Marie-Joëlle Guillaume recounts eleven lives of nuns, writers or rulers. A beautiful landscape against a background of ultra-Catholicism.
Published: 07.10.2022, 19:03
The young Anne of Austria seen by Pierre-Paul Rubens around 1625, detail. She was then the queen of Alexandre Dumas’ “Three Musketeers”.
DR.
For once it is not a “trend” of 2022. If this year it is compared everywhere to women, historical publishing has long been publishing great books for the general public focused on queens, courtesans or adventurers. Nothing out of the ordinary there. There are more female readers than male readers, and it was about making them dream of power, glory or love (the three elements can be combined). There was therefore a certain historical exoticism in which everything seemed granted to the “second sex”, which by far did not happen in the bland everyday reality. Furthermore, everything was guaranteed on invoice in the biographies published in France by Fayard or Perrin. His own story!
A 13,000-page novel
Marie-Joëlle Guillaume forces the dose today in “Le Grand Siècle au Feminine”, which comes out of Perrin. There are eleven life stories about “Women of faith, culture and government”. They range from creators or leaders of religious orders, such as Barbe Acarie or Angélique Arnaud, to women of letters, including Madame de Sévigné or Madame de La Fayette, passing through politicians. Anne of Austria (who was actually Spanish) ran France during Louis XIV’s minority. she whispered Madame de Maintenon in the ear of the same monarch, who had become an old gentleman. All successfully. Also taken into consideration by Marie-Joëlle Guillaume, Madeleine de Scudéry was suddenly the most authoritative of the 17th century French with novels in episodes that gladly exceeded ten thousand pages. Thirteen thousand for “Le Grand Cyrus”. The world before television had a lot of time!
And the painters, then?
The stories are well done. Flattering for those interested. However, a certain annoyance arises long before this seriously documented volume. This is due to a militant and painful Catholicism that ends up transforming the company into an edifying work. Marie-Joëlle has her pen (or something else) dipped in holy water. It is true that with the same publisher we owe him a “Vincent de Paul” (2016) and a “For God and for the King, twelve prelates who have marked the history of France” (2019). So we have been warned. But it is to be feared that the criterion for the calotina minus influenced his panel of the “Grand Siècle for women”. Indeed, she could have understood the painters Louise Moillon or Sophie Chéron (the first woman admitted to the Academy). But they were Protestants. We might have expected the courtesan Ninon de Lenclos. But she is one of the first free thinkers in history. Atheist to the tips of his manicured nails.
So take the book as it is. A partial and partial aspect of the argument. Having said that, even if it means repeating myself, Marie-Joëlle Guillaume knows her subject well.
Practice
“The Grand Siècle for women”, by Marie-Joëlle Guillaume at Editions Perrin, 382 pages.
No and 1948, Etienne Dumont he studied in Geneva which were of little use to him. Latin, Greek, right. Failed lawyer, he devoted himself to journalism. Very often in the cultural sections, from March 1974 to May 2013 he worked at the “Tribune de Genève”, starting by talking about cinema. Then came the fine arts and books. Other than that, as you can see, nothing to report.More information
– The women of the Grand Siècle had the power
Marie-Joëlle Guillaume recounts eleven lives of nuns, writers or rulers. A beautiful landscape against a background of ultra-Catholicism.
The young Anne of Austria seen by Pierre-Paul Rubens around 1625, detail. She was then the queen of Alexandre Dumas’ “Three Musketeers”.
DR.
For once it is not a “trend” of 2022. If this year it is compared everywhere to women, historical publishing has long been publishing great books for the general public focused on queens, courtesans or adventurers. Nothing out of the ordinary there. There are more female readers than male readers, and it was about making them dream of power, glory or love (the three elements can be combined). There was therefore a certain historical exoticism in which everything seemed granted to the “second sex”, which by far did not happen in the bland everyday reality. Furthermore, everything was guaranteed on invoice in the biographies published in France by Fayard or Perrin. His own story!
A 13,000-page novel
Marie-Joëlle Guillaume forces the dose today in “Le Grand Siècle au Feminine”, which comes out of Perrin. There are eleven life stories about “Women of faith, culture and government”. They range from creators or leaders of religious orders, such as Barbe Acarie or Angélique Arnaud, to women of letters, including Madame de Sévigné or Madame de La Fayette, passing through politicians. Anne of Austria (who was actually Spanish) ran France during Louis XIV’s minority. she whispered Madame de Maintenon in the ear of the same monarch, who had become an old gentleman. All successfully. Also taken into consideration by Marie-Joëlle Guillaume, Madeleine de Scudéry was suddenly the most authoritative of the 17th century French with novels in episodes that gladly exceeded ten thousand pages. Thirteen thousand for “Le Grand Cyrus”. The world before television had a lot of time!
And the painters, then?
The stories are well done. Flattering for those interested. However, a certain annoyance arises long before this seriously documented volume. This is due to a militant and painful Catholicism that ends up transforming the company into an edifying work. Marie-Joëlle has her pen (or something else) dipped in holy water. It is true that with the same publisher we owe him a “Vincent de Paul” (2016) and a “For God and for the King, twelve prelates who have marked the history of France” (2019). So we have been warned. But it is to be feared that the criterion for the calotina minus influenced his panel of the “Grand Siècle for women”. Indeed, she could have understood the painters Louise Moillon or Sophie Chéron (the first woman admitted to the Academy). But they were Protestants. We might have expected the courtesan Ninon de Lenclos. But she is one of the first free thinkers in history. Atheist to the tips of his manicured nails.
So take the book as it is. A partial and partial aspect of the argument. Having said that, even if it means repeating myself, Marie-Joëlle Guillaume knows her subject well.
Practice
“The Grand Siècle for women”, by Marie-Joëlle Guillaume at Editions Perrin, 382 pages.
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