Marcel Prévost
Les Demi-Vierges
"Les Demi-Vierges" by Marcel Prévost is a novel published in 1894. The story centers on Maud de Rouvres, a bourgeois young woman who manipulates her suitors by granting intimacy while preserving her virginity for a wealthy husband. Her calculated games with two admirers—the elegant but poor Julien and the rich Maxime—lead to jealousy, betrayal, and tragedy. The novel explores several such "demi-vierges" navigating the boundaries between virtue and desire in French society, sparking controversy upon its release.