Françoise de Graffigny(1695 — 1758)
Françoise de Graffigny
France
6 min read
French writer (1695-1758), pioneer of the epistolary novel in the 18th century. She is best known for her Letters from a Peruvian Woman, a major work of Enlightenment literature that critiques French society through the discerning gaze of an exotic heroine.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- 1747: publication of Letters from a Peruvian Woman, a considerable success that went through multiple editions and adaptations
- Use of the outsider's perspective to critique French society: a literary strategy characteristic of the Enlightenment
- Reflections on the condition of women and their education, proto-feminist themes ahead of their time
- Regular attendance at Parisian salons and collaboration with the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
- 1755: publication of Cénie, another significant novel that consolidated her reputation as a writer
Works & Achievements
An epistolary novel telling the story of Zilia, an Inca princess torn from Peru and brought to France. A major work of the Enlightenment, it critiques the condition of women and French society through a foreign gaze.
A sentimental comedy in five acts performed at the Comédie-Française. A great popular success, this play contributed to the rise of bourgeois drama by blending emotion and morality.
Graffigny's last comedy, performed shortly before her death. The failure of this play deeply affected the author, who was already weakened by illness.
A collection of more than 2,500 letters, primarily addressed to François-Antoine Devaux. An exceptional document on the literary, social, and private life of the 18th century.
A short story published in the collection Cinq nouvelles. This work of fiction reflects Graffigny's interest in foreign cultures and brief narrative forms.
Anecdotes
Françoise de Graffigny endured a disastrous marriage with François Huguet de Graffigny, a violent and spendthrift man. After years of mistreatment, she obtained a legal separation in 1723, which was extremely rare for a woman at that time.
In December 1738, Graffigny stayed at the Château de Cirey with Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet. The visit turned into a scandal when Voltaire accused her of having circulated passages from his La Pucelle d'Orléans. She was publicly humiliated and expelled under distressing circumstances.
Letters from a Peruvian Woman, published in 1747, was an immediate success and was reprinted more than forty times in the 18th century. The novel was translated into several languages and inspired numerous sequels written by other authors.
Her play Cénie, performed at the Comédie-Française in 1750, was a resounding triumph. The audience wept abundantly, and the play ran for twenty-five consecutive performances — a considerable success for the era.
Graffigny hosted a literary salon in Paris on the rue Saint-Hyacinthe, where philosophers and writers such as Helvétius, Turgot, and the young Diderot gathered. This modest but influential salon contributed to the spread of Enlightenment ideas.
Primary Sources
Whatever love of novelty may be attributed to the French, I am persuaded that no one will ever accuse me of having indulged too much in it by depicting customs foreign to us.
I am here like a criminal. Voltaire heaped the most dreadful reproaches upon me in front of everyone. I am in a state that I cannot describe to you.
Virtue has no need of foreign ornament; it pleases by itself, and its triumph is all the more beautiful for being simple.
This play, Graffigny's last dramatic work, was performed at the Comédie-Française but did not achieve the same success as Cénie.
Key Places
Graffigny's hometown where she spent her youth and unhappy marriage at the court of Duke Léopold of Lorraine.
The residence of Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet where Graffigny stayed in 1738–1739, an episode that profoundly marked her life.
The neighborhood where Graffigny settled and held her literary salon, a gathering place for philosophers and writers of the Enlightenment.
The theatre where Cénie was performed in 1750 to immense success, establishing Graffigny as a dramatic author.
Residence of the Lorraine court where Graffigny mingled with aristocratic society before her departure for Paris.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Lettres d'une Péruvienne
1747
La Fille d'Aristide
1758
Correspondance de Madame de Graffigny
1716-1758
Nouvelle espagnole
1745
