Tuesday, February 21, 2017

My Years With Proust - Day 381

But she assured me that she bore me, at least, no resentment.  "If it had been true, I would have told you.  But Andree and I both loathe that sort of thing.  We haven't reached out age without seeing women with cropped hair who behave like men and do the things you mean, and nothing revolts us more."
Marcel Proust, Cities of the Plain, p. 862

Albertine kicks back against Marcel's comment, defending herself against his accusation that she is involved in a lesbian relationship with Andree.  Her words are strikingly similar to those Andree herself spoke during the incident featuring Bloch's niece (and her scandalous affair with the actress).  So, if nothing else, they have their story straight.  I find Albertine's description of "women with cropped hair who behave like men and do the things you mean . . ." very interesting, and it speaks volumes about societal expectations for women and their appearance at the time.

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