Burgon on Holmes and Reid, eds. (2023)

Introduction à l’œuvre de Daniel Lesueur: “Conscience féminine élève la voix!” is an enlightening study that reintroduces Daniel Lesueur, the pseudonym of Jeanne Loiseau, as a vital voice in both feminist and literary history. Through an in-depth exploration of Lesueur's life and writings, the many authors contributing to this collection offer a rich portrait of a woman whose work challenged the boundaries of gender, identity, and social expectations in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. With more than forty novels, poems, and essays to her name, Lesueur used her prolific writing to advocate for female agency and social justice, cementing her role as an influential, albeit often overlooked, figure. 

As the first volume devoted to her nonetheless extensive oeuvre, this book is thoughtfully structured, guiding the reader through Lesueur’s life, her major works, and her lasting impact. The first section of the première partie provides a well-researched biographical context, illuminating how her navigation of literary circles and interactions with prominent figures like Emile Zola shaped her writing. In it, co-editor Diana Holmes suggests that Daniel Lesueur commanded respect and esteem by skillfully balancing feminism with femininity in a way that was both accessible and, I would add, palatable for her contemporaries. “Les photographes et les interviews la montrent élégante, souriante, cordiale; ses écrits comme ses propos témoignent de son respect pour les valeurs dominantes du régime et de l’époque: républicanisme, laïcité, patriotisme, and libéralisme économique adouci par la morale humanitaire” (28). 

Through readings of Daniel Lesueur’s most compelling works, including Nietschéenne and Un amour d’aujourd’hui, Holmes and Reid illuminate the author’s “prodigieuse inventivité…alliée à une capacité remarquable à critiquer les facettes de la société dans laquelle elle vit, à en détailler les maux, à proposer des solutions” (8). Holmes and Reid draw a parallel between Daniel Lesueur and Olympe de Gouges as feminists who staked their claims through conventional women’s roles: both women, though over a century apart, sought to improve women’s and specifically mothers’ rights both at home and in the workplace.  A strength in the volume’s introduction and in each of its subsequent chapters is the way the authors integrate study of Lesueur’s novels with letters, contemporary reviews, and personal documents, with the cumulative effect of making clear both her talents and influence.

In the following chapter, “Daniel-Lesueur pendant la grande guerre,” Alain Janicot chronicles the author’s impressive charitable work during the war, including founding the AFC (l’Aide aux femmes de combattants) for soldiers’ wives and widows and financing a “Foyer du soldat” on the front lines. He details her efforts to secure pensions for war widows, fight for equal salaries, improve artists’ living conditions, and promote patriotism through her writing. Despite her declining health, Lesueur’s unwavering dedication is reflected in her motto from the 1908 novel Nietzschéenne, in which she affirms the need to “tenir bon” both in action and rest (39).

Opening the seconde partie, “Poésie et Roman,” Adrianna M. Paliyenko’s chapter entitled “Daniel Lesueur face au néant sublime : Les mystères de la Nature (humaine),” examines Lesueur’s use of poetry as a means of exploring the mysteries of the human condition and the search for existential meaning. Paliyenko highlights how Lesueur navigates poetic idealism while contemplating deeper philosophical themes. She also quotes Lesueur’s husband, Henry Lapauze, who praised her for expressing “…dans son œuvre entier le droit à la vie et au bonheur” (67). In one of the most compelling chapters, “Le Chemin de fer et la mobilité des cœurs dans Le cœur chemine et Calvaire de femme de Daniel-Lesueur,” Aimée Boutin examines nineteenth-century transportation to argue that “la mobilité est genrée” (73). Building on Marc Baroli’s study of the Zolian image of the train, she shows how the railway motif “met en relief les rapports entre transports et genre à une époque où les rôles sexuels se transforment rapidement” (69). Unlike Zola, Daniel-Lesueur emphasizes escape and happiness over violence, transporting “cœurs et corps” to subversively grant women choices and access to movement. Lesueur’s advancement of “la stagnation des femmes au tournant du XIXe siècle” by according them “leur propre volonté” supports her claim that, “Sortir est une condition nécessaire à la transformation personelle” (73).

The rich central section of the book provides insightful literary analyses of Lesueur’s significant works, such as Nietzschéenne (1907) and Marcelle et sa mère (1905). Nelly Sanchez explores the feminist themes in these works, particularly Lesueur’s complex engagement with Nietzschean philosophy and its implications for female autonomy. Her close readings reveal the depth of Lesueur’s characters and their struggles within a patriarchal society. In “Sous l’angle féministe: les articles de Daniel Lesueur dans La Fronde,” Alexandra Rivard notes how Lesueur carefully addressed feminist issues in her writing, often avoiding direct labels: “Daniel Lesueur…dans ses romans semble avoir excellé dans l’art d’aborder les problématiques qui l’intéressaient, en prenant toutefois quelques précautions” (104). Despite social stigma, Lesueur, Rivard shows, criticized institutions like marriage, defended unwed mothers, and praised “la vaillance des femmes qui travaillent” (111). 

Diana Holmes wraps up the literary analysis section of the book with a discussion of Lesueur’s serialized novel Mortel Secret, which showcases her ability to “illustrer dans sa pratique littéraire toutes les positions féministes possibles” (134). Lesueur captivates readers with her “virtuosité narrative,” while infusing her plots with “bonnes valeurs morales et sociales” that emphasize, above all, gender equality and the importance of female solidarity (132).

This book concludes with a critical edition of a selection of Daniel Lesueur’s press articles, showcasing a range of themes from her witty critiques of infidelity to her passionate advocacy for les femmes nouvelles and heartfelt calls for altruistic action toward unwed mothers. Through thoughtful engagement and detailed analysis, the authors illustrate how Lesueur’s writings continue to resonate in contemporary contexts, demonstrating their enduring relevance in ongoing conversations about gender, agency, and intellectual freedom, particularly in addressing motherhood, education, and evolving women's roles in society. The depth of research, combined with engaging analysis, makes this book a must-read for scholars of the Belle Époque, feminist theory, and French literature. Finally, for a work dedicated to a woman of action both in word and in deed, it is very fitting that the book concludes its final pages with one last cry to her “chères lectrices”: “Conscience feminine, élève la voix!” (176).