Petit manuel de la femme supérieure : $b secrets intimes
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About
Petit manuel de la femme supérieure by Gerard de Beauregard is a satirical conduct manual written in the late 19th century. Framed as intimate counsel to an ambitious Parisian lady, it explains how to cultivate not real brilliance but the appearance of superiority—through décor, dinners, calculated opinions, and a carefully staged persona. With playful irony, it offers a social strategy for the hostess who wants admiration more than enlightenment.
The opening of the manual sets out its premise: the goal is prestige by semblance, not substance, aimed at a woman of comfortable means in Paris. It urges her to avoid thinking for herself, borrow opinions from “authorities,” assemble a consistent “character,” and wield a repertoire of smiles, tact, and well-timed dissimulation, illustrated by brisk, cautionary glances at famous women of history. It then builds “the frame”: choose an old hôtel in the faubourg Saint‑Germain; arrange a grand and a small salon; display (real or acquired) ancest
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This work is public domain or openly licensed. The licence terms are published by the source.
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