Description
A collection of texts by a pioneering seventeenth-century French woman author.
Comprising texts by Madeleine de Scudery, including many from her novel Clelie, this volume focuses on the story of Lucretia, the Roman matron whose rape and suicide led to the downfall of the Roman monarchy. Through her work, Scudery seeks to contrast the enormous cultural contributions of women with their physical vulnerability and to propose an alternative to sexual violation, as envisioned on the Map of the Land of Tender that charts an imaginary land in the novel and outlines a path toward love. In Scudery's version of this tale, Lucrece and her beloved, Brutus, follow the path of tender friendship. Scudery contradicts history's characterization of Lucrece as craving glory in the form of fame. Indeed, contrary to ancient sources, Lucrece's glory will be her decision to sacrifice herself secretly for her tender friend.
About the Author
Madeleine de Scudery (1607-1701) was a seventeenth-century French author of conversations, novellas, and novels, including Clelie, Histoire Romaine. Sharon Diane Nell is professor of French and dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas. She is the author of numerous articles and is the coeditor and cotranslator, with Aurora Wolfgang, of Jacques Du Bosc's L'Honnete Femme: The Respectable Woman in Society and the New Collection of Letters and Responses by Contemporary Women.
Reviews
"In this erudite and insightful work, Sharon Nell assembles and expertly translates passages from Madeleine de Scudery's corpus, illuminating the foundational story of Lucretia, a Roman matron who turns her rape by Sextus Tarquinius into an act of supreme heroism through her suicide, which ultimately causes the downfall of the Roman monarchy. Scudery's version of this story poetically intertwines two of the main cultural preoccupations of mid-seventeenth-century France concerning women: female heroism and salon life, including the notion of tender friendship. Nell exposes the centrality of the Lucretia story which sparked debates about female glory and virtue originating in antiquity and continuing unabated through the seventeenth century, demonstrating that era's intense preoccupation with the proper role of women." -- Aurora Wolfgang, Professor of French, Michigan State University
Book Information
ISBN 9781649590220
Author Madeleine De Scudery
Format Paperback
Page Count 382
Imprint Iter Press
Publisher Iter Press
Weight(grams) 628g
Dimensions(mm) 232mm * 155mm * 25mm
Comprising texts by Madeleine de Scudery, including many from her novel Clelie, this volume focuses on the story of Lucretia, the Roman matron whose rape and suicide led to the downfall of the Roman monarchy. Through her work, Scudery seeks to contrast the enormous cultural contributions of women with their physical vulnerability and to propose an alternative to sexual violation, as envisioned on the Map of the Land of Tender that charts an imaginary land in the novel and outlines a path toward love. In Scudery's version of this tale, Lucrece and her beloved, Brutus, follow the path of tender friendship. Scudery contradicts history's characterization of Lucrece as craving glory in the form of fame. Indeed, contrary to ancient sources, Lucrece's glory will be her decision to sacrifice herself secretly for her tender friend.
About the Author
Madeleine de Scudery (1607-1701) was a seventeenth-century French author of conversations, novellas, and novels, including Clelie, Histoire Romaine. Sharon Diane Nell is professor of French and dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas. She is the author of numerous articles and is the coeditor and cotranslator, with Aurora Wolfgang, of Jacques Du Bosc's L'Honnete Femme: The Respectable Woman in Society and the New Collection of Letters and Responses by Contemporary Women.
Reviews
"In this erudite and insightful work, Sharon Nell assembles and expertly translates passages from Madeleine de Scudery's corpus, illuminating the foundational story of Lucretia, a Roman matron who turns her rape by Sextus Tarquinius into an act of supreme heroism through her suicide, which ultimately causes the downfall of the Roman monarchy. Scudery's version of this story poetically intertwines two of the main cultural preoccupations of mid-seventeenth-century France concerning women: female heroism and salon life, including the notion of tender friendship. Nell exposes the centrality of the Lucretia story which sparked debates about female glory and virtue originating in antiquity and continuing unabated through the seventeenth century, demonstrating that era's intense preoccupation with the proper role of women." -- Aurora Wolfgang, Professor of French, Michigan State University
Book Information
ISBN 9781649590220
Author Madeleine De Scudery
Format Paperback
Page Count 382
Imprint Iter Press
Publisher Iter Press
Weight(grams) 628g
Dimensions(mm) 232mm * 155mm * 25mm
