Unconventionality in Harland’s “The Bohemian Girl”

Harland is a writer whose style and subject matter was undoubtedly influenced by French aesthetics, particularly from his time in Paris. Despite being an American who spent many years in London, he cites French writers such as Maupassant, Daudet, and Mérimée as his greatest literary influences (Mix 61). Harland admired the emotional quality of French poetry and of the French people, which was a refreshing change compared to what he called “practical” English (97). He spent several years living in Paris and engaging with literary cafes and cabarets, which can be considered the inspiration for “The Bohemian Girl.”

Harland’s admiration of romantic French realism is evident in the rich detail the narrator of “The Bohemian Girl” uses to describe his experiences in bohemian Paris. Harland’s story is littered with references to Parisian landmarks and famous boulevards, which evokes the romantic imagery and detail typical of an expat writer. The narrator of this story is an active participant of the bohemian community, inhabiting the fictional bohemian Cafe Bleu in the Latin Quarter. The narrator describes conversations which the reader can infer would be similar to the discussions Harland himself took part in while in Paris.

The inclusivity and freedom Harland offers to Nina’s character is echoed in his work as editor of The Yellow Book. Unlike other periodicals of the time, The Yellow Book published texts by women, which confronted the patriarchal assumptions of the literary sphere as these women writers challenged mainstream ideals on female sexuality and freedom (Hughes 850). For female poets, getting published in a periodical was the chance to express radical content and contribute to contemporary debates using prose and poetry (Hughes 866). Harland’s Nina is not a New Woman poet, but rather the related French independent woman whose character remains true to bohemian values. By projecting these non-conventional values into The Yellow Book Harland is contributing to a bohemian discussion not unlike those that took place in literary cafes, both those in real life and in “The Bohemian Girl”. “The Bohemian Girl” brings clear bohemian values to The Yellow Book which remains in dialogue with New Woman and other anti-conformist works in the periodical. However not all texts and images in The Yellow Book were in line with the values of “The Bohemian Girl”, therefore The Yellow Book functions as a material space for progressive and provocative ideas to be discussed and challenged.