Claudine
Encyclopedia
The Claudine books are a series of four early novels by the French author Colette
Colette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...

 published from 1900-1904. The stories are the diaries of protagonist Claudine, which outline the education and growing up of the young girl, who is aged fifteen at the beginning of the first novel Claudine à l'école
Claudine à l'école
Claudine at School, or Claudine à l'école, 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...

. All of the novels are written in first-person narrative
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...

 with the first three in the series implementing Claudine as the narrator. The last in the series, Claudine s'en va, introduces a new narrator Annie.

The novels were written in the late 19th century, in collaboration with Colette’s first husband, Henry Gauthier-Villars
Henry Gauthier-Villars
Henry Gauthier-Villars or Willy, his nom-de-plume, was a French fin-de-siecle writer and music critic who is today mostly known as the mentor and bisexual first husband of Colette...

, better known by his nom-de-plume Willy, who was also a writer. There has been much speculation over the degree of involvement of both Colette and Willy in the writing, particularly as Willy was known for having ghostwriters
Ghostwriters
-Singles:* "Someone's Singing New York New York" Virgin Records * "Runaway Bay" Virgin Records* "World Is Almost At Peace" Virgin Records* "Second Skin" Mercury Records* "Impossible Shame" Mercury Records...

 of his literary publications. Resultantly, the Claudine novels, were originally attributed under Willy’s name only, before later being published under both names. After the death of Willy, Colette went to court to challenge her former husband's involvement in the writing, and subsequently had his name removed from the books. This however was overturned after her death, as Willy’s son from a prior relationship, Jacques Gautheir-Villars, sued to have his father’s name restored, which was carried out.

The Claudine novels are thought to be roughly autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...

. Whilst the stories were shocking in their time, this affectionate portrayal of a forthright and self-assured French girl who blossoms into a charismatic adult is nowadays more likely to be regarded as chastely sensual.
  • Claudine à l'école
    Claudine à l'école
    Claudine at School, or Claudine à l'école, 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...

    (1900) - Claudine at school
  • Claudine à Paris (1901) - Claudine in Paris
  • Claudine en ménage (1902) - Claudine married
  • Claudine s'en va (1903) - Claudine and Annie
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