Claire de Duras
Encyclopedia
Claire, Duchess of Duras (née
de Kersaint; 1777, Brest, France
– 1828) was a French writer best known for her 1823 novel called Ourika
, which examines issues of racial and sexual equality, and which inspired the 1969 John Fowles
novel The French Lieutenant's Woman
.
in 1789, and returned to France in 1808 as the Duchess of Duras. She maintained a famous literary salon
in post-Revolutionary Paris
and was the close friend of Chateaubriand
, who she had met while in exile in London
, and who helped her to publish her books.
Ourika was published anonymously in 1823, one of five novels Claire de Duras had written during the previous year; only two of them were published during her lifetime. The three novellas that she did publish were only done so in order to prevent any possible plagiarism
.
Claire de Duras treated complex and controversial subjects, primarily dealing with oppressed/marginalized characters. She explored many fundamental principles of the French Revolution
, and touched upon the intellectual debates of the Age of Enlightenment
, particularly the equality of all men -- and women. In holding with these subjects, tragedy
is a common theme. For a long time she was seen as the writer of small and unimportant sentimental novels, but recent criticism has revealed her works to be treasure troves of postmodern identity theory. It is likely she has not been well read because her choice and treatment of subject could not be appreciated until recently; she was ahead of her time.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
de Kersaint; 1777, Brest, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– 1828) was a French writer best known for her 1823 novel called Ourika
Ourika
Ourika is an 1823 novel by Claire de Duras, originally published anonymously.-Overview:The story is based on a few bare bones of historical facts, and was committed to the page by Claire de Duras. She only did so to prevent any possible plagiarism, as she recounted the story — with much...
, which examines issues of racial and sexual equality, and which inspired the 1969 John Fowles
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
novel The French Lieutenant's Woman
The French Lieutenant's Woman
The French Lieutenant’s Woman , by John Fowles, is a period novel inspired by the 1823 novel Ourika, by Claire de Duras, which Fowles translated into English in 1977...
.
Biography
Claire de Duras left her native France for London during the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in 1789, and returned to France in 1808 as the Duchess of Duras. She maintained a famous literary salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
in post-Revolutionary Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and was the close friend of Chateaubriand
François-René de Chateaubriand
François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian. He is considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature.-Early life and exile:...
, who she had met while in exile in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and who helped her to publish her books.
Ourika was published anonymously in 1823, one of five novels Claire de Duras had written during the previous year; only two of them were published during her lifetime. The three novellas that she did publish were only done so in order to prevent any possible plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
.
Claire de Duras treated complex and controversial subjects, primarily dealing with oppressed/marginalized characters. She explored many fundamental principles of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, and touched upon the intellectual debates of the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, particularly the equality of all men -- and women. In holding with these subjects, tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
is a common theme. For a long time she was seen as the writer of small and unimportant sentimental novels, but recent criticism has revealed her works to be treasure troves of postmodern identity theory. It is likely she has not been well read because her choice and treatment of subject could not be appreciated until recently; she was ahead of her time.
Published during her life
- Olivier (1822)
- OurikaOurikaOurika is an 1823 novel by Claire de Duras, originally published anonymously.-Overview:The story is based on a few bare bones of historical facts, and was committed to the page by Claire de Duras. She only did so to prevent any possible plagiarism, as she recounted the story — with much...
(1823) - Edouard (1825)
Published posthumously
- Pensées de Louis XIVLouis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, extraites de ses ouvrages et de ses lettres manuscrites. Thoughts of Louis XIV: extracts of his writings. (1827)
Unfinished works
- Le Moine du Saint-Bernard. The Monk of Saint-Bernard.
- Les Mémoires de Sophie. Sophie's Memoirs.