At the same time that secular and religious authorities suppressed women's efforts to read, conduct books written specifically for girls and young unmarried women emerged as a new genre. Nadine Berenguier offers an in-depth analysis of this development in eighteenth-century France, situating conduct books in the context of Enlightenment concerns about improving education in order to reform society. Her study contributes to our understanding of how print culture in eighteenth-century France gave shape to a specific social subset of new readers: modern girls. Excerpted from Conduct Books for Girls in Enlightenment France by Nadine Berenguier All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
