Its author should have sunk into oblivion. Charles Thomas-Caraman only has to his credit an obscure Note on natural eucalypt honey secreted by wild Tasmanian black beespresented before the Academy of Medicine in January 1887, and some other scientific explorations of the same ilk. Only a publication saved him from anonymity: The Little Bible for Young Couples. Written under the pseudonym Ch. Montalban, this sexuality manual published in 1885 – and reissued several times, most recently by Jérôme Millon in 2008 – made a notable impact in French society.
At the end of the 19th centurye century, sexology is not yet considered a science in its own right. “The word was only invented in the 1910s, borrowed from Englishobserves historian Sylvie Chaperon*, whom we interviewed. This proto-sexology is then an essentially masculine discipline.”
However, speech around sexuality is starting to become more open. A few years after the defeat of 1870, the rise of French nationalism excites patriotic enthusiasm and therefore marital fervor. At the same time, in fact, people were worried about French depopulation, while condoms were becoming more popular thanks to a boom in prostitution (this was the golden age of brothels in France). The intimate sphere therefore finds itself explored due to national pride.
Stubborn beliefs, but a new vision on sexual satisfaction
“Marital hygiene” booklet, as many flourished during the Belle Époque, The Little Bible for Young Couples (1885) is intended for the future husband “before he performs the solemn act”that is to say the prelude to his wedding night. The book provides advice for optimal fertilization, guaranteeing marital harmony. As such, the Dr Montalban listens to female pleasure or, at least, recommends simultaneous orgasm.
The objective, however, is not the psychological satisfaction of the lover, but the optimization of fertilization. “The orgasm (of the woman) is one of the most powerful and surest motives of procreationinsists the manual. (…) The husband must seek as much as possible to provoke the simultaneity of the nervous shock following voluptuousness.” Pleasure is above all pragmatic – the guarantor of effective sexuality – and not the sole purpose of the act. “Since ancient times, it was thought that orgasm was necessary for the female “emission of semen”, in symmetry with what happens in the male body.analyzes Sylvie Chaperon. This belief falls around the middle of the 19the century, but doctors remain attached to it. For example, it is believed that orgasm allows the cervix to open…”
Even more surprising: the quality of sexual relations, according to Doctor Montalban, has an influence on the development of the child. “Children are affected by the physical and moral state of their parents at the time of mating which gave rise to fertilization”notes the doctor. The quality of lovemaking is therefore more crucial than their frequency and requires that the man fully invests in “foreplay”. See instead, a few pages further: “In order to make the coupling more intimate, it is important, according to the recommendations made for the first wedding night, that the venereal act be preceded by these kisses, these exquisite caresses and touches which strengthen the bonds of union and sympathy between the two actors.”
According to Sylvie Chaperon, foreplay is nothing new for Belle Époque couples. “Ambroise Paré already said of the wife of the XVIe century that man “must cuddle, tickle, caress and move”decides the historian. What is new is to insist on the sexual satisfaction of partners, not only with a view to successful procreation, but as a guarantee of marital harmony and the durability of the couple. It is believed that it is the prophylaxis of divorce and that the satisfaction of one’s wife is the duty of the husband.”
However, the image of women still remains prehistoric
Be careful, however, not to multiply the antics. Like many of his colleagues, Dr Montalban is convinced that uncontrolled sexual appetites can cause illness, lesions, and even precipitate “dryness” (sterility) of spouses. “To obey the ardor of one’s passions is to get closer to the brute”warns the doctor, sure that too many “attacks” would reduce the quality of the male semen. The doctor describes these patients as extinct, apathetic, weakened by the repeated coitus that their wives demand, otherwise they would even take several lovers to fill this dissatisfaction… Thus maintaining the sexist prejudice of an insatiable wife which characterizes the medical literature of the time.
“Doctors highlight an essential concept which is female modesty. A “good” woman does not show her desires. Even if she consents, she must mime refusal or, at least, reluctance.”
Despite the good intentions of the text, it is clear that it locks the wife into a passive, horizontal role, while the husband “is called to serve as tutor and guide to (this) frail and delicate young being, full of ignorance and unconscious passion”. The author also warns that reading certain novels, which are too passionate, can lead a woman to realize the cruel reality of her dissatisfaction. He cites as an example the feminist work Lélia by George Sand, which scandalized public opinion when it was first published in 1833. “The husband will keep good guard and, without saying anything, will hide, even burn these poisoned books”he recommends.
In this sense, The Little Bible for Young Couples follows the contradictions of the Belle Époque which, in France, continues to imprison women in archetypes: either the obedient wife, model of virtue and modesty; or the “dishonest woman” greedy for lovers and eager for sensual pleasures. “Doctors highlight an essential notion which is female modestyinsists Sylvie Chaperon. A “good” woman does not show her desires. Even if she consents, she must mime refusal or, at least, reluctance.”
Even if men have long had the privilege of sexual relations before marriage and their libertine escapades in brothels are tolerated, women remain prisoners of an in-between. “Too passive, the woman comes across as frigid. Too enterprising, she becomes vulgar, like prostitutes.shade Sylvie Chaperon. Despite its shortcomings, The Little Bible for Young Couples will at least contribute to making sexuality a public, collective issue – even if we will really have to wait until the second half of the 20th centurye century for women to actively participate in the debate.
