Marie-Catherine de Villedieu
Encyclopedia
Marie-Catherine de Villedieu, born Marie-Catherine Desjardins and generally referred to as Madame de Villedieu (1640 - 20 October 1683) was a French
writer of plays, novels and short fiction. Largely forgotten or eclipsed by other writers of the period (such as Madame de Lafayette) in the works of literary historians of the 19th and 20th centuries, Madame de Villedieu is currently enjoying a literary revival.
Madame de Villedieu was born at Alençon
, the second daughter of Guillaume Desjardins and Catherine Ferrand, who worked as a ladies' maid for the wife of duke Henri de Rohan-Montbazon. After the divorce of her parents in 1655 the fifteen year old girl was taken by her mother to Paris
. She came under the protection of the duchess of Rohan
(thanks to the poems she presented her). Louis XIV
gave Madame de Villedieu a pension of 1500 livres
. She was admitted to the Academy of the Ricovrati of Padua
. She died at Saint-Rémy-du-Val
(Sarthe
).
Madame de Villedieu was prolific in the genre of "nouvelles historiques" and "nouvelles galantes" which began to appear in France in the 1660s. An interest in love, psychological analysis, moral dilemmas and social constraints permeated these relatively short novels. When the action was placed in an historical setting, this was increasingly a setting in the recent past, and although still filled with anachronisms, these novels showed an interest in historical detail; these are generally called "nouvelles historiques". A number of these short novels recounted the "secret history" of a famous event, linking the action generally to an amorous intrigue; these were called "histoires galantes". Les Désordres de l’Amour is perhaps Madame de Villedieu's most well-known work in this genre.
Her masterpiece is perhaps the pseudo-memoir novel Mémoires de la vie d'Henriette-Sylvie de Molière, a remarkably realistic story (in the vein of a picaresque novel
) recounting the economic and emotional misfortunes of a young woman in contemporary French society.
Along with her novels, she wrote three plays: the tragicomedy
Manlius performed with critical success by the actors of the Hôtel de Bourgogne
in 1662 (the play engendered a debate between Jean Donneau de Visé
and François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac
concerning its historic accuracy); the tragedy
Nitétis performed April 27, 1663; and the tragicomedy Le Favori, performed April 24, 1665 at Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris
and June 13, 1665 at Versailles
.
She died at her manor in Clinchemore in 1683.
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...
writer of plays, novels and short fiction. Largely forgotten or eclipsed by other writers of the period (such as Madame de Lafayette) in the works of literary historians of the 19th and 20th centuries, Madame de Villedieu is currently enjoying a literary revival.
Madame de Villedieu was born at Alençon
Alençon
Alençon is a commune in Normandy, France, capital of the Orne department. It is situated west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon .-History:...
, the second daughter of Guillaume Desjardins and Catherine Ferrand, who worked as a ladies' maid for the wife of duke Henri de Rohan-Montbazon. After the divorce of her parents in 1655 the fifteen year old girl was taken by her mother to 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...
. She came under the protection of the duchess of Rohan
Rohan (family)
The House of Rohan is a family of viscounts, later dukes and princes, coming from the locality of Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët and said to trace back to the legendary Conan Meriadoc. Through the Porhoët, the Rohan are related to the Dukes of Brittany, with...
(thanks to the poems she presented her). Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis 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...
gave Madame de Villedieu a pension of 1500 livres
Livre tournois
The livre tournois |pound]]) was:#one of numerous currencies used in France in the Middle Ages; and#a unit of account used in France in the Middle Ages and the early modern period.-Circulating currency:...
. She was admitted to the Academy of the Ricovrati of Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
. She died at Saint-Rémy-du-Val
Saint-Rémy-du-Val
Saint-Rémy-du-Val is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France.-References:*...
(Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
).
Madame de Villedieu was prolific in the genre of "nouvelles historiques" and "nouvelles galantes" which began to appear in France in the 1660s. An interest in love, psychological analysis, moral dilemmas and social constraints permeated these relatively short novels. When the action was placed in an historical setting, this was increasingly a setting in the recent past, and although still filled with anachronisms, these novels showed an interest in historical detail; these are generally called "nouvelles historiques". A number of these short novels recounted the "secret history" of a famous event, linking the action generally to an amorous intrigue; these were called "histoires galantes". Les Désordres de l’Amour is perhaps Madame de Villedieu's most well-known work in this genre.
Her masterpiece is perhaps the pseudo-memoir novel Mémoires de la vie d'Henriette-Sylvie de Molière, a remarkably realistic story (in the vein of a picaresque novel
Picaresque novel
The picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
) recounting the economic and emotional misfortunes of a young woman in contemporary French society.
Along with her novels, she wrote three plays: the tragicomedy
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
Manlius performed with critical success by the actors of the Hôtel de Bourgogne
Hôtel de Bourgogne
Until the 16th century, the Hôtel de Bourgogne was the name of the Paris residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. Today, the last vestige is the Tour Jean sans Peur, 20 rue Étienne Marcel, in the 2nd arrondissement.-Theatre:...
in 1662 (the play engendered a debate between Jean Donneau de Visé
Jean Donneau de Visé
Jean Donneau de Visé was a French journalist, royal historian , playwright and publicist. He was founder of the literary, arts and society gazette "le Mercure galant" and was associated with the "Moderns" in the "Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns".Donneau de Visé was among the detractors...
and François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac
François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac
François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac was a French author who was born in Paris.His father practised at the Paris bar, and his mother was a daughter of the great surgeon Ambroise Paré...
concerning its historic accuracy); the 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...
Nitétis performed April 27, 1663; and the tragicomedy Le Favori, performed April 24, 1665 at Théâtre du Palais-Royal in 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 June 13, 1665 at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
.
She died at her manor in Clinchemore in 1683.
Works
- Anaxandre, Jean Ribou, Paris (1667)
- Fables ou Histoires allégoriques dédiées au roy, Claude Barbin, Paris (1670)
- Le Favori, tragicomedy, [s.n.], Paris ; Amsterdam (1666)
- Manlius Torquatus, tragicomedy, [s.n.], Paris (1662)
- Le Portrait des faiblesses humaines, Henry Desbordes, Amsterdam (1686)
- Recueil de poésies, C. Barbin, Paris (1662)
- Alcidamie (1661)
- Les Amours des Grands Hommes (1671), http://www.ecampus.com/book/0773478671
- Anaxandre. Nouvelle (1667)
- Les Annales galantes (1670)
- Les Annales galantes de Grèce (1687)
- Carmente, histoire grecque (1668)
- Cléonice ou le Roman galant. Nouvelle (1669)
- Les Désordres de l’amour (1675)
- Les Exilés (1672-1673)
- Fables, ou histoires allégoriques (1670)
- Les Galanteries grenadines (1672-1673)
- Le Journal amoureux (1669-1671)
- Lettres et billets galants (1667)
- Lisandre. Nouvelle (1663)
- Mémoires de la vie de Henriette-Sylvie de Molière (1672-1674)
- Nitétis, tragedy, 1663
- Nouveau recueil de pièces galantes (1669)
- Les Nouvelles africaines (1673)
- Le Portefeuille (1674)
- Le Portrait des faiblesses humaines (1685)
- Récit en prose et en vers de la farce des Précieuses (1660)
- Recueil de quelques lettres et relations galantes (1668)
Works available online (in French)
- Anaxandre. Nouvelle
- Fables, ou histoires allégoriques dédiées au roy
- Manlius Torquatus, tragi-comédie
- Le Portrait des faiblesses humaines
- Récit en prose et en vers de la farce des Précieuses (1660)
External links
- Madame de Villedieu
- Bio-bibliographical entry of “Mme de Villedieu”, by Donna Kuizenga (2004), for the SIEFAR Dictionnary of Women in Early Modern France
- Micheline Cuénin, Roman et société sous Louis XIV : Madame de Villedieu (Marie-Catherine Desjardins 1640-1683), Paris, Champion, 1979, 2 t. ; on the Website Madame de Villedieu, Copyright © Editions Honoré Champion 2007
- Studies on Mme de Villedieu, in French
- Her novel Mémoire de la vie de Henriette-Sylvie de Molière on Amazon.fr
- Marie Catherine Desjardins /Madame de Villedieu (1640?-1683) Other Women's Voices