Dialogues and Addresses (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)

213 Pages·2004·5.39 MB·English

by  Madame de Maintenon

DIALOGUES AND ADDRESSES
THE
OTHER VOICE
IN
EARLY MODERN
EUROPE
A Series Edited by Margaret L. King and Albert Rabil Jr.
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Madame de Maintenon
D I A L O G U E S A N D A D D R E S S E S
(cid:2)
Edited and Translated by
John J. Conley, S.J.
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS
Chicago & London
Madame de Maintenon, 1635–1719
John J. Conley, S.J., is professor of philosophy at Fordham University.
He is the author of The Suspicion of Virtue: Women Philosophers in Neoclassical
France,coeditor of Prophecy and Diplomacy: The Moral Doctrine
of John Paul II,and the editor and translator of Jacqueline Pascal’s
A Rule for Children and Other Writings.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2004 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 2004
Printed in the United States of America
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN: 0-226-50241-4 (cloth)
ISBN: 0-226-50242-2 (paper)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maintenon, Madame de, 1635–1719.
[Selections. English. 2004]
Dialogues and addresses / Madame de Maintenon ; edited and translated by John J. Conley.
p. cm. — (The other voice in early modern Europe)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-226-50241-4 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-226-50242-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Women—Education—Europe—Early works to 1800. 2. Women—Europe—
Conduct of life—Early works to 1800. I. Conley, John J. II. Title. III. Series.
LC1422.M27513 2004
370(cid:2).82—dc22
2004001298
(cid:2)(cid:3) The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Dedicated to the memory of my beloved father,
Peter Thomas Conley (1920–2001)

CONTENTS
Preface ix
Series Editors’ Introduction xi
List of Abbreviations xxxiii
Volume Editor’s Introduction 1
Volume Editor’s Bibliography 27
Dialogues
Volume Editor’s Introduction 31
On the Cardinal Virtues 33
On Courage 37
On True Glory 40
On True Wit 43
On Eminence 46
On Reason 48
On Piety 51
On Privilege 54
On Constraint 57
On the Necessity of Dependence 59
On the Drawbacks of Marriage 62
On the Different States in Life 65
On Current Discussions 69
On Education at Saint-Cyr 73
Addresses to Students 77
Volume Editor’s Introduction 77
Of the Cardinal Virtues 79
Of Politeness 83
Of Civility 86
Of True Glory 90
Portrait of a Reasonable Person 93
Of the Utility of Reflection 97
Of Religious Vocations 101
Of the Single Life 107
Of Friendship 112
Of the World 114
How to Maintain a Good Reputation 117
Of Avoiding the Occasions of Sin 120
Against Religious Innovations 124
Of Education and of the Advantages of a Demanding Upbringing 129
Addresses to Faculty 135
Volume Editor’s Introduction 135
Of the Education of Ladies 137
Of Solid Education 141
Of the Danger of Profane Books 144
Of the Proper Choice of Theatrical Pieces for Pupils 148
Series Editors’ Bibliography 155
Index 000
PREFACE
When I first began to read Madame de Maintenon, I thought I had dis-
covered the Miss Jean Brodie of French literature. Here was a dedi-
cated teacher, but an overwhelming one. She orders us to sit up straight, to
close doors quietly, and to speak proper French. She hands us precise rules
on everything from writing a letter to praying the Pater Noster. She is a de-
termined tutor, but how much moral improvement can we take?
Only further reading unveiled another Madame de Maintenon. She not
only wants us to be virtuous; she systematically redefines the virtues to con-
form with the experience of women. She counsels us to endure the duties of
our state in life, but she warns us of the stony edges of these duties, espe-
cially for impoverished women. Even as she hectors us on our moral obliga-
tions, she advises us to be reasonable in trying to live the good life on a tight
budget.ThisMaintenon,withhertasteforvirtuetheoryandhertragicsense
of freedom’s limits, differs from the pious martinet of first impressions. It is
my hope that this translation of her dialogues and addresses will introduce
this philosophical Maintenon to an Anglophone public.
I owe a debt to many institutions and individuals for their assistance
on this project. I thank the staffs of the libraries where I conducted much of
my research: Fordham University Library, New York Public Library, Biblio-
thèque nationale de France, Bibliothèque Mazarine, Bibliothèque de la So-
ciété de Port-Royal, and Bibliothèque municipale de Versailles. I thank the
National Endowment for the Humanities for a research grant in 2002 that
enabled me to study the manuscripts of Maintenon at Versailles. I am grate-
ful to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Fordham Uni-
versity for its assistance in the publication of this volume. I thank Albert
Rabil Jr. and Margaret King, co-editors of the Other Voice series, for their
ix