A scandalous novel hit the streets of Paris in 1605. Published anonymously, the satire, which follows a hapless visitor on his journey through an imagined land of aristocratic excess, created an uproar for its irreverent portrayal of the French court and questioning of gender and power. It remained popular - and in print - for more than a century.
"It is a very funny critique of court life that resonates for anyone dealing with very hierarchical institutions in which the exercise of power is often inscrutable and seemingly random," said Kathleen Perry Long, professor of French in the Department of Romance Studies, College of Arts and Sciences. Her new translation, "The Island of Hermaphrodites," offers the first English version of the full novel, along with commentary.
The novel's examination of French monarchy and nobility reflects issues that led to the French Revolution, Long said: excessive expenditures on luxuries, hoarding of wealth, inequality and cruelty inflicted on the poor. It is also a meditation on what a nonbinary society might look like, with its conclusion offering "a vision of a community where all human beings are connected and can choose either to perish or to thrive together."
The College of Arts and Sciences spoke with Long about the book.
Read the interview on the College of Arts and Sciences website.
