Gossip, Sexuality and Scandal in France (1610-1715) (Medieval and Early Modern French Studies)

172 Pages·2011·4.791 MB·English

by  Nicholas Hammond

N
Gossip, Sexuality and Scandal in
i
c
h
o France (1610–1715)
l
a
s

H
This volume is the first book-length study devoted to gossip in early modern
a
France. Whereas many works that focus on other countries and periods have m
concentrated on the relationship between gossip and women, none has m
explored the crucial link between gossip and same-sex desire. Using material o
that has never been published before and touching on different social spheres, n
d
from valets to the immediate circle of Louis XIV, the author reveals a world

radically different from the traditional image of France under the reigns of •

Louis XIII and Louis XIV. An in-depth analysis of the theory and practice
G
of gossip is followed by an examination of songs, poems, memoirs, letters
o
and anecdotes from the time, bringing the milieu of what was known as ‘the s Nicholas Hammond
s
Italian vice’ vividly to life. The book concludes by bringing these insights on i
p
gossip to a refreshing new reading of one of the period’s groundbreaking ,

novels, Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette’s La Princesse de Clèves. S
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S
c
a
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i
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F
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(
1
6
Nicholas Hammond is Reader in French at the University of Cambridge. He 1
is the author of several books and articles on seventeenth-century French 0
–
literature and has edited a number of volumes, including The Cambridge 1
History of French Literature (2011). 7
1
5
)
9
Medieval and
early Modern
ISBN 978-3-0343-0706-2
French StudieS
Peter Lang
www.peterlang.com
N
Gossip, Sexuality and Scandal in
i
c
h
o France (1610–1715)
l
a
s

H
This volume is the first book-length study devoted to gossip in early modern
a
France. Whereas many works that focus on other countries and periods have m
concentrated on the relationship between gossip and women, none has m
explored the crucial link between gossip and same-sex desire. Using material o
that has never been published before and touching on different social spheres, n
d
from valets to the immediate circle of Louis XIV, the author reveals a world

radically different from the traditional image of France under the reigns of •

Louis XIII and Louis XIV. An in-depth analysis of the theory and practice
G
of gossip is followed by an examination of songs, poems, memoirs, letters
o
and anecdotes from the time, bringing the milieu of what was known as ‘the s Nicholas Hammond
s
Italian vice’ vividly to life. The book concludes by bringing these insights on i
p
gossip to a refreshing new reading of one of the period’s groundbreaking ,

novels, Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette’s La Princesse de Clèves. S
e
x
u
a
l
i
t
y

a
n
d

S
c
a
n
d
a
l

i
n

F
r
a
n
c
e

(
1
6
Nicholas Hammond is Reader in French at the University of Cambridge. He 1
is the author of several books and articles on seventeenth-century French 0
–
literature and has edited a number of volumes, including The Cambridge 1
History of French Literature (2011). 7
1
5
)
9
Medieval and
early Modern
French StudieS
Peter Lang
www.peterlang.com
Gossip, Sexuality and Scandal
in France (1610–1715)
Medieval and Early Modern French Studies
Series Editor
Noël Peacock
V 9
olume
PETER LANG
Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien
Gossip, Sexuality and Scandal
in France (1610–1715)
N h
icholas ammoNd
PETER LANG
Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at
http://dnb.d-nb.de.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Hammond, Nicholas, 1963-
Gossip, sexuality and scandal in France (1610-1715) / Nicholas Hammond.
p. cm. -- (Medieval and early modern French studies ; 9)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-3-0343-0706-2 (alk. paper)
1. French literature--17th century--History and criticism. 2. Gossip in lite-
rature. 3. France--Civilization--17th century. 4. France--Civilization--18th
century. 5. La Fayette, Madame de (Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne),
1634-1693. Princesse de Clèves. I. Title.
PQ245.H34 2011
840.9‘355--dc22
2011009261
ISSN 1661-8653
ISBN 978-3-0343-0706-2
© Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers, Bern 2011
Hochfeldstrasse 32, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
[email protected], www.peterlang.com, www.peterlang.net
All rights reserved.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.
Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution.
This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming,
and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.
Printed in Germany
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1
Defining Gossip in Early Modern France 5
Chapter 2
The Italian Vice 51
Chapter 3
Scandalous Subjects 87
Chapter 4
La Princesse de Clèves (1678): Gossip as Text 115
Conclusion 141
Bibliography 143
Index 153

Acknowledgements
I owe so much to so many people in writing this book. They know how
much I appreciate their encouragement, friendship, practical help and
advice: Michelle Baddeley, Edmund Birch, Todd Breyfogle, William
Brooks, Bruce Bruschi, Bill Burgwinkle, Cambridge French Department,
Siobhán Carew, Jorge Castro-Correia, Jan Clark, Terry Crawford, Michael
Daly, Mark Darlow, Ariane Denis, Delphine and Alexis Denis, Mark Dowd,
Heidi Ellison, Gary Ferguson (who read and commented on an earlier
draft), James and Aude Fitzsimons, Philip Ford, Simon Gaunt, Martin
Gibson, Emma Gilby, Hannah Godfrey (of Peter Lang), Russell Goul-
bourne , Liz Guild, James Helgeson, Christophe Hirat, Marcus Hodges,
Alex Hughes, Ros Hunt, Heather Jarman, Jill Jondorf, Sarah Kay, Neil
Kenny, Alex Kudrin, Peter Lay, John Leigh, Gemma Lewis (of Peter Lang),
Richard Maber, Jenny Mander, Michael Moriarty, Subha Mukherji, Ian
Ormesher, Richard Parish, Noel Peacock (early modern editor for Peter
Lang), Joseph Pearson, Julia Prest, Jamie Rinder, Frances and Paul Robin-
son, Fiona Sinclair, Jan Smaczny, Judy and Nick Sproxton, Edward Stratton,
Stephen and Katie Tuck, Tarquin Ukarnis, Bren Unwin, Richard Unwin,
Daniel Van Tonder, Nick White, Gary Whitlock, Rupert Wilkes, Emma
Wilson, Emilia Wilton-Godberf forde.
This book is dedicated to Camilla and Michael Bloch, and to Ann and
Michael Caesar, for their generosity and unquestioning support.