Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni ironiste : autoreprésentation et discours critique

Abstract

The 18th century is an ambivalent period when it comes to the role and place of women intellectuals. If the Enlightenment sees the number of female writers grow exponentially, they are, however, still subjected to the stereotypes and restrictions carried by the authoritative discourse of the time. Letters, as a literary space at the border of official literature, become a powerful medium of expression for women, allowing them to assert their ideas and shape their auctorial image. Taking into account this historical and literary background, this article analyzes the correspondence of Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni, an emblematic female writer of the second half of the 18th century, through the prism of irony as a discursive strategy. Her letters to David Hume, David Garrick, Robert Liston and Choderlos de Laclos highlight the importance of irony, not only as a tool for auctorial self-fashioning, but also as a way of expressing dissident opinions on 18th century society. On a larger scope, this article aims to give an overview of the way 18th century women authors voice sometimes controversial opinions, under a regime that heavily limits their agency.