Dialogues and Addresses
Denounced by her contemporaries as a political schemer and religious fanatic, Maintenon has long been criticized as an opponent of gender equality. The writings in this volume faithfully reflect Maintenon's respect for social hierarchy and her stoic call for women to accept the duties of their state in life. But the writings also echo Maintenon's more feminist concerns: the need to redefine the virtues in the light of women's experience, the importance of naming the constraints on women's freedom, and the urgent need to remedy the scandalous neglect of the education of women.
In her writings as well as in her own model school at Saint-Cyr, Maintenon embodies the demand for educational reform as the key to the empowerment of women at the dawn of modernity.
“[Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon] founded St.-Cyr, a school for the daughters of impecunious nobles, and devoted herself to developing curriculum and pedagogy suitable to her charges’ situation in life. Initially, Maintenon favored a broad liberal arts education; however, she concluded that this did not prepare them for the difficult lives they would inevitably have to lead as the wives of provincial nobles or as nuns. Maintenon rejected arguments for the equality of the sexes put forward by Marie de Gournay and others. Instead, she proposed a differentiated education for women, one that stressed piety, moral virtues, and politeness. . . . Conley argues that because of her conservative views on the education and roles of her charges, Madame de Maintenon’s works have been unjustly neglected. He highlights her pedagogical innovations, especially her use of dialogues in which the students participated, as a way to teach them both practical ethics and the art of conversation. Conley urges that we acknowledge Maintenon’s ‘apology for the right of women to their own culture’, and notes that her dialogues give voice both to conventional wisdom and to contrary views. . . . A thoughtful and probably a realistic picture of the situation in which poor young noblewomen would have found themselves in late seventeenth-century France.”
“In 1686, [Maintenon] founded a school for impoverished aristocratic girls, taking a great interest in its day-to-day running. She talked informally to her protégées, wrote short dramatic sketches for them to perform, and delivered lectures to the teachers. . . . In John J. Conley’s translation one is immediately struck by how clever and articulate Maintenon was. She varied her register to suit her audience, formulating her ideas in simple, entertaining form when addressing the younger children, and enlivening her message with amusing anecdotes. . . . This is a fascinating insight into the mind of the most powerful woman of her time.”
“[The texts] re-interpret well known moral questions for a female audience, thereby mediating the space between ideals of virtue and the conduct of women’s daily lives. This alone makes these texts valuable and important and I hope that the translation will promote study of this overlooked author.”—Journal of European Studies
Series Editors' Introduction
List of Abbreviations
Volume Editor's Introduction
Volume Editor's Bibliography
Dialogues
Volume Editors' Introduction
On the Cardinal Virtues
On Courage
On True Glory
On True Wit
On Eminence
On Reason
On Piety
On Privilege
On Constraint
On the Necessity of Dependence
On the Drawbacks of Marriage
On the Different States in Life
On Current Discussions
On Education at Saint-Cyr
Addresses to Students
Volume Editors' Introduction
Of the Cardinal Virtues
Of Politeness
Of Civility
Of True Glory
Portrait of a Reasonable Person
Of the Utility of Reflection
Of Religious Vocations
Of the Single Life
Of Friendship
Of the World
How to Maintain a Good Reputation
Of Avoiding the Occasions of Sin
Against Religious Innovations
Of Education and of the Advantages of a Demanding Upbringing
Addresses to Faculty
Volume Editors' Introduction
Of the Education of Ladies
Of Solid Education
Of the Danger of Profane Books
Of the Proper Choice of Theatrical Pieces for Pupils
Series Editors' Bibliography
Index
Education: Philosophy of Education
History: European History
Philosophy: History and Classic Works
Religion: Christianity
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