La Grande Mademoiselle at the Court of France 1627-1693 (review)

Abstract

Book Reviews247 Reviews Vincent J. Pitts. La Grande Mademoiselle at the Court of France 1627-1693. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2000. ISBN: 0-8018-6466-6. Pp. 367. $42.00. Vincent J. Pitts has written a remarkably thorough and accessible biography of Anne-Marie-Louise d'Orléans, also known as La Grande Mademoiselle , a cousin to Louis XIV. His account offers a rich and fascinating context in which to situate this "heroine ofthe Fronde" in the classic age ofabsolutism. Proceeding with care and precision, Pitts divides his study chronologically, spanning Mademoiselle's lifetime (1627-1693). The greatest strength ofhis work lies in its combination of a detailed critical study of a notable woman and a composite view ofthe intellectual and literary history ofher age. Pitts's study emphasizes Mademoiselle's perceptions of court life as evidenced by her Mémoires, letters, literary portraits, essays, and short stories . Pitts warns his readers that his book is not objective. Rather, "it attempts to see matters as Mademoiselle saw them, giving people and events the importance Mademoiselle assigned them, and to 'intervene' to offer appropriate background, suggest a modern insight, or correct any glaring errors of chronology in Mademoiselle's recollections" (xii). Viewed through Mademoiselle's writings, Pitts's text begins with an examination ofher childhood and continues with her insights into the ministries of Richelieu and Mazarin; her participation in the Fronde, eariiing her the lasting mistrust of Louis XIV; her deep disillusionment with her father (Gaston d'Orléans) and her betrayal at his hands; and her five long years of exile (Chapters 1-4). Pitts then traces Mademoiselle's return to the court and her effort to ingratiate herselfwith the inner circle ofqueen, king, cardinal, and younger brother; he details her complicated relationship with her stepmother and half sisters; and he concludes with her famous love affair and failed engagement to Antonin de Lauzun, a mere officer of the king's guard (Chapters 5-8). Throughout the study, Pitts shows Mademoiselle's struggle to maintain her independence of choice, especially in matrimonial matters. Mademoiselle's life and writings offer a running commentary on events as seen at the highest levels ofthe aristocracy, providing a unique perspective on seventeenth-century France. Mirrored in her writings are issues of class, gender, and misalliance; the evolution ofaristocratic resistance to the centralizing power of the state; the dissention and disarray within the royal family; and the clash between the public and private spheres. Her observations of Louis XIVs most successful years give rise to reflections on the paradox of her own time: women who had played a leading role in public life were subjected to abuse in private. As Pitts's account makes clear, Mademoiselle, strong as she may have been seen from the outside (she was called the "Second Maid of Orléans" after her heroic deeds during the Fronde), was a mere pawn in the court factions. Her attempts to control her own destiny, so clearly illustrated by the affaire Lauzun, were doomed to failure. Nonetheless, she takes pains to demonstrate that she remained in control of her life. 248Women in French Studies French literary specialists might be disappointed that the extracts from Mademoiselle's Mémoires and other works are offered only in translation, but their disappointment should be tempered by the precise and helpful notes at the end of each chapter as well as a comprehensive bibliography and index. Carefully nuanced and wide-ranging in its frame ofreference, Pitts's analysis sheds new light on our understanding of Mademoiselle's contribution to the history and literature of her time. Pitts crafts his writing with such suspense that he will seduce specialists and non-specialists alike. Vanessa H. ArnaudUniversity of California, Los Angeles Aimée Boutin. Maternal Echoes:The Poetry ofMarcelineDesbordes-Valmore and Alphonse de Lamartine-Newark: University of Delaware Press and London: Associated University Presses, 2001. ISBN: 0-87413-727-6. Pp. 246. This is a ground-breaking comparative analysis oftwo leading poets ofthe first generation of French romantics, Marceline Desbordes-Valmore and Alphonse de Lamartine. Although many studies of gendered writing situate women writers over and against their male counterparts, Boutin instead traces a matrilineal geneaology in...