Mademoiselle de Maupin by Theophile Gautier (1835)

At last I find out why Gautier has lasted. Anyone reading many or most of his other works would naturally wonder. They are supernaturally-tinted pieces of jewelled exquisitry; worthy, but reasonably light. This is not supernatural at all, and much more substantial, and makes one wonder why this first novel did not dictate the tone of much more of his ouevre. It begins appallingly, suppurating in the amorality of d'Albert's bleared and grisly attitude to love. It appears that Gautier approves. But then he introduces a new angle, that of Madelaine de Maupin herself, and all sorts of renewal results. She's much more of a believer. Their comedy of disguises moves through a variety of stages. She disguises herself as Theodore, in order to see men from the inside and know more surely who is worthy of being her lover. As Theodore, at a country house, she meets d'Albert. He is struck by Theodore, much more than he would like, and worriedly and disgustedly begins to think he may be homosexual. Of course, it's the 'real woman' in Theodore/Madelaine showing through! They become involved in a private performance of As You Like It, where Theodore must play Rosalind, and d'Albert his/her Orlando. Seeing her/him playing Rosalind, d'Albert suspects that he may be 'healthy': Theodore may be a woman after all! After a few more twists and turns, all is revealed as he suspects. Along the way, Theodore has charmed a mutual friend, Rosette, and inspired a passionate devotion in her, all unknowing. The playfulness of this is wrapped in Gautier's luxuriated prose, which can be a little windy. The difficulty of the main proposition that Madelaine would see d'Albert as a better choice than many other men is a major flaw. But this is still fascinating, and this sort of subject matter at this early date is pioneering.