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040			_aUtSlPG
041		7	_afr _2iso639-1
050		4	_aPQ
100	1		_aBeauregard, Gerard de, _d1865-
245	1	0	_aPetit manuel de la femme supérieure
264		1	_aSalt Lake City, UT : _bProject Gutenberg, _c2026
300			_a1 online resource : _bmultiple file formats
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_acomputer _bc _2rdamedia
338			_aonline resource _bcr _2rdacarrier
500			_aRelease date is 2026-02-07
508			_aLaurent Vogel and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica))
520			_aPetit 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) ancestral portraits; keep a blue-toned bedroom with pre‑Raphaelite devotions; and create a luxurious, rumor‑friendly cabinet de toilette with mirrored bath. The table follows: a light Louis XV dining room, a proper lustre, restrained setting but profuse service, many small refined dishes, and far‑flung wines to found a reputation through dinners. Next comes the chaise longue, praised as an irresistible instrument of influence and the stage for the strategic return of “vapors” to soften adversaries. On dress, it defines toilette as effect and harmony, recommending modest bandeaux “à la Vierge,” rich daytime velvets, avoidance of gaudy “artist” affectations, and evening décolletage that suggests rather than exposes. Finally, as “the interior” begins, the guidance turns to the husband: he should be an agreeable, distinguished collaborator—neither ridiculous nor dazzling—kept trim, clubbable, and perfectly mannered so he supports, not steals, his wife’s show. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534			_pOriginally published: _cParis: Dentu, 1897
653			_aSatire
653			_aFrench literature -- 19th century
856	4		_uhttps://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5526195f
856	4	0	_uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77876
999			_c118596 _d118596