ABSTRACT
In addition to marking Eliante Donalger's final public performance, the third change of costume signifies a clear loss of innocence through its blatant display of female sexuality. Eliante, by pretending vulnerability and putting her female body on open display, makes a last attempt to achieve the fantasy of female power. The utilisation of the female body is an important element in Rachilde's texts, and this has been apparent in each of the novels examined. Eliante is aware of the potential power of her female body and uses the curiosity of her audience to her advantage. In La Jongleuse, Rachilde uses her heroine's body to create a dream-like state, in order to mesmerise her audience. By donning the Spanish whore's costume, Rachilde's heroine becomes a caricature of female self-disparagement, an acknowledgement that all women are cheap and ultimately defined by their sexuality, with the only escape from this being death, which she exemplifies by the murderous end to all her performances.
