Madame de Sévigné

Orphaned at age seven, Marie was raised by her uncle the Abbé de Coulanges, receiving an elite humanist education in Latin, Italian, and classical literature. Widowed at twenty-five following her husband's duel, she devoted her life to her children and her Paris salon at Hôtel Carnavalet.

When her daughter moved to Provence in 1671, Madame de Sévigné began writing frequent, passionate letters. With sparkling wit, deep maternal tenderness, and psychological acuity, she chronicled the court of Louis XIV, the execution of poisoners, theatrical premieres of Racine, and country life at her Breton estate des Rochers.