Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
Ebook110 pages2 hours
Against Marriage: The Correspondence of La Grande Mademoiselle
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this ebook
In seventeenth-century France, aristocratic women were valued by their families as commodities to be married off in exchange for money, social advantage, or military alliance. Once married, they became legally subservient to their husbands. The duchesse de Montpensier—a first cousin of Louis XIV—was one of very few exceptions, thanks to the vast wealth she inherited from her mother, who died shortly after Montpensier was born. She was also one of the few politically powerful women in France at the time to have been an accomplished writer.
In the daring letters presented in this bilingual edition, Montpensier condemns the alliance system of marriage, proposing instead to found a republic that she would govern, "a corner of the world in which . . . women are their own mistresses," and where marriage and even courtship would be outlawed. Her pastoral utopia would provide medical care and vocational training for the poor, and all the homes would have libraries and studies, so that each woman would have a "room of her own" in which to write books.
Joan DeJean's lively introduction and accessible translation of Montpensier's letters—four previously unpublished—allow us unprecedented access to the courageous voice of this extraordinary woman.
In the daring letters presented in this bilingual edition, Montpensier condemns the alliance system of marriage, proposing instead to found a republic that she would govern, "a corner of the world in which . . . women are their own mistresses," and where marriage and even courtship would be outlawed. Her pastoral utopia would provide medical care and vocational training for the poor, and all the homes would have libraries and studies, so that each woman would have a "room of her own" in which to write books.
Joan DeJean's lively introduction and accessible translation of Montpensier's letters—four previously unpublished—allow us unprecedented access to the courageous voice of this extraordinary woman.
Related to Against Marriage
Related ebooks
Complete Writings: Letterbook, Dialogue on Adam and Eve, Orations The Labor of the Mind: Intellect and Gender in Enlightenment Cultures Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Nobility and Excellence of Women and the Defects and Vices of Men Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dialogues and Addresses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Worth of Women: Wherein Is Clearly Revealed Their Nobility and Their Superiority to Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paternal Tyranny Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApology for the Woman Writing and Other Works Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Exemplary Tales of Love and Tales of Disillusion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Autobiography of an Aspiring Saint Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Contest for Knowledge: Debates over Women's Learning in Eighteenth-Century Italy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhether a Christian Woman Should Be Educated and Other Writings from Her Intellectual Circle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Inquisition of Francisca: A Sixteenth-Century Visionary on Trial Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelected Letters, Orations, and Rhetorical Dialogues Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Who Is Mary?: Three Early Modern Women on the Idea of the Virgin Mary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiscourse to Lady Lavinia His Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Debate of the Romance of the Rose Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Life and Death in a Venetian Convent: The Chronicle and Necrology of Corpus Domini, 1395-1436 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Floridoro: A Chivalric Romance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelected Philosophical and Scientific Writings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelected Poems and Translations: A Bilingual Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCompassion's Edge: Fellow-Feeling and Its Limits in Early Modern France Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Prosthetic Tongue: Printing Technology and the Rise of the French Language Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOptiques: The Science of the Eye and the Birth of Modern French Fiction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEdith Wharton in France Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsServants and the Gothic, 1764-1831: A half-told tale Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Name Is Philippa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeace and Penance in Late Medieval Italy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The First Governess of the Netherlands, Margaret of Austria Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Consumption of Justice: Emotions, Publicity, and Legal Culture in Marseille, 1264–1423 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVico and Naples: The Urban Origins of Modern Social Theory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Social Science For You
Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All About Love: New Visions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Men Explain Things to Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (Oprah's Book Club Selection) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Close Encounters with Addiction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Questions for Couples: 469 Thought-Provoking Conversation Starters for Connecting, Building Trust, and Rekindling Intimacy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related podcast episodes
"We are all latecomers": Martin Puchner's "Culture" (JP, EF): An interview with Martin Puchner 0% found this document useful"We are all latecomers": Martin Puchner's "Culture" (JP, EF): An interview with Martin Puchner 0% found this document useful"We are all latecomers": Martin Puchner's "Culture" (JP, EF): An interview with Martin Puchner 0% found this document usefulCan AI produce genuine culture? Martin Puchner on the future of artistic creativity in the age of the smart machine 0% found this document useful
Related articles
How Alice B. Toklas Found her Voice Through Food Literary HubArticle
How Alice B. Toklas Found her Voice Through Food
Jan 18, 2018
6 min readWhatever Happened to the Ecstasy of Art? Literary HubArticle
Whatever Happened to the Ecstasy of Art?
Dec 6, 2017
5 min readOn Moderata Fonte’s Feminist Reimagining of 16th-Century Venice Literary HubArticle
On Moderata Fonte’s Feminist Reimagining of 16th-Century Venice
Mar 27, 2018
9 min readThe First Feminist Manifesto All About HistoryArticle
The First Feminist Manifesto
Jun 17, 2021
6 min readWomen Of The Italian Renaissance Held Their Ground The Christian Science MonitorArticle
Women Of The Italian Renaissance Held Their Ground
Mar 7, 2024
The Italian Renaissance saw a flowering of great art, music, and literature that is nearly unrivaled in Western culture. But who were the Renaissance women, whose contributions have largely gone unnoticed and unheralded? In “Twenty-Five Women Who Sha
2 min readA Year in Reading: Martha Anne Toll The MillionsArticle
A Year in Reading: Martha Anne Toll
Dec 23, 2020
The drama! The agony! The misogyny! The biting social commentary! The pathos! The post A Year in Reading: Martha Anne Toll appeared first on The Millions.
4 min read10 College Courses to Read Along With This Semester (From Your Couch) Literary HubArticle
10 College Courses to Read Along With This Semester (From Your Couch)
Sep 6, 2017
7 min readTuesday New Release Day: Starring Rooney, Tóibín, Groff, and More The MillionsArticle
Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Rooney, Tóibín, Groff, and More
Sep 7, 2021
Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Sally Rooney, Colm Tóibín, Lauren Groff, and whole lot more—that are publishing this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Rooney, Tóibín, Groff, and More appeared first on The Mill
9 min readPsychedelic Survival Fortean TimesArticle
Psychedelic Survival
Jan 5, 2022
A Girl’s Life In The Incredible String Band Rose Simpson Strange Attractor Press 2021 Pb, 264pp, £17.50, ISBN 9781907222672 The Incredible String Band’s short career, 1966-1971, saw the release of eight albums and a unique performance legacy. Combini
8 min readNine Books About Groups That Changed the World The AtlanticArticle
Nine Books About Groups That Changed the World
Jun 26, 2022
7 min readBooks The Big IssueArticle
Books
May 22, 2023
6 min readBest Nonfiction Books TIMEArticle
Best Nonfiction Books
Dec 15, 2021
3 min readBest Nonfiction Books Time Magazine International EditionArticle
Best Nonfiction Books
Dec 16, 2021
3 min readPhilosophy’s Big Oversight The AtlanticArticle
Philosophy’s Big Oversight
Apr 17, 2023
5 min readTwelve Ways to Resurrect the Dead, Which Is to Say: To Write Poets & WritersArticle
Twelve Ways to Resurrect the Dead, Which Is to Say: To Write
Dec 14, 2022
1. The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day (Chronicle Books, 2015) translated by Ogden Goelet, Raymond Faulkner, Carol A. R. Andrews, J. Daniel Gunther, James Wasserman. On not dying a second time. Nor losing your heart in the g
5 min readBooks The Big IssueArticle
Books
Aug 22, 2022
6 min readBooks for International Women’s Day, March 8 The Big IssueArticle
Books for International Women’s Day, March 8
Mar 7, 2022
A genre-busting novella written in 1666 about a woman who becomes empress of an alternate world and moulds it into a utopia free from war, religious division and gender inequality. A paean to the potential of unfettered female imagination. Relegated
1 min readA Dizzying Labyrinth Of Credulity Fortean TimesArticle
A Dizzying Labyrinth Of Credulity
Jan 27, 2022
TO SEND REVIEW COPIES, CONTACT THE BOOK REVIEWS EDITOR AT DVBARRETT@FORTEANTIMES.COM From Oracles at Delphi to Spiritualism in America Loren Pankratz Prometheus Books 2021 Hb, £25, 472pp, ISBN 9781633886681 If you have ever asked yourself “How can an
11 min readÁlvaro Enrigue Won’t Romanticize Mexican History The MillionsArticle
Álvaro Enrigue Won’t Romanticize Mexican History
Mar 26, 2024
"'You Dreamed of Empires' is at open war with the romantic representations of the Mexican past." The post Álvaro Enrigue Won’t Romanticize Mexican History appeared first on The Millions.
6 min readLife And Death At The Rothko Chapel The Texas ObserverArticle
Life And Death At The Rothko Chapel
Jan 1, 2023
In a part of Houston famous for its giant live oaks, museums, and million-dollar homes, 3900 Yupon Street looks out of place. With its bland brown brick facade, it could be just another building that schoolchildren throw balls against during recess.
5 min readReviews All About HistoryArticle
Reviews
Jul 15, 2021
6 min readWoman letters All About HistoryArticle
Woman letters
Mar 21, 2024
6 min readA Year in Reading: McKenzie Wark The MillionsArticle
A Year in Reading: McKenzie Wark
Dec 13, 2023
In 2023, it was a lot of books connected one way or another to raving, transsexuality, and autofiction. The post A Year in Reading: McKenzie Wark appeared first on The Millions.
3 min readThe Unholy Roman Empire All About HistoryArticle
The Unholy Roman Empire
Jan 31, 2024
3 min readHow Cleanliness and Beauty Became Intertwined in the 18th Century Literary HubArticle
How Cleanliness and Beauty Became Intertwined in the 18th Century
Dec 11, 2019
5 min readTuesday New Release Day: Starring Davis, Jackson, Comensal, Pinckney, and More The MillionsArticle
Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Davis, Jackson, Comensal, Pinckney, and More
Nov 12, 2019
This week's new releases include books from Lydia Davis, Lauren Michele Jackson, Jorge Comensal, Darryl Pinckney, and more. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Davis, Jackson, Comensal, Pinckney, and More appeared first on The Millions.
5 min readJohn Fanning: Questioning is Political Guernica MagazineArticle
John Fanning: Questioning is Political
Jul 19, 2018
12 min readDefender of Women All About HistoryArticle
Defender of Women
Aug 13, 2020
8 min readWayne Koestenbaum: “I Use Obscene As A Term Of Praise.” Guernica MagazineArticle
Wayne Koestenbaum: “I Use Obscene As A Term Of Praise.”
Jul 2, 2019
15 min readThe Best of the University Presses: 100 Books to Escape the News Literary HubArticle
The Best of the University Presses: 100 Books to Escape the News
May 1, 2020
25 min read
Related categories
Reviews for Against Marriage
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Against Marriage - Anne-Marie-Louise d'Orléans, Duchesse de Montpensier
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1