Grandes Horizontales [Hardcover]

Grand Horizontales is a very readable but careless non-fiction account of the lives of four famous courtesans of 19-th century Paris. Author Virginia Rounding has relied almost exclusively on secondary sources (in other words, she has read books by other people but has not read the letters, newspapers, financial records, etc. that these books are based on). What's more, these secondary sources, she admits, are not reliable. So the reader doesn't know what, if anything, to believe.

There is a lot of bizarre speculation on the author's part: the courtesan La Paiva, born to a Jewish family in Russia, may or may not have been baptized at age seven. Rounding doubts the baptism because the book she read it in is not a very accurate one. Nevertheless, she continues on, speculating about the REASON for this possible event, but offers no hard evidence for her speculation. Apollonie Sabatier may or may not have slept with Baudelaire; Rounding speculates on why the "possible" affair ended. At this I threw up my hands: the book is full of such idle speculations about the reasons behind events that only possibly occured.

To me, the real fascination behind these women was "why these women and not others;" what was the magnetic attraction that held men spellbound? Rounding has made a very readable book, but we are still waiting for a more energetic scholar to write one that really answers this question.

'Grandes Horizontales' traces the lives and legends of four French 'courtesans': Marie Duplessis, La Paiva, Appolonie Sabatier, and Cora Pearl. The account of their childhood and teenage years shows that each of them overcame impoverished and often cruel childhoods to attain independence and financial gain as adults. They applied single-minded determination, high intelligence, combined with 'magical' allure to ensnare wealthy and politically important male protectors. They, of course, completed the package with naughty and steamy love in the bedroom, or in the carriage, for that matter. Appolonie, for example, was scandalously depicted in the throes of orgasm in the sculpture that can now be seen in Musee d'Orsay, 'La femme piquee para un serpent'. Cora Pearl was once served as 'dessert' at a private dinner party at Paris's finest restaurant, Cafe Anglais.

The courtesans targets were the wealthy princely and aristocratic men of high society that valued a beautiful mistress on the arm as adding a new Old Master painting to the collection or finishing an elegant dinner with a cognac and cigar. These constituted the requisite luxuries for an aristocratic gentlemen when money was no object in glittery and superficial 19th Century Paris. For the courtesan, the circle of clients was amused and nurtured but only so long as the money flowed unabated. Once the money failed so would the relationship. The courtesan had no interest in assuming a wifely role to raise children in the heavily male dominated family arrangement. The courtesan 'broke' from her old life by adopting 'new' names to demarcate once existence from the other. The sole exception to these arrangements was for the 'true love'. These were usually younger and less well-off admirers that loved these women for who they were and not as fashion accessories. The relationship with the true love continued but so long as the young man understood his place, long term expectations, and tolerated to be 'squeezed' into a busy schedule.

The downfall for the courtesan was a complete lack of control over spending. Once exquisite taste was acquired in furnishings, dresses, carriages, horses, food and living conditions, the money was spent as fast as it came in. Marie Duplessis had her goods sold at auction to pay off the debtors after she died very young from tuberculosis at 23. Her true love, Alexandre Dumas 'fils', preserved her legend with his play entitled, 'La Dame aux Camelias'. At the other extreme, Cora Pearl lived a long life and wrote her memoirs to raise her own legend for posterity.

In the end, each of the courtesans shared an audacious appetite for life and a strong thirst for independence that led them to build lives unshackled by the traditional male dominated family. Virgina Rounding has written a highly entertaining, digestible, and informative book on some of the most colorful personalities of glittery 19th Century France during the decadance of Napoleon III.

This is the first book written by Virginia Rounding, and it is a very impressive debut. She tells the story of four 19th century Parisian courtesans, but also manages to work in a fair bit of French history, covering roughly 1830-1871. She manages to weave together a seamless blend of the cultural and political, and also the comic and the serious. (As an example of the comic, Ms. Rounding mentions that 19th century prostitutes were fond of wearing very large hats in public. Doctors came up with a special reclining chair, to replace the traditional table, so that when the ladies of easy virtue came in for their regular examinations they would be able to keep their hats on throughout the process.) The author selected the four courtesans that she did so that she could demonstrate all the possibilities of living that life. Some of the women were abused when young, some weren't. Some were native born, some were foreigners. Some, when they lost their looks, lost their money. Others remained well-off even after their "prime earning years" were over. The book provides a fascinating look at a world that is certainly strange to the modern (and non-European) reader. The courtesan and her "protector" had a symbiotic relationship. The wealthy man provided money so that the courtesan could live an ostentatious lifestyle- with a beautiful home, expensive clothes and jewelry, servants, etc. Indeed, she was expected to "live it up" to show everyone what a generous lover she had. In return, the man could show the world how "special" he was- after all, he had not only vast amounts of money but he must also be pretty special to win the favors of such a desirable and selective woman. The courtesan was certainly predatory. A man could become totally infatuated and could lose all of his money supporting such a woman. Once the money ran dry, she would move on to greener pastures. On the other hand, the courtesan was totally dependent on the protector. If the man tired of the relationship and found someone new, the courtesan would very quickly have to find a new "sugar daddy" to maintain her extravagant lifestyle. Besides learning about the four courtesans selected for the book, we also learn about some of the men- such as Alexandre Dumas (fils) and Charles Baudelaire, as well as the Goncourt brothers (all of these men, by the way, were sources-through their fiction, poetry, and journals- for myths and legitimate information regarding the world of the courtesan). The author did a tremendous amount of research on the period in question, and she put it all together to create a fascinating look at a world that existed only for a brief time. If, like me, you are interested in 19th century France, I am sure you will get much pleasure from reading this book.