Abstract
This work aims to explain, from a gender perspective, reading practices of women in the early19th century France. Until now, the way French women read in those days and their own usesof reading, behind stereotypes and sexist representations, are not really known in culturalhistory. According to these stereotypes, women read badly, or not seriously, and only “feminineliterature”. Based on sixty six women’s personal writings (diaries, autobiographies, letters), thiswork aims to inverse this focus in order to analyze the women’s point of view on their ownpractices. Such analysis reveals how gender’s types shape first education and, more generally,social identities. Women have to read, of course, but only that kind of literature that would beacceptable for a « good wife », educated but not scholar, virtuous and pious. However, focusingon personal writings, we show that women were not passive within this social and culturaldomination: as a reflexive experience, reading leads them to a wide reformulation of their socialidentity, which includes a possibility to emancipate by reading and learning.