Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni's Epistolary Feminism: Fact, Fiction, and Voice by Marijn S. Kaplan

Abstract

Reviewed by: Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni's Epistolary Feminism: Fact, Fiction, and Voice by Marijn S. Kaplan Jeanne Hageman Kaplan, Marijn S. Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni's Epistolary Feminism: Fact, Fiction, and Voice. Routledge, 2020. ISBN 978-0-367-85852-0. Pp. 174. This study examines one of the eighteenth century's most prolific female author's feminism in her epistolary novels, as well as in her actual correspondence with some of the most influential men of her time. The author's premise is that the reader cannot completely comprehend Riccoboni's feminism until her works (with a focus on her epistolary novels, the fiction, and her actual correspondence) and the facts are juxtaposed and examined as a whole. The author divides the work into two parts, beginning with Riccoboni's epistolary novels and concluding with her personal letters, yet both provide clear evidence to support her theory that Riccoboni was aware of the inseparable relationship between fact, fiction, and feminism. The first five chapters contain a thorough analysis of Riccoboni's epistolary novels. Kaplan undertakes a careful and critical examination of Riccoboni's ability to blend fact and fiction in her epistolary novels, and analyzes the feminist sentiments of the author. Since the chapters present her works in chronological order, it is easy for the reader to follow the development of Riccoboni's feminist ideas. Kaplan provides a clear analysis and carefully examines the role of the voice, both male and female, in the novels, and demonstrates how even in novels commonly considered to be lacking female voice, Riccoboni reiterates the importance of female agency, and manages to subvert or even silence the male voices to allow the female voices to be heard. In the final chapter of the first part, Kaplan provides is unique presentation of Riccoboni's work and, when considered with the previous chapter, provides an exceptional example of how easily female voice and power could be erased in the male-dominated literary world of the eighteenth century. Both chapters discuss the Lettres de Mylord Rivers, but while the [End Page 226] first presents the original Riccoboni work as a vindication of the female voice, the following chapter examines how the first English translation undermines and seeks to remove the feminist voice in the novel. Kaplan provides a careful reading of the translator's added notes and a completely new paragraph inserted into the English translation by the male translator. She shows, through careful comparison, how easily Riccoboni's feminist message could be undermined or made to completely disappear. The second part of the work carefully examines the letters Riccoboni sends to the Mercure de France, letters written for publication. Kaplan examines how these letters show Riccoboni's understanding of the need to at times confront the male voices that abounded on the pages of these newspapers. Kaplan also considers how Riccoboni's private correspondence shows that Riccoboni's feminism was not reserved for her novels. Since many of the letters discussed are not well known, an appendix provides the letters in French and English. This thoughtful and intriguing work invites readers to reexamine Riccoboni's epistolary novels in a new way, and to reconsider the role of her proto-feminism in her fiction as well as in her correspondence. The study provides a new and informative understanding of Riccoboni's works for anyone studying or teaching her works. Jeanne Hageman North Dakota State University Copyright © 2021 American Association of Teachers of French