A Chambermaid's Diary

"A Chambermaid's Diary" by Octave Mirbeau is a late 19th-century novel told through the diary entries of Célestine, a French chambermaid working for a rich couple in the countryside, using her journal, she shows the hidden corruption of social classes, exploitation, and disturbing human connections that are woven together. As Célestine begins her new job at the Priory estate, her writings express both her worry and unhappiness; she talks about when she arrived, what she thought of Monsieur and Madame Lanlaire, and how much she hates the repetitiveness and lies that she is surrounded by. Her observations on the awful attitudes of her employers and other servants, along with the mockery of middle-class standards, reflect deeper problems about class and virtue that are looked at in the diary and, Célestine’s character is complicated, she is both prideful and open, wishing to escape from her limited position but at the time is trapped in society.