Marquise De Sévigné's Analysis

By the late 18th century, women became increasingly affluent in French society. As philosophies inspired from the Enlightenment were integrated into the social structures of many European countries, women were viewed in a more progressive manner. However, before the French revolution and Enlightenment, the majority of French women continued to live as housewives or crafts workers in a patriarchal society where men dominated government positions, owned property, and possessed the right to divorce their wives. Nevertheless, despite efforts and policies made to revolutionize women’s status in a society dominated by men, women continued to live subordinate to men. In Madame de Sévigné’s letter of 1676, she not only expresses empathy but also indifference …show more content…
In her description of Marquise de Brinvilliers’ execution, Madame de Sévigné depicts the treatment Marquise received as “more horrible than anyone had imagined.” Sharing the same position as an aristocratic woman lacking many rights, Sévigné commiserates with the Marquise’s life and even “could not hear of it without shuddering,” indicating the discomfort she feels. During the 17th century, the predominant religion in France was Catholicism, which condemned the separation of legally bound couples. Thus, the Marquise’s unsuccessful attempt to murder her husband “believing that Sainte Croix would marry her if she were free” demonstrates a woman’s desperate last resort to fulfill a supposedly inalienable right to happiness. Furthermore, Sévigné relates rumors illustrating how Marquise “died as she had lived, resolutely, and without fear or emotion.” By describing the single status as being free, Madame de Sévigné conveys her attitude towards marriage as being in captivity. Hence, Sévigné admires Marquise de Brinvilliers’ effort to achieve personal liberty and joy, while pitying the woman for her failed