How were relationships depicted between men and women in fin-de-siecle culture?

Question

Any major changes, I'm thinking art, literature etc...?

Answer 1

'Fin de siecle' is French for 'end of the century', and normally refers to the end of the 19th centruy, the 1890s. This was the height of the art nouveau movement, in France, other parts of Europe and some artists in the USA. Take a look on google images at paintings, prints, advertising posters, etc. Also wikipedia entry on art nouveau. You might also look at votes-for-women movements, which started then but didn't succeed until the 1920s. Find out about any famous female figures of the time in politcis, the arts, theatre, etc.

As well as art you then need to find out what novels and newspapers and magazines said about women in that period. Were there any women's magazines? What clubs were they allowed to take part in? There are adverts showing women cycling, wearing knickerbockers (shocking to people earlier in the century).

You might look at relationships between men and women for each social-class. Were families still controlled by the man or did women get more freedom at the end of the century? Did richer women have more freedom or more social-constraints (see etiquette guides).

Answer 2

See if you can find a book called Sexual Anarchy: Gender & Culture at the Fin de Siecle. it's by Elaine Showalter and it's published by Virago. I'm reading it for my dissertation and it's probably what you're looking for...

Also, relationships between the bohemian arty types and the relationships in everyday society were vastly different....

Answer 3

I wish I knew the answer to your question but I don't understand what you mean by fin-de-siecle. Is that French?

Answer 4

Read some Feydeau farces.

These will give you and entertaining and accurate answer to your question.