Les dames et leurs bonnes : trois modèles interactionnels chez les Goncourt, Zola et Maupassant

Abstract

Ladies and their servants : three patterns of interaction in the works of the Goncourt brothers, Zola and Maupassant It would be difficult to imagine a Realistic or Naturalistic novel without the character of a servant, the most frequently a female one. Actually, in the 19th century, the servant becomes much more visible and important, raising sometimes into the position of the main character. The Goncourt’s Herminie Lacerteux, Zola’s The Kill and Maupassants’s A Woman’s Life depict three servants whose destiny is strictly connected to their mistress’ life ; they all have a huge influence on what becomes of the three ladies. The paper aims to examine the three models of interaction of servants and their mistresses so as to prove the importance of the servant in the « human document » created by the writers.