Madame d' Aulnoy
Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, better known as Madame d'Aulnoy, was a prominent French author and salonnière born around 1650 in Normandy. She married François de la Motte, Baron d'Aulnoy, but her life took a dramatic turn when her husband faced false treason accusations, leading to a period of speculation about her involvement in the matter. After disappearing from Parisian society for nearly two decades, during which she claimed to have traveled in Spain and England, she returned to Paris in 1690 and established a popular literary salon.
D'Aulnoy gained fame as a writer, publishing her first novel, Histoire d'Hipolyte, comte de Douglas, in 1690, followed by several notable works including pseudo-memoirs that explored foreign lands. However, she is best remembered for her contributions to the fairy tale genre, with stories that often featured strong heroines and were presented in a conversational style reflective of salon culture. Her collections, such as Les Contes des fées and Les Contes nouveaus, played a significant role in the 17th-century fascination with fairy tales. D'Aulnoy's legacy endures, and she is recognized as a pioneering figure in both literature and women's societal roles of her time. She passed away in Paris on January 4, 1705.
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Madame d' Aulnoy
Writer
- Born: 1650 or 1651
- Birthplace: Barneville-la-Bertrand, Normandy, France
- Died: January 14, 1705
- Place of death: Paris, France
Biography
Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville was born at Barneville- la-Bertran near Honfleur in Normandy, France, probably in 1650. Her family belonged to the aristocracy. In 1666, she married François de la Motte, Baron d’Aulnoy. He was a Parisian, a free thinker and gambler, and thirty years older. During the first three years of her marriage, she had three children.
In 1669, her husband was accused of treason. The accusations were proven false and his accusers were executed. D’Aulnoy’s mother, who was supposedly involved in the false accusations against the baron, left France at this time. There was considerable speculation as to whether d’Aulnoy herself was involved in the plot. There is some support for the idea that she did try to rid herself of her husband in that she disappeared from Parisian society for some twenty years.
Aside from the fact that she had three more children during this period, little has been verified about her during this time. She said that she spent the time traveling and living in Spain and England. She apparently did receive permission from Louis XIV to return to France. This fact has given rise to a theory that she worked as a secret agent for the king in both Spain and England.
While these twenty years of her life remain shrouded in mystery, it is definite that she was back in Paris in 1690. She established a salon, which was soon one of the most popular of the period. From 1690 to 1703, she enjoyed a successful literary career. Her first novel, Histoire d’Hipolyte, comte de Douglas, appeared in1690, and was a great success. She published three pseudo-memoirs (Memoires de la cour d’Espagne, Relation du voyage d’Espagne, and Memoires de la cour d’Angleterre). Each of these works was extremely well received, and earned her a reputation as a historian and teller of tales of foreign lands.
It is important to remember that the word history in the seventeenth century was not used in its more narrow modern sense of factual accounts of the past, but instead included fictional stories of past events as well. In salon society, d’Aulnoy was often referred to as Clio, making her synonymous with the muse of history. She became a member of the Académie de Ricovarati de Padoue. Her most popular works were, however, her fairy tales.
In her 1691 Relation du voyage en Espagne, she included “Histoire de Mira” which initiated the century’s fascination with fairy tales. She published two collections of these tales, Les Contes des fées and Les Contes nouveaus: Ou, Les Fées à la mode. These stories were written for adults, usually portrayed strong heroines, and were written in the conversational style of the salons. She died on January 4, 1705, at Paris.