The decades following the French Revolution saw unprecedented
political and social experimentation. As the Napoleonic and
Restoration regimes attempted to build a stable order, ordinary
city dwellers began to create their own sense of how society
operated through everyday activities. Interactions between men
and women--in theaters, cafes, and other public settings--helped
to fashion new social norms. In this extensively researched
work, Denise Z. Davidson offers a powerful reevaluation of the
effects of the French Revolution, especially on women. Arguing
against the view that the Revolution forced women from the
public realm of informed political discussion, Davidson
demonstrates that women remained highly visible in urban public
life. Women of all classes moved out of the domestic sphere to
participate in the spectacle of city life, inviting frequent
commentary on their behavior. This began to change only in the
1820s, when economic and social developments intensified class
distinctions and made the bourgeoi