Miranda Alliston CWL 412i, TTh 2-3:15 21 March 2013 Midterm Essay Prompt One: Femininity in Balzac and

French Orientalism Femininity today is conventionally defined as woman-like, or expressing rather female qualities. The period of French Orientalism portrayed the feminine as sensual and indolent, with artists often times painting women in a comfortable state of nudity. During this time, Balzac had taken his own position on femininity. Being directly influenced by the French Orientalist movement, he created characters such as Paquita, portraying them in elegant scenes of luxury and senuality. Balzac also created a rather controversial take on the feminine through the character of Henri de Marsay, a man invested in his own feminine side, often times referring to himself as a fop. Using the French Orientalist paintings by Eugene Delacroix and Frank Bernard Dicksee as visual representations, the scenes in Balzacs, The Girl with the Golden Eyes, expresses ideas of the feminine and female sensuality of the time. (Not sure what youre trying to say) Balzac expresses femininity through both Henri de Marsay and Paquita, the girl with the golden eyes. (Keep the structure balanced, if you describe a quality for Paquita, add one in for Henri, or simply take out the girl with the golden eyes)Henri is introduced by his looks, where he is considered to be the prettiest youth in Paris [with] a pair of the most amorously deceiving blue eyes the skin of a young girl, a gentle modest expression, a refined and aristocratic figure, and beautiful hands (Balzac). The rather womanly features Henri possesses are emphasized as he is described in a way that his feminine side is what makes him so distinctly beautiful. In this way, Balzac defines

femininity as not only prevailing in women, but perceived in men as well. (I feel like your being really redundant, you could shorten and say like Henris beauty is being characterized in a feminine way, implying that feminine qualities can also be found within the male.) Beauty is further portrayed through the visual representation of color and body language. Henri enters Paquitas room to find what is essentially a love fortress, surrounded by colors of gold and marble [with] a divan fifty feet in circumference, made of white cashmere, relieved by bows of black and scarlet silk, arranged in panels (Balzac). The image set by Balzac renders a stunning scene that captures the beauty of the vibrant ivories and reds, the flowers within their elegant pots, and the curtains and beds made from magnificent cloths. (I tried to clean this sentence up but I had a hard time figuring out how you wanted to describe it exactly) Paquitas room was in a perfect harmony, a concert of color to which the soul responded with vague and voluptuous and fluctuating ideas (Balzac). Femininity is portrayed not only through the female herself, but also through the image of a room designed to inspire love. When Henri and Paquita are together at last, Balzac further expresses femininity in his writing through the sensual descriptions of Paquita. Even when first introduced, Paquita was recognized from her golden eyes, indicating that her beauty is what defined her. As she exposes herself to Henri, Paquita epitomizes the ideas of the French Oriental. Enticed by the beauty of the room, Henri is shocked at the contentment Paquita shows when out of a misty atmosphere, laden with exquisite perfumes, Paquita, clad in a white wrapper, her feet bare, orange blossoms in her black hair, appeared to Henri (Balzac). Exposing herself in almost nude expresses the beauty and comfort she finds in

herself and her sensuality. Balzacs portrait of Paquita wearing her muslin gown in her room of red, white, and gold resembles a similar portrayal of femininity seen in Eugene Delacroix 1825 painting, A Female Nude Reclining on a Divan. This painting shows a poised French woman relaxed on a divan, surrounded by silk sheets and red curtains. Her body is positioned loosely as she lies calm and tranquil, depicting the indolent nature of women who are comfortable with being completely exposed. Balzac describes Paquita similarly to the woman in Delacroix painting, with emphasis on her serenity in front of Henri. Balzac is still able to describe Paquita as a beautiful figure in a room where her surroundings are not as magnificent as aforementioned. During one of Henris first visits to Paquita, he notices that the room, the old woman, the cold hearth, all would have chilled love to death had not Paquita been there, upon an ottoman, in a loose voluptuous wrapper, free to scatter her gaze of gold and flame, free to show her arched foot, free of her luminous movements (Balzac). The way Paquita wears her loose wrapper, and how she is not afraid to show her feet, much less her body, in front of Henri and her mother emphasizes her tranquility. This scene draws comparison to the Frank Bernard Dicksee painting entitled, Passion, another piece of art created during French Orientalism. A fair-skinned, dark-haired woman rests nonchalantly on a decorated armchair, covered in red and gold silk, surrounded by white flowers and elegant, expensive furs. The women herself does not hide her ankles or her feet; the way her eyes are painted to gaze directly into an onlookers eyes show no fear or embarrassment of her femininity. Paquita, being described as the only beautiful thing in the room, is clearly seen in Dicksees painting.

Balzac is describing femininity as a form of beauty that is simple, like Paquitas indolent way of living. Balzac not only describes femininity through beauty and women, he also divulges into the ideas of the French Oriental period. The feminine is the character of Paquita; even being called the Girl with the Golden Eyes symbolizes that her beauty is what defines her.(im not sure i understand what you mean by the feminine is paquita Henri de Marsay is obsessed with his own feminine side, taking pride in his prettiness and the amount of time it takes to prepare himself every morning. Balzac further portrays scenes that parallel both Delacroix and Dicksees interpretation of female sensuality. Both artists and Balzac consider the indolent nature of women, elegant rooms with rich colors of red and gold, and expensive fabrics to contribute to the definition of femininity.