LEA and CHERI
In this article I will elaborate the in-class oral report that I presented about the novel
“Chéri” by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. I will analyze the themes, characters, particular
settings as well as the writing style, and the symbolism in this novel in order to have a
greater literary grasp.
The novel tells the story of “Chéri”, a spoiled son of a wealthy former courtesan in Paris,
and his courtesan lover “Leonie Vallon”, also as known as “Léa” who is 25 years older
than him. I will specifically cover the story from the perspective of La. She is one of the
main characters and I argue that there is an overlap between the writer and her. That is the
reason I think indicating the similarities between them provides us a broader understanding
of this novel.
Colette was a controversial personality throughout her life. She had many romantic affairs
both with men and women. She was a marginal person and her outlook directly or
indirectly affected her writings and novels. I think the character La in this novel reflects
many resemblances with Colette herself. It is no accident when Colette starts writing this
novel that deals with age differences in love affairs she was well aware that she was no
longer young. When she wrote “Chéri” she was in her mid-40 and so the character Léa is
in the novel.
Colette emphasizes the themes age, gender and sexuality during the 1920’s and it was seen
extraordinary for her era and she was subjected to many criticism from her
contemporaries. However she dealt with these themes in a way that nobody ever did
before. According to critics the novel is considered her finest and emotionally her most
generous work of fiction. Her novels are written really descriptive. The events and settings
are richly detailed. She almost paints the atmosphere and touches the senses. She conveys
the emotions of her characters really good and targets the reader’s senses. To demonstrate,
instead of simply saying “there is moon in the sky” she points out the glint of light on a
broken glass piece on the floor”. Even though sometimes creates gaps and makes the
reader assume, I think it enriches the reading experience and the meaning of the novel.
The novel Chri breaks the cycle of older man having an affair with younger women in the
history of literature. It brings a new perspective to the age concept in the love affairs that
are portrait in the novels.
The story is told by a third person. However it projects the perspective of both Chri and La
in different chapters. The story is not told chronologically; instead Collette uses flashbacks
from different perspectives, and so on. She includes many clues to enrich the potential of
the meaning.
The story takes place in 1900s where courtesans are common figures in French social
texture. Léa is nearing the end of a successful career as a richly kept courtesan she is
Chéri’s courtesan lover. Her real name is Leonie Vallon however Chéri has been calling
her “Nounoune” since the earlier days of his childhood. Léa is Chéri’s mom’s (Madame
Peloux: Charlotte Peloux) contemporary and there is a strange relationship between them.
They have known each-other for 25 years. There is a hostile intimacy between them. I
describe this as being “frienemy”. They are both friends respects and needs each other.
They love each other yet this sometimes turns into hatred and jealousy which overwhelms
both in this novel as they are rivals at the same time.
La is extremely organized. She likes to be organized. She organizes her life and her wealth
that she accumulated through years of hard work. Sometimes this turns into and obsession
in her. La values to be elegant and chic. She does not let anyone to see her dressed untidily.
She dresses good as a way to express herself and reward herself in different times. She
likes to do things in order. She prefers fine linen, prime wines, and carefully planned meals
at home. Although she portrays to be a high maintenance lady, what strikes me most about
her characteristic is that she also likes to enjoy little things that life suggests her such as
having a cup of tea, reading newspapers in the morning. On the other hand she loves
jewelry and she is passionate about fine dresses.
As the story starts we understand that La and Chri are having an affair which La calls an
adoption. Even though Chri is really childish and has feminine sides La finds his
masculine disorder and childish manners charming. It attracts her over a period of time.
Physically, she is an extremely attractive woman with big beautiful blue eyes and blonde
hair. She has always been highly aware of her beauty and her power over men. To
demonstrate she refers her body and says that “a well-made body lasts a long time”. Her
contemporaries envy her because of her beauty in spite of her age and his possession of
Chri her lover.
As the story begins we see their daily interactions of six years of togetherness. They are
highly comfortable with each-other and we see them teasing and joking around. They are
not a regular couple. The first thing that strikes the readers is their ability to comfort
each-other. La reflects as a motherly figure as Chéri puts his head on her shoulders.
Léa finds Chéri so arrogant and she criticize him many times over the novel. She finds him
childish but extremely good looking. She refers his appearance as a “statute”. I suggest that
