In the 19th century, the paper revolutions of female readers

Nearing 30% at the time of the Revolution, literacy among French women progressed during the 19th century without being able to transform them into avid readers, like the most cultivated, like Marie d'Agoult or George Sand . However, according to Stendhal , "there are hardly any provincial women who do not read their five or six volumes a month, [or even] fifteen or twenty" ! Far from applauding this passion, which even affects grisettes, the male sex denounces the danger it poses to the mental health of all, who are supposed to read only religious and moral works, domestic manuals and educational journals. To step outside these registers is, in itself, a transgression of social norms; the expression of the power of some to escape them, but it also provides