Rebellious Writing discussion

Hi all ye Rebellious Writers! Since Google won't co-operate, maybe some of you might be able to help me? Pleeeeease?

Here's the gist:
I want to avoid the mortal blunder and universal pet peeve of giving a Historical fiction heroine the freedoms of a modern girl (I know, there's nothing as annoying to read, is there?)
So, does anyone have any idea how much freedom to go about in the company of a boy / go out alone a teenaged girl living in Revolutionary Paris would have?
Please bear in mind the following:

* The girl (Cat is her name) is a total orphan, and the people she lives with are no relation to her

*The boy in question is NOT the love interest - he's the son of close family friends and has been known since babyhood by the family Cat lives with

* All the characters are lower middle/working class (Artisans - carpenters, shoemakers, lacemaker etc) they work for their living and have no servents to go out to the market etc for them!

* It's Paris during the Reign of Terror - manners, morals, standards and norms of respectability have all gone West on a spectacular scale!!!!

Many, many thanks,

Lucia :)

Not familiar with the time period...but...I would say since he’s a close family friend, people may not mind them going out together. They May just warn them to stay out in public, and not go hiding in alleys or places where they two are truly “alone.” Is there an annoying younger sibling they could ask to tag along (and is now in the way and has to be dragged along and protected as they do dangerous things)?

Julian wrote: "Not familiar with the time period...but...I would say since he’s a close family friend, people may not mind them going out together. They May just warn them to stay out in public, and not go hiding..."

Thanks Julian, that kind of situation would suit the book nicely! :)

There actually IS a cute, lovable 8 year old character...unfortunately, since it's the child of the villainess, I don't think he'll be wanted around the place by Cat or Thierry! ;)

Sounds like an interesting story. :) Sorry I can't help! Maybe they would really only run into each other out and about or at public gatherings because if they weren't courting, there probably wouldn't be specific meetings arranged between the two like two friends just "hangin' out." I'm not sure though.

OOhhh I may be able to help! I'm a historian by trade (though I will admit, the history of courtship is a little fuzzy for me).

In most cases, chaperones weren't "required" until courtship actually began. Although ladies of a genteel nature typically didn't leave the house without an escort of some kind - either another lady or a servant, or a brother/father. The latter was done for safety reasons.

There are documented instances of young people sending notes to one another asking for visits or letting the other know where they would be in order for them to "pass each other along the way."

Have you read any of the Scarlet Pimpernel series? The latter books deal more with the Terror and love affairs. While they are fiction, they may give you a better idea.

If you want a good rule of thumb, have them be in places where people can see them (living room, street, etc.). Also, reputation was a big thing to worry about during that time period (even during the Revolution).

If you want a research topic, try looking for courtship during the American Revolution. I know it's a little earlier than the time period that you're writing from, but it may give you a general idea of what the norms were in those kinds of situations.

Catherine wrote: "OOhhh I may be able to help! I'm a historian by trade (though I will admit, the history of courtship is a little fuzzy for me).

In most cases, chaperones weren't "required" until courtship actual..."

Well that is helpful! It's good to know that a chaperone isn't absolutely obligatory....especially since Cat and Thierry aren't actually (what my mother calls) "a fixture" ! :)