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France marks 400 years of Madame de Sévigné, a symbol of conversation's power
🇪🇸 Spain /Culture & Society

France marks 400 years of Madame de Sévigné, a symbol of conversation's power

From La Vanguardia · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • France is commemorating the 400th anniversary of Madame de Sévigné's birth with an exhibition and a lavish publication of her correspondence.
  • Scholar Benedetta Craveri highlights how women in 17th and 18th century France transformed their salons into intellectual hubs, fostering the art of conversation.
  • The article contrasts this historical ideal of intellectual exchange with a modern trend towards coarseness and simplistic, strident opinions, suggesting a societal regression.

France is celebrating the 400th anniversary of Madame de Sévigné's birth, a figure whose correspondence has been honored with a special exhibition at the Carnavalet Museum and a deluxe three-volume collection from the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade. This commemoration also shines a light on the work of Italian scholar Benedetta Craveri.

France has as many problems as we do, but it still celebrates literary intelligence as a great gift.

— AuthorIntroducing the commemoration of Madame de Sévigné's anniversary and the broader theme of intellectualism in France.

Craveri has dedicated her career to studying the humanizing influence of women in the 17th and 18th centuries. She argues that during these two centuries, European culture underwent a significant civilizing shift, largely due to women like de Sévigné who established their salons as vital centers for debate. These aristocratic women cultivated a new social ideal centered on good manners and expressive perfection, welcoming not only nobles but also writers who soon gained prominence.

The nobility cultivated a new ideal of sociability in these salons, governed by good manners and expressive perfection.

— AuthorDescribing the atmosphere and purpose of the salons hosted by aristocratic women.

Confined to the domestic sphere and lacking direct political power, these women created spaces of freedom and initiated a revolution from within. In these salons, a writer's verbal talent often held more sway than noble titles, valuing intelligence and wit over brute force or social standing. The emphasis shifted from being the strongest or wealthiest to being engaging, ironic, or profound. While male elites had historically relied on arms for power, these women championed words as a new, esteemed value.

Ingenuity and expressiveness embodied a new ideal of sociability. Mental acuity soon became as important as social origin.

— AuthorExplaining the shift in social values within the salons, where wit gained prominence.

However, the article laments a contemporary reversal of this trend. It suggests that society is regressing, with force once again overshadowing intelligence, and noise and shouting drowning out reasoned arguments. Simple, strident opinions now capture the public's attention. The author posits that if those historical salons represented a revolution of intellect and expression, the current rise of coarseness, simplicity, and brute force signifies a counter-revolution.

Centuries later, we are going backward. Strength is once again more prestigious than intelligence. Noise and shouting are eclipsing arguments.

— AuthorContrasting the historical ideal of conversation with contemporary trends.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Vanguardia in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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