ABSTRACT
The bold and brazen group is named such because they reject playing "hard to get" by initiating amorous relationships. Unlike previous types, bold and brazen not only drive the action forward but also advocate female agency, especially in affairs of the heart. The point is not that bold and brazen heroines are completely separate from irrational heroines. Indeed, some bold and brazen heroines very closely resemble irrational heroines. In Catherine Durand's humorous Comedies en proverbes, heroines overstep social boundaries by brazenly acting on romantic inclinations. Like the bold and brazen heroines in Durand's proverbs, Triphine exposes the abusive social practices that prevent women from making their own choices in matters of the heart. Phaza questions traditional female roles and social constructs that inhibit a woman's ability to pursue her romantic inclinations. Unlike other bold and brazen heroines, however, Phaza does not initially acknowledge her own feelings because her education impedes her instincts.
