buzz this caused when it was first published in 1900 as it feels very contemporary at parts. After this I'm definitely hoping to read more French classics as this was an absolute pleasure to read.
-
Una serie de sucesos entre filtreos de chicas quinceañeras en una escuela rural de Francia. Libertinaje, travesuras y mucho salseo divierte a Claudine, la alumna estrella, desvergonzada e inteligente, se burla de todo cuanto sufren sus compañeras y maestras. Es un libro sencillo pero muy divertido, perfecto para empezar con la obra de Colette.
-
Who started reading the complete Claudine after watching Keira Knightley flounce around in Colette, hiiii yep it's me. This fin-de-siecle school story about noisy, wild and untamed Claudine was a lot of fun and I loved it - gimme a girl who is extremely gay and extremely spoilt and give her to me now! Even the teacher-student intrigues (which you normally probably couldn't get me to touch with a ten-foot pole) were made extremely palatable by Claudine's complete disregard for the rules and the fact that she always comes out on top. Think Anne of Green Gables in the novel's love of nature and its depiction of intense female friendship, but 100% more gay and naughty. Be gay and do crimes, indeed.
-
Vicious, violent and vindictive, Claudine is a manipulative little hellcat with little regard for anyone and a profound belief in her own inherent virtues.
I love her.
Told under the guise of her journal, from her final year of school in the French countryside (not, as I expected a boarding school; well, it is one, but not for Claudine, who is what Enid Blyton would have called a “day girl” in her school books, Claudine details the tempestuous love lives of the school’s staff and visiting dignitaries, many of whom make advances on Claudine, fifteen and winsome, with such eyes and oft-tossed curls.
This book could not be further from Blyton’s Malory Towers (a firm favourite with me, from ages 8 – 11) and its ilk, especially in the frankness with which it treats with sex, and most especially with lesbian relationships. Claudine’s own inclinations run mostly in that direction, and much of the book is taken up with the open secret of two schoolmistresses living in connubial bliss and the neglected schoolgirl who’s crush on Claudine both annoys and gratifies her. (She pinches and slaps her way too often for my liking, I have to say.)
The book’s brilliant pace lessens somewhat in the second half, especially when Claudine and her classmates take exacting final examinations that will lead some of them to go onto careers as teachers themselves—though Claudine’s wealthy, far too indulgent, rather absent father means she can avoid such a fate, which she describes as among the most dire that could befall her. But it is nevertheless a masterpiece, and has me eager indeed to explore more of Colette’s body of work, most especially the three further volumes dealing with the tempestuous, troublesome, wholly captivating Claudine. -
Never has a 270 page book taken me so long to read. I did enjoy it enough to finish it but it was too uneventful for me. Would recommended to keen eng lit students.
-
Claudine at School is a young adult, coming-of-age, LGBTQ+ novel. Although Claudine is clearly an unlikable, spoiled character, she is an also extremely entertaining figure. She is full of spirit and ideas which lead to one of the most interesting stories I read lately. An added plus is Colette’s wonderful writing style; she’s written this novel in a way that’s just delightfully pleasant. What’s more suspiring is that while it’s a novel published in 1900, it’s clearly far ahead of it’s time and extremely relatable for the modern reader. I would recommend it to everyone willing to try something a little different but enjoyable.
-
My favourite thing is how all the adults in the novel tell Claudine that they've heard that she is mad. And she is, because she's so much smarter than everyone around her, but instead of being a daydreamer, she becomes overly engaged and focusses her attention on events that are beneath her. Anyways it's nice to have a female narrator who's so comfortable in her own skin. (Especially since Colette's husband locked her in a room until she wrote this book & he published it under his own name.)
-
I feel like I'm missing something...everybody else loves these books from Colette, especially Claudine at School. I felt...fine. Not astounded. Not blown away. Just...fine. And I didn't love Claudine? Everybody else talks about how she's a fresh, feminine, feminist voice, and I felt a bit bored with her sometimes, sometimes annoyed, maybe just entertained by her a third of the time. Claudine creates a lot of unnecessary drama, which I guess she needs to because her small town school is a bit dull. I liked Claudine best when she was put under some pressure but her plucky, spunky self came through--when she was taking final exams, during the last town celebration. I'm definitely going to read the other books in the complete Claudine series I have. I feel like the next book set in Paris might get more interesting!
-
Bello acercamiento a la literatura feminista de principios del siglo XX. En este libro no solo se narra la vida, los problemas, los amoríos y decepciones de una mujer joven, también se narra el descontento con el rol que la sociedad machista ha dado a la mujer, se alza un grito de protesta contra lo que mal se ha entendido como natural o normal. Un grito maravilloso en favor de la liberación, de la libertad y en contra de las estructuras machistas tan venenosas y nocivas que , lamentablemente, aún nos limitan.
Nota 4.5 -
Kladyna na półce stała od dawna, kurzyła się w zacnym towarzystwie innych książek, które chciałam mieć w bibliotece, chociaż nie koniecznie miałam czas je czytać. Wzięłam się za powieści Colette po części w ramach prokrastynacji, po części ze względu na reaserch, albowiem dobrze jest łączyć przyjemne z pożytecznym.
Wiedziałam, że mam do czynienia z serią owianą atmosferą skandalu, na poły pornograficzną. To nie stawia wysoko poprzeczki, prawda? Zwłaszcza, kiedy sobie przypomnieć, jak łatwo zszokować francuską opinię publiczną. Virginie Despentes współcześnie robi to bez większych problemów. Byłam więc przyjemnie zaskoczona, kiedy w połowie lektury pierwszego tomu dotarło do mnie, że mam do czynienia z serią, która się nie zestarzeje, ponieważ nie jest wyłącznie reliktem swoich czasów i obowiązującej w nich moralności seksualnej. Klaudyna to szczery, zabawny, cholernie inteligentny i bezpretensjonalny zapis doświadczeń, ubarwiony literacko dokładnie tak, aby bawić się z czytelnikiem w kotka i myszkę – puszczanie oka do odbiorcy nie przysłania bowiem szczerości wyznań. Byłam zachwycona. Połknęłam wszystkie tomy w ostatni deszczowy i ponury weekend. Za recenzję z premedytacją wzięłam się dopiero po przeczytaniu ostatniego tomu. Po części to kwestia formalnej strony serii – poszczególne tomy są tak krótkie, że czyta się je wszystkie jednym tchem, poza tym układają się w zamkniętą całość. To bardziej jak pocięta jedna powieść w odcinkach niż seria powiązanych z sobą powieści.
Klaudyna w szkole współcześnie może szokować z innych powodów niż te, które ją rozsławiły po wydaniu. Szczegóły o erotycznych zadurzeniach i relacjach dziewcząt, dotknięcia i muśnięcia, lesbijski związek nauczycielek, biedna Klaudyna próbująca uwieść swoją psorkę, to w rzeczy samej drobiazgi. Chociaż, uhm, mamy w kulturze jakiś inny zapis doświadczeń nastoletnich lesbijek? O pewnym okropnym filmie wolę nie wspominać. Coś nie zniszczonego male gaze? No właśnie nie za bardzo. Zachwyty Klaudyny nad urodą koleżanek wciąż pozostają najbliższe temu, czego doświadcza dorastająca lesbijka. W przeciwieństwie do większości z nas jednak Klaudyna miała szczęście żyć przed kulturą NO HOMO, więc jej zauroczenia mogły być odwzajemnione bez większego stresu i nikt jeszcze nie słyszał o tożsamości seksualnej, Krafft-Ebing jeszcze nie wywarł takiego wpływu na postrzeganie ludzkiej seksualności. Ciężko więc Klaudynie pewnych rzeczy nie zazdrościć, nie tylko dzikiej swobody, jakiej doświadczała jako nastolatka dorastająca pod opieką ekscentrycznego ojca.
Saficzne wątki Klaudyny szokować nie mogą, chociaż dalej urzekają. Co w Klaudynie pozostało szokującego? Swobodne rozmowy o seksualności kobiet. Stwierdzenie, że młode kobiety, dziewczynki wręcz posiadają własne pragnienia seksualne. Całkowite skupienie się na nich w oderwaniu od obowiązującego modelu męskocentrycznej seksualności. Coś cudownego, bo unikatowego. Zachwyca mnie to, jak Colette, pisząc pod męskiego odbiorcę (bo kto czytał porno na początku XX wieku?), sprzedała więcej informacji o kobiecej seksualności niż współczesna prasa kobieca. Nie bez znaczenia jest też, że to seksualność nastoletnia, pełna sprzeczności, wahań, nie do końca świadoma i pewna siebie, nawet u tak wyszczekanej dziewczyny jak Klaudyna, która przecież wie, że chce, ale nie wie, co konkretnie chce. Bardzo żałuję, że nie miałam okazji czytać jej książek jako ta 14-15 latka, żeby poczuć wspólnotę doświadczenia.
Poza tym wydanie WABu jest przepiękne i grzechu warte za sam projekt okładki i już tylko dlatego cieszę się bardzo, że mam moje Klaudyny na półce. -
Ya se va acabando este distópico 2020 que, entre otras muchísimas cosas, me ha traído el placer de descubrir a la que se ha convertido en mi autora preferida de todos los tiempos: Colette. Para cerrar el año, no se me ocurrió nada mejor que leer su primera novela “Claudine en la escuela”. ¡Ay! ¡Claudine! ¡Qué caprichosa y entrometida eres! ¡Qué difícil es quererte! Y cuando se te mete algo en la cabeza, ¡no hay forma de sacártelo! Pero eres muy divertida, a tu lado no hay forma de aburrirse.
“Claudine en la escuela” es el primero de los cinco libros que componen la saga “Claudine”. Primer libro y éxito de Colette, editado en el año 1900 en París por la editorial para la que trabajaba el que por aquel entonces era su marido, Willy. Y es que originalmente se publicó a nombre de él, aunque no era un secreto de estado que la brillante escritora, en realidad, era Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. Claudine es un alter ego de Colette, pero más exagerado. Es como coger a “Emma” de Jane Austen y darle mucho azúcar, removerla e inyectarle muchas hormonas. Un poco así. Y es que Claudine se encapricha de una de las profesoras del internado donde estudia. Pero la directora del centro también está enamorada de esa profesora. Pero en realidad, quizá, la profesora no sabe lo que quiere, o sí. Tal vez se quiere casar con otro de los profesores. O no, tal vez quiera besarse con la directora. Y quizá a Claudine esto no le parece ni remotamente bien. Y ella, claro, no se va a quedar de brazos cruzados. Incluso puede que discurra planes con sus compañeras de estudios, o puede que las atormente un poco. Quién sabe. Al lado de Claudine, lo que menos habrá, será tranquilidad.
“Claudine en la escuela” es un libro que aún no despunta con en esas descripciones tan elaboradas, bellas y especiales que están siempre presentes en la escritura de Colette; sin embargo, algo que sí encontramos es esa ironía tan característica suya. Otra de las cosas a destacar es la clara denuncia hacia el personaje del concejal, que ejerce de médico en el internado y del que Claudine siempre nos advierte sobre sus manos largas y sus dobles intenciones. En fin, ¡qué decir! Tenía muchas ganas de leer la primera novela de Colette, y no me ha decepcionado lo más mínimo. Una lectura llena de salseos, muy entretenida, que me ha venido estupendamente. Si podéis acceder a ella, a través de una biblioteca o en alguna tienda de segunda mano, os la recomiendo mucho. -
Es lo primero que leo de Colette y me ha fascinado el personaje de Claudine. Me resulta tan transgresor a día de hoy, que no puedo imaginar la acogida que tuvo en la sociedad del 1900. Tan natural, osada, atrevida, inteligente, zalamera, coqueta, sensata, franca, soberbia, irónica, desafiante... (“Yo soy una alumna modelo, el mirlo blanco, nunca me riñen -¿verdad señorita?-“).
Sabe leer a la perfección cada situación y elige siempre la opción que mejor resulta a su conveniencia, la no tan pequeña Claudine, no se aburre ni por un momento en su pequeña escuela de chicas, entre su enamoramiento de la nueva profesora adjunta, los celos, la ira hacia la directora que le “roba” a su amor, los escándalos que se descubren entre las alumnas, los traslados, exámenes y otros acontecimientos. (“Cómo me fatiga toda esta gente, obligándome incesantemente a tratar de adivinar lo que piensan o lo que hacen...”).
Las descripciones me han llevado directamente a ver pasar el libro como una película sin ser en ningún momento pesadas. Sobre todo de la vestimenta de los personajes, tan variada y detallada (los trajes de muselina, corsés, botines lustrados, sombreros, cintas, camisones con bordados...).
Está, además, lleno de pequeñas denuncias sociales como el papel de la mujer, las clases sociales (“nos esperarán allí, resulta más distinguido; no es elegante mostrar demasiada impaciencia”), las dobles intenciones del doctor Dutertre (paseándose cada dos por tres por la escuela, haciéndoles insinuaciones, caricias y mirándolas con ojos encendidos), las críticas al concejal, al desenfreno del pueblo en los preparativos para la llegada del mismo, etc.
Simplemente me ha fascinado. -
a comic strip or sitcom. steady characters participating in a formula. it’s reasonably entertaining. a world soft and pretty with bearable conflict. the only deviation, an offhand mention of a newborn fed to pigs.
lots of verbal sparring. the drama and gossip of romances. school girls pinching, slapping, and squeezing one another. dresses, ribbon, and curls. improvised chewing gum, spilt ink pots, and contraband bottles of feminine invention.
no sex scenes. instead, continuous flirting and some suggestion. art is best this way.
it has not been nullified by time. light violence as a form of affection is still kinky. that they’re fifteen adds to the filth. the nonchalant presentation of homosexuality feels fresh.
the characters surely care for one another, but the book keeps the reader engaged by never satisfying the want for proof. friends continue to take pleasure in one another’s shortcomings. like That 70s Show.
claudine’s love for the woods sits at the top. the attention she gives to their description and her consistent return.
3 & 1/2 stars -
A delightful, charming and funny book. It recalls the innocent pleasures of an idyllic childhood. While Claudine is a bit of a brat, you cannot help but love her. Almost on every page I chuckled to myself. Much like Claudine, the writing style of Colette is full of ideas, energy and wit. There is a sensuality and intimacy in how all these characters behave towards each other.
What also stands out is how progressive and liberal this book is, even by today's standards. If this book was written now, it would be labeled under topics such as LGBTQ+ and female empowerment. It is refreshing to see that in the world of 15-year-old Claudine the politics of these concepts don't exist. There is no guilt, no shame, no discrimination... only the outrageous innocent pleasures of an idyllic childhood, Oooo la la! -
Claudine est un personnage qu'on ne peut qu'adorer. Sa joie de vivre, ses envies dynamitées, son ton irrévérencieux et délicieusement rebelle lui donnent des attitudes de révoltée sans l'air d'y touchée qui font sourire et régalent !
-
Decided to read this as it kept appearing on lists of books/authors I should have read. I can almost see what the appeal might have been when this book was first published, however, a lousy, dated British translation and a modern view on bullying make this less interesting to read now. Claudine 50 years ago may have seemed bright and flirtatious and risqué, today she comes off as an obnoxious, spoiled "mean girl". I probably would have enjoyed this more had I read it in French, the British slang was so out of place in a French novel!
-
J’aurais plutôt donner 3,5 ou 3,75 étoiles mais je n’arrive pas à en donner 4 ou 5. La fiction reste divertissante et c’est drôle de lire le jargon de l’époque mais les dialogues et comportements sont souvent étranges et assez perfides....
Claudine a un caractère assez pervers, mais d’une façon surprenante.
Rigolo aussi de voir avec quelle franchise elle décrit les relations bi et lesbiennes!
Hâte de découvrir la suite malgré tout, mais le décalage de l’époque rend parfois difficile l’immersion. -
Even thought at times I cringed when wickedness crossed the line, I can't deny that this book has charm and an almost irresistible humor. Colette made Claudine a storyteller to rival Scheherazade herself!
