Louise von François
Louise von François was a 19th-century German novelist born in 1817 in Herzberg, Germany, into a wealthy family with noble lineage. After her father's death, she faced familial challenges that led her to be raised by a distant relative, where she received a private education that sparked her passion for history. In the 1830s, she became involved in literary circles, where she met prominent figures like novelist and feminist Fanny Tarnow, and she engaged with the works of influential writers such as George Sand. Despite a promising engagement to Count Alfred von Gortz, political and social complications led to its dissolution, leaving François to navigate societal rejection as she became seen as an "old maid."
Determined to carve out a space for herself, she dedicated her life to writing, producing a number of historical novels with subtle feminist themes, although her work initially gained little recognition. Her most notable novel, "The Last von Reckenburg," began serialization in the 1860s but was left incomplete due to the death of its editor, later resurfacing in 1871. Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, François continued her writing despite personal losses and health struggles, ultimately passing away in 1893, likely from stomach cancer. Her life reflects the complexities of a woman artist navigating societal expectations in her time.
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Subject Terms
Louise von François
Writer
- Born: June 27, 1817
- Birthplace: Herzberg, Elster, Germany
- Died: September 25, 1893
- Place of death: Weißenfels, Germany
Biography
Louise von François was born in Herzberg, Germany, in 1817. Her family was wealthy, and had descended from generations of German nobles. With the death of her father, François inherited a large amount of the family’s money, as it was assumed that her mother would quickly remarry, which she did. Due to squabbles within the family, François was sent to live with a distant relative who over saw her childhood education. As a child was educated by private tutors, and it was through these lessons that François found a love for history.
In the 1830’s François met novelist and feminist Fanny Tarnow and was inducted into her literary circle. During those years, François found interest in the work of writers such as George Sand, whose work she read and translated. In 1834 François met Count Alfred von Gortz, a military officer. The two fell in love and became engaged, but due to problems with the military and litigation, Gortz broke off the engagement in 1840. Unfortunately, after that François had a difficult time finding her place in society. She attempted to be accepted in noble society and was rejected. She caught a break in 1848, when her uncle hired her to look after her cousin in Minden, where she worked and remained for two years.
In the 1850’s the family saw many problems, and François traveled between Minden and her birthplace to take care of assorted family members. She was quickly becoming considered an old maid, and she decided to commit herself to a life as a writer, in spite of negative social connotations on writers at the time. François set herself to work and began to write prolifically during the late 1850’s. Many of her novels were historical in nature. Her work was also known to carry a slight feminist tone. While she was prolific, she only attracted a little attention for her work. In the 1860’s her most important work, The Last von Reckenburg, began serial publication in magazines, but due to the death of the editor the story was not completed. The manuscript was later recovered and republished in 1871.
François continued to write though the 1970’s and 1880’s with only minor recognition. Deaths of her family and friends began to slowly wear her down over the years, and her own illnesses began to create problems for the writer. François continued to write and work up to her death in 1893, which was probably caused by stomach cancer.