Female symbol of the Republic. The name originated in the Revolution, and was at first used pejoratively (with possible connotations of prostitution) by enemies of the new order; since then Marianne has been represented in many guises, which are traced in M. Agulhon's Marianne au combat (1979).

The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French. Copyright © 1995, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.