{"id":8150,"date":"2021-11-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=8150"},"modified":"2022-01-07T14:09:11","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T13:09:11","slug":"historical-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/2021\/11\/23\/historical-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BOOKS <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Historical fiction<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The Mad Women\u2019s Ball<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

By Victoria Mas (translated by Frank Wynne) <\/p>\n\n

Doubleday, \u00a314.99, hardback, 224 pages<\/em><\/p>\n\n

In late 19th-century Paris, women deemed to be mad, hysterical, or simply outcast from society are sent to the Salp\u00eatri\u00e8re asylum under the care of Dr Jean-Martin Charcot. The neurologist has wowed much of the city with his hypnotism demonstrations on the unfortunate women, and each year, a ball is held for the benefit of the local elite, where they can dance with the patients for their own amusement. Nurse Genevi\u00e8ve fully believes in Charcot\u2019s methods \u2013 that is until she meets the young Eug\u00e9nie, who needs her help…<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

\u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022 Excerpt <\/strong> \u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
This passage of the book follows Eug\u00e9nie \u2013 the fiery, passionate daughter of a bourgeois family \u2013 and the moment that her loved ones betray her<\/span><\/em><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Had Eug\u00e9nie roused herself for a moment from her rev\u00e9rie, she would have noticed the brooding atmosphere that had reigned in the confined space ever since they set out. She would have noticed her brother\u2019s gloomy expression, her father\u2019s sti demeanour, and she would have wondered why a day trip out of the city should create such tension.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only when the carriage stops suddenly does Eug\u00e9nie emerge from her torpor. Turning around, she sees an unfamiliar expression on the faces of her father and her brother, a mixture of gravity and concern. Before she has time to say a word, her father\u2019s voice booms: \u2018Let\u2019s get out here.\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unsettled, Eug\u00e9nie steps down, followed by her brother. Standing on the pavement, she looks up at the imposing building outside which they have stopped. The vaulted archway is flanked by two stone columns whose lintels are carved with the words: \u2018Libert\u00e9, \u00c9galit\u00e9, Fraternit\u00e9\u2019. Above the keystone, in black block capitals on pale stone she reads: \u2018H\u00f4pital de la Salp\u00eatri\u00e8re\u2019. rough the arch, at the far end of a paved walkway, an even more monumental edifice surmounted by a dome of solemn black seems to take up all the surrounding space. Eug\u00e9nie\u2019s heart leaps into her throat…<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

Q&A<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Victoria Mas<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Mad Women\u2019s Ball<\/em> is Victoria Mas\u2019 debut novel. First published in 2019, the book has won numerous accolades in France and has been adapted into a film released by Amazon Prime Video. Prior to becoming an author, Victoria studied at the Sorbonne and worked in film in the US.<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
How did you first come across the real-life inspiration for your novel?<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The Mad Women\u2019s Ball<\/em> takes place in Paris in 1885, at the Salp\u00eatri\u00e8re Hospital, which was then a women\u2019s prison and asylum, and is today one of Paris\u2019 major hospitals. I happened to go to the Salp\u00eatri\u00e8re three years ago, and I was struck by the place. It exuded an air of mystery that I found compelling. Out of curiosity, I began to look into the hospital\u2019s history, and I learned about the infamous \u2018Mad Women\u2019s Balls\u2019 that took place there in the 19th century. Each year, those confined at the hospital would select eccentric costumes to wear, and Paris\u2019 elite would come along for the experience of dancing next to women they thought of as \u2018mad\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you choose to focus on the patients? <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Although much has been written about the hospital\u2019s head of neurology, Dr Jean-Martin Charcot (1825\u201393), very little has been said about the women who enabled him to pursue his research on hypnotism and hysteria. During my research, I wanted to know who the women were, and why it was deemed acceptable to confine them \u2013 sometimes for very trivial reasons. Overall, I felt a profound sense of empathy for these forgotten figures, and somehow, I identified with them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which patient\u2019s story struck you most? <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Cabaret dancer Jane Avril, who I mention in the book, spent two years at the Salp\u00eatri\u00e8re as a teenager. She was saved by some prostitutes from jumping off a bridge and subsequently brought to the hospital \u2013 a story that sounds like it came straight out of an \u00c9mile Zola novel! Surprisingly, Jane Avril had fond memories of her stay: it was in the Salp\u00eatri\u00e8re that she discovered her passion for dancing and found a way to express herself. For me, her story \u2013 and her attitude towards the Salp\u00eatri\u00e8re \u2013 was fundamental in understanding what a complex environment this was: for some women it was a place where they could find solace and release.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there any other people from history you would like to write about?<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

I find the life of Hildegard von Bingen [Benedictine abbess and polymath, who was later made a saint] very interesting, as well as the story of Joan of Arc, although so much has already been written about her. In fact, my next book is inspired by an important historical figure, but I can\u2019t say much more yet!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

PICTURE CREDIT: ASTRID DI CROLLALANZA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Victoria Mas shares an extract from her debut novel, The Mad Women\u2019s Ball<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":8149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"86","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"86","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_86-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_86-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"Christmas-2021","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"Christmas-2021","purple_external_id":"Christmas-2021-86-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"Christmas-2021-86-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000090391||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000090391||","purple_android_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_ios_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"a2288b80-d22c-492c-8b11-acb0804789ee","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2021-12-06T14:23:38Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"cc06a766-cb74-4e01-9db1-6683120f88e3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-01-07T13:09:16Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AzAanZst0TgGdsWaDEg-I4w","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[30],"tags":[55],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/a293134c-4f3a-4546-a47a-93d09a52b214.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/a293134c-4f3a-4546-a47a-93d09a52b214.jpg",581,881,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/a293134c-4f3a-4546-a47a-93d09a52b214-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/a293134c-4f3a-4546-a47a-93d09a52b214-198x300.jpg",198,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/a293134c-4f3a-4546-a47a-93d09a52b214.jpg",581,881,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/a293134c-4f3a-4546-a47a-93d09a52b214.jpg",581,881,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/a293134c-4f3a-4546-a47a-93d09a52b214.jpg",581,881,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/a293134c-4f3a-4546-a47a-93d09a52b214.jpg",581,881,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Victoria Mas shares an extract from her debut novel, The Mad Women\u2019s Ball","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8150"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8150"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9988,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8150\/revisions\/9988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}