aesthetic epiphany sets her head to spin. This little crisis culminates in Nîmes, south of Avignon, where she strolls through a garden ecstatically absorbing the flowers, the warm air, and the beauty of an approaching storm. There, Renée comes to understand that such an experience is God-given—and given only to vagabonds and the solitary. Real joy, real freedom, and genuine identity are found, she sees, in rootlessness and wandering—no matter where, no matter what. Renée now begins to consider how to break off with Max, having chosen freedom and thus refused the confinement of marriage to Max.

Colette's fictional works are distinguished by their straightforward plots, intriguing yet typically not highly talented or exceptional characters, vividly depicted settings, and superb writing style. The Vagabond exemplifies these attributes. The focus on the heroine makes the use of the first person narrative fitting. Renee narrates her story compellingly. Colette employs accessible and meaningful symbols, such as mirrors. The story begins with Renee sitting in front of a mirror in her dressing room, preparing to go on stage. As she looks at the "stranger" in the reflection, she begins to ponder her situation and identity. Within the first few pages, she receives a note from Max, an audience member who wishes to meet her, setting the narrative in motion.

Colette also utilizes epistolary communication in a somewhat old-fashioned manner. Once Renee leaves Paris to tour with the theatrical troupe, her interactions with Max (mostly one-sided) occur through letters. This technique, though not novel in the history of fiction, becomes a deeply significant aspect of the novel. In Colette's skilled hands, the letter-writing takes on greater importance. Since Renee is both a writer and a performer, her letters hold more meaning than mere correspondence. As she writes to Max about her experiences and feelings, she gains deeper insights into herself. Near the story's end, while still contemplating accepting Max, she writes a revealing passage: "Behind my teasing there's a nasty little desire to simplify you, to humiliate in you the old adversary: that's what I've always called the man who is destined to possess me." Clearly, Renee is engaged in self-discovery, moving towards her ultimate decision to reject Max.

Setting plays a crucial role in Colette's work. In The Vagabond, she demonstrates the influence of her early reading of Balzac, whom she referred to as her literary "cradle." Similar to Balzac's novels, where characters are shaped by their environments, Colette's settings significantly impact her characters' nature or state of mind. Thus, when Renee's tour takes her south through the region of her childhood, her mood shifts, and she begins to resist the confines of marriage. Colette, like Proust, believed that the only true paradises are the lost ones. As Renee reflects on the beauty of the countryside, she realizes that the "glory in the flower" can never be fully recaptured. Nonetheless, this memory empowers her to take the courageous step of refusing Max.

Colette's exceptional prose style has been extensively praised. She confessed to putting significant effort into it, achieving what such dedication should: it remains invisible. Typically, her personal essays, sketches, and reminiscences are crafted in a more elegant and embellished manner, while her fictional works are written in a more concise, economical, and direct language. One reason her texts are easily adapted for the stage is not just their heavy reliance on dialogue but also her skill in writing clear, straightforward sentences filled with concrete words. Both styles are evident in The Vagabond. When there is action, the writing tends to be more direct and economical. As Renee reflects on her situation, Colette indulges in a more lyrical and expressive style, which is especially notable in her autobiographical works. Given the autobiographical nature of The Vagabond, this approach seems fitting.

One of the most significant social phenomena of the early twentieth century was an age-old issue: the subordinate and often severely oppressed position of women. No one understood this reality better than Colette, partly due to her life experiences and partly because of her own sensitivity and compassion. Her marriage to the domineering and worldly Willy heightened her awareness of the harsh reality that, until 1893 (the year she married Willy), women typically earned only half the salary of men for the same work. Perhaps even more frustrating for Colette was that, until 1907, women were not permitted to manage their own finances — a wife's income was controlled by her husband. Consequently, a central theme of The Vagabond is the dual dilemma faced by the protagonist, Renee Nere (critics have noted the name is nearly a palindrome): she gains independence from her oppressive husband but is then forced to rely on her own resources to make a living.

This situation reflects Colette's own life, as she had divorced Willy the year before the novel's publication and had taken to the stage to support herself. While the novel contains clear autobiographical elements, Colette's focus on the psychological aspects of her heroine's life and her depiction of the music hall performers' world elevate the work to an artistic portrayal of human relationships in a believable, well-realized setting. Undoubtedly the most personal and likely the most analytical of Colette's novels, The Vagabond addresses the serious question of what a woman must become to live a meaningful life alone in a society that, as Colette once remarked, viewed divorce as a stain on a woman's reputation and where most respectable professions were simply inaccessible to women.

The primary conflict in the book occurs within the heroine's mind. She must decide whether to accept a marriage proposal from the wealthy Marquis de Fontanges (Max), following the "feminine instinct of bowing down to worship," as she described the impulse in The Retreat from Love (La Retraite Sentimentale, 1907), or to maintain her independence and career. This reflects the contemporary dilemma faced by women who must choose between marriage or a career, or find a way to balance both commitments.

During the six years Colette spent in music halls, she learned a tremendous amount, as she was constantly writing and trying to understand herself. The issue of whether a woman's quest to discover her true identity and role in society is a social concern is complex. However, in the works of Colette, who is one of the most personal and private authors, this question attains an almost metaphysical significance. Much like Jane Austen, Colette can be said to explore the fundamental fabric of society: the dynamics between men and women, and the role of women within the family and the professional world.

Balzac significantly influenced Colette's literary work. A commentator has identified no fewer than fifty-five references to the renowned nineteenth-century novelist or his works in Colette's writings. However, the most direct precedent for a novel like The Vagabond was the wave of novels by women focusing on sex and erotic adventures. These novels had legitimate foundations in works by Balzac and Gautier, which, for instance, addressed themes like lesbianism. Such topics, including pederasty, appeared in numerous novels, many authored by women around the turn of the century. The distinction, of course, is that Colette treated the subject with seriousness. Despite admitting that she sometimes included sexual details in her earlier works to attract readers, she approached love at all levels as a significant matter.

A notable example is found in The Ripening Seed (1956; Le Blé en herbe, 1923), a short novel about the blossoming love between two teenagers. When the periodical publishers serializing the story realized that the boy and girl were about to engage in a sexual encounter, they halted its publication. The novel, like all her later works, does not indulge in frivolous joking or sniggering about sex. It demonstrates the author's understanding of the complex implications of sexual desire and the "exhausting sexual positive" price. In this regard, Colette had no true precedents, especially among female authors. Just as she pioneered in exploring the challenges faced by women choosing a career over marriage, she also shed significant light on how the "need for love" can either distort or enrich a woman's life. While most of her themes had been previously addressed, none had been explored with her depth and insight.

Nearly all of Colette's complete novels, including many of her novellas like Gigi, can be linked to The Vagabond despite significant differences in their plots. Recurring themes and situations are evident across her works. Women of exceptional talent and character paired with or married to lesser men frequently appear in Colette's stories. The beauty of nature and youth is often contrasted with the decay of urban life, particularly in Paris, among adults.

The title most pertinent to consider alongside The Vagabond is Recaptured (1931; L'Entrave, 1913; also known in English as The Shackle, 1964), which acts as a minor sequel. The narrative ultimately brings Renee into the embrace of a man she is willing to yield to. Although the text is of lesser quality, the themes and conflicts remain consistent. Renee acknowledges that her relationship with Jean will be a kind of negotiated compromise with her aspirations and integrity as an independent woman.

The Vagabond was adapted into a rather successful play by Colette and Leopold Marchand, with whom she collaborated on several dramas, in 1923. The main differences between the novel and the play are that the stage version is essentially a comedy and features livelier dialogue, written in a much lighter style and tone. In revivals of this play, Colette occasionally portrayed Renee.

The first film adaptation was crafted by Colette, who wrote the scenario, along with Musidora and Eugenio Peregio, in 1917. This version was filmed in Rome and released in Paris in 1918, closely following the stage play. Another film was made based on the story, with Colette contributing only some additional scenes. The script for this version was written by Solange Bussi, who took some liberties with the novel. This film was released in 1932.