Subject
Working class families -- France -- Fiction Books
Best books
Léon Frapié
La Maternelle
"La Maternelle" by Léon Frapié is a novel published in 1904 that won the Prix Goncourt. When Rose loses her dowry and fiancé after her father's financial ruin, she must abandon her educated station to work as an attendant at a Parisian day-care center serving 150 working-class children. Through her diary entries, she documents life among destitute pupils who seek comfort in her care. The novel offers a stark critique of public education, challenging contemporary views about schooling as society's remedy.
Léon Frapié
La Maternelle
"La Maternelle" by Léon Frapié is a novel published in 1904 that won the Prix Goncourt. After losing her dowry and fiancé to family ruin, educated Rose is forced to work as an attendant at a Paris kindergarten serving 150 working-class children. Despite the menial tasks and desperate circumstances, she forms deep bonds with the neglected children who turn to her as a mother figure. The novel offers a critical portrait of poverty and public education's role in shaping obedience rather than liberation.
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