Selected Letters
by Madame de Sévigné
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Description
One of the world's greatest correspondents, Madame de Sévigné paints an extraordinarily vivid picture of France at the time of Louis XIV, in eloquent letters written throughout her life to family and friends. A significant figure in French society and literary circles, whose close friends included Madame de La Fayette and La Rochefoucauld, she reflected on both significant historical events and personal issues, and in this selection of the most significant letters, spanning almost fifty show more years, she is by turns humorous and melancholic, profound and superficial. Whether describing the new plays of Racine and Molière, speculating on court scandals - including the intrigues of the King's mistresses - or relating her own family concerns, Madame de Sévigné provides throughout an intriguing portrait of the lost age of Le Roi Soleil. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I was disappointed in this book. I expected letters with more sparkle and more memorable events. While there were some interesting things related: a suicide, two poisoners and the fall of a minister among other happenings; for the most part the letters were uninteresting gossip about obscure people who did nothing in particular.
I can't, in all honesty, recommend the book. Read Chesterfield instead.
I can't, in all honesty, recommend the book. Read Chesterfield instead.
Had to read for class...painfully boring. I am sure many historians have been able to garner information from her letters but this collection is like trying to read a 300 year old soap opera. A disappointment for me.
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Author Information
136+ Works 901 Members
Mme de Sevigne is the great correspondent of French literature. Her letters, written mostly to her daughter from 1648 to 1696, offer both a fascinating depiction of the France of Louis XVI (many of the great of the age are described) and a mine of subtle psychological reflections on human behavior. The portrait they offer of the complex show more relationship between mother and daughter is compelling, and their style (which influenced many writers, including Proust) is marked by clarity and elegance. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Selected Letters
- People/Characters
- Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Madame de Sévigné; Madame de Grignan; François Vatel; Louis XIV, 1638-1715
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 384
- Popularity
- 81,772
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.85)
- Languages
- English, French, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 14
