Abstract:
This essay explores a long-neglected novel, La Cauchoise, ou Mémoires d’une courtisane célèbre
(César Ribié, 1783) and its depiction of female homosocial relations. As the prostitute heroine and
narrator tells of her successful and colorful career and her many relationships along the way, we
discover that her relationships (sexual, professional, and amicable) with other women prove to be the
most satisfying and beneficial to her. These relationships can be read as a female version of the
Revolutionary principle of fraternité.
