|
To view history from her perspective is incredibly entertaining. He admits that selecting which of Madame's 1400+ extant letters would appear in his book was extremely difficult, however I would have prefered to have been able to make those editing decisions myself. Thank God for Madame de Sevigne. The only flaw here - Tancock's collection of Sevigne's letters is incomplete, and we are at his mercy regarding content. I will next be looking for a complete collection of Madame's letters to sift through. Her letters are sublime. Her voluminous correspondence provides exquisit insight to life in the court of Louis XIV, complete with hilarious asides and fastidious detail.
I shall never buy from these liars again. would be horrified. C'est la guerre. The letters are fascinating and the book is a jewel, but the cover was tatty, with felt pen crudely obliterating prices on old stickers,etc., pages foxed and dog eared, much text moronically underlined with ball-point. Madame S.
This Penguin Classics edition by the great Leonard Tancock features wonderful translations but could have done with a few more explanatory notes. She was a fixture at court, the companion of la Rochefoucauld and Madame La Fayette, saw the plays of Racine and Corneille, and heard the music of Lully. You can read about the trial of Foucquet, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and witness the terrible death of the odious Marquise de Brinvilliers. The letters of the divine Marie have been celebrated for more than three centuries, from her time to ours. And it should have been longer. There is an immediacy and sensitivity to her writing that establishes a bond with the reader as palpable today as it was in the 17th century. It is impossible not to be drawn in to the lost world of le Roi Soleil when you have such a charming companion as your guide. The Marquise knew everyone and saw practically everything of note in the France of her time, or knew somebody who had seen it.
The de Sevigne's were important enough to be close to the center of events during the reign of Louis XIV. Madame de Sevigne was an astute observer of the contemporary scene.
These letters show not only the political machinations (Madame de Seigne was once courted by Louis XIV's finance minister Fouquet), but the very vibrant literary and theatrical scene. She was also great friends with many of the leading cultural figures.
One of the great defining moments of 17th century French literature was when Madame de Sevigne's daughter left Paris with her new husband for a life in the provinces. But this is not the only reason to read these fascinating letters.
Anyone wishing to know what day-to-day life was like for the well-to-do in 17th century France should look no further than this book. Always the doting mother, Madame de Sevigne began one of the great correspondences in history.
This status allowed Madame de Sevigne to provide an invaluable record of the days events.
|
