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Place is a crucial component of any good story. Not only does it vivify where the action is happening or happened but also helps to define and reveal the story’s characters that place has shaped in distinct ways.
Paris has been such a place for many writers and artists, both past and present, who were shaped by the City of Light and in turn were key in shaping it. In particular, the ex-pat women writers, artists and influencers of their day who flocked to Paris in the 20s and 30s helped to shape Paris as a vibrant city attracting artists and visionaries from throughout the world. Some names are more familiar than others such as writer Gertrude Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas; Sylvia Beach and her amazing Shakespeare & Co bookstore that still survives; Natalie Barney, an heiress and salon hostess for some of Paris’ most outrageous creatives. The reasons women came to Paris during this particular vibrant and politically-chaotic time, remains true for creatives today who are looking for many of the same things: freedom of expression artistically and sexually; a place of beauty and inspiration; a place where local political views don’t swallow you up. Gertrude Stein, when asked why she liked to live among the French, replied “Well the reason is very simple, their life belongs to them so your life can belong to you…”
“Trois Jeunes Filles” by Marie Laurencin (1883-1956), French Painter who painted women almost exclusively, once remarked: “Why should I paint dead fish, onions & beer glasses? Girls are so much prettier.”
My personal experience while living in Paris for four years during the late seventies also encapsulated a unique period of time for women who were resurrecting the cause of women’s equality originally promulgated by the women at the turn of the 20th century. Women’s fervor to bring these changes about by whatever means possible, whether socio-political, psycho-analytically and legally or illegally, literally filled the air that we current ex-pats and local French feminists breathed, invigorating us to make the changes necessary for that equality to re-emerge. To that end, the various feminist groups, now referred to as the Second wave feminists, marched, held rallies, educated ourselves through newsletters, magazines and film, and did the hard work of raising our consciousness.
Today’s excerpt is from a chapter in my memoir called “What Would Joan of Arc Do?”
Today’s Excerpt from A Southern Belle in Paris:
WHAT WOULD JOAN OF ARC DO?
Vendor in Paris selling hot, roasted chestnuts
Street vendors were roasting chestnuts and their fragrant aroma wafted through the cold December air as I briskly made my way to the Notre Dame Cathedral about a thirty-minute walk from our apartment. We had recently moved from the suburbs of Paris to the Left Bank to have an experience of living in the city and to enroll the children in a small private school called Pershing Hall.
Since moving into the city, I often went to the Notre Dame Cathedral for quiet reflection much as I’d done while growing up in Georgia when I’d sought refuse inside the Baptist church to escape my parent’s incessant arguing. I found a seat in the back of the grand cathedral and closed my eyes, ignoring the chatter of tourists walking past. My mind was racing with my husband’s questions. He’s right about being the leader of the feminist group taking enormous time and energy, even if it’s only for six months, I thought, blinking back tears.
I knew it would be easier to sit on the sidelines, complain and criticize others who had jumped in and were working to make a difference, but I couldn’t be complacent in the matter of equal rights for women. There was too much at stake, not just for myself but also for my daughter and all the other daughters and women who would follow.
This most famous & impressive Statue of Joan of Arc is near the Louvre
During these quiet times at Notre Dame, I often thought of Joan of Arc, the famous Maid of Orleans who had fought and defended the throne of France in the early 15th century against the invading British. During her long trial for heresy, she had testified that the voices she heard always came to her during the ringing of the church bells in the small village of her childhood, Doremey. “The sounds of the bells opened me to my visions,” she’d said, “and they help me to hear the voices that come to me, telling me what I must do and where I must go.” Joan was eventually burned at the stack as a heretic because she wouldn’t deny hearing her voices or cease dressing as a man. While no voices spoke to me as they had to Joan, I often did experience clarity of mind and a renewed sense of strength in the cathedral.
As I sat quietly, my eye suddenly caught sight of a banner at the front that I’d never noticed before. The banner, embroidered in gold featured the majestic figure of Joan of Arc, dressed in the forbidden clothes of a man, riding her faithful steed and carrying a sword and her own banner decorated with fleur de lis, the sign of French royalty.
Marjorie at the Luxemburg Gardens
What would the Maid of Orleans do? I suddenly asked myself as I studied the banner. I was pretty sure she would have encouraged me to take on the challenge and stand up for what I believed since that’s exactly what she did.
Affirmed in my decision to take up the leadership position in the NOW chapter for the next six months, I left the cathedral and hurried home to talk with my husband again, whom I wanted to win over and gain his acceptance. Although he finally agreed, I knew he was conflicted about it and I understood because I knew it was taking on a lot. I found it interesting, however, that he would often brag to our friends that I was a feminist and “wasn’t that great?” but when the truth of what embracing feminism meant in our daily lives, it was proving to be a challenge for him.
Dissolving the old forms, the old ways and replacing them with more respect and equality for women was creating turmoil for everyone in what came to be called the Second Wave of feminism. Yes, feminism as a vehicle for social change and freedom had come to the streets, the town square and to institutions.
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Wild Women Write: Reconnecting with the Wild Feminine
Wild Women Write takes you to the core of your instinctual feminine essence by familiarizing you with tales & stories of women who walked in their power, providing archetypal models to reclaim & reconnect to that sacred place within ourselves that is both wild and powerful. Writing & art exercises help you to dive deep into your own unique self & to express what you find there!
Writes of Passage: Writing Through the Seasons of Your Life
Have you been wanting to write your memoir… tell your life story but don’t know where to start? Writes of Passage is the perfect book to help you get started. For each of the four phases of your life: childhood, young adult, mature adult, & elder, there are writing & art exercises that will give you all the material you’ll need to begin your memoir!
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Aloha! Marjorie