The Invisible Code

The Invisible Code: Honor and Sentiment in Postrevolutionary France, 1814–1848 explores the transformation of social norms and personal identity during a pivotal era in French history. While the Napoleonic legal codes institutionalized key revolutionary principles like equality before the law and freedom of contract, they also entrenched patriarchal authority, restricting women’s rights and elevating male dominance in the public and private spheres. Yet alongside these formal codes existed an unspoken "invisible code" of honor, which reshaped interpersonal and societal dynamics in the postrevolutionary period. This honor code democratized access to prestige but heightened personal vulnerability, as men contended for respect and status in an open, competitive arena. The book delves into the intersections of law, family, and public life, examining how honor was both enforced by legal structures and internalized as deeply felt shame, driving emotional and political behavior.

This "invisible code" was inextricably linked to gendered experiences of honor and sentiment. Men’s pursuit of honor was portrayed as rational and public, while women’s lives were framed through sentiment and emotional fulfillment. This constructed dichotomy legitimized the exclusion of women from political and public spaces under the guise of rationality. However, as the book illustrates, emotions—particularly male shame—were central to the social order, influencing decisions and actions in ways often overlooked by historians. By juxtaposing male honor with female sentiment, The Invisible Code critiques the flawed premise of rationality as a male domain, offering fresh insights into the interplay between gender, emotion, and social legitimacy in early 19th-century France. Through this lens, the study reveals how deeply embedded ideas of honor and sentiment shaped personal identities and the broader fabric of postrevolutionary society.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1997.