Peau d’Homme
(Man Skin) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
In this graphic novel set in Renaissance Italy, Bianca, a young girl from a good family, finds herself betrothed to Giovanni in an arrangeed marriage. Seeing her distressed at not being able to meet her fiancé before the wedding day, her aunt reveals the sercret of the women in the family: generation after generation, they pass down a man’s skin that they can wear to become Lorenzo and thus discover the secret world of mal social interactions. Thanks to this skin, Bianca will get closer to her betrothed and discover him beyond the limits imposed by social customs. At the same time, she becomes aware of the place given to women in this man’s world. This discovery gives rise to an irresistible desire for emancipation.
Edited by: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Comment:
With its refined, precise and sophisticated aesthetic, this comic book, halfway between a social fable and a satirical farce, offers a fast-paced adventure rich in themes: the status and place of women in a man’s world, homosexuality, gender confusion, religious fanaticism, and love.
The whole story revolves around a central question: what to do with the weight of the customs of one’s time?