The Other Pascals: The Philosophy of Jacqueline Pascal, Gilberte Pascal Paerier, and Marguerite Paerier

279 Pages·2019·4.216 MB·English

by  John J Conley

The Other Pascals

John J. Conley, S.J.
The Other Pascals
The Philosophy of Jacqueline Pascal,
Gilberte Pascal Périer, and Marguerite Périer
u n i v e r s i t y o f n o t r e d a m e p r e s s
n o t r e d a m e , i n d i a n a
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
undpress .nd .edu
Copyright © 2019 by the University of Notre Dame
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-P ublication Data
Names: Conley, John J., author.
Title: The other Pascals : the philosophy of Jacqueline Pascal, Gilberte
Pascal Pâerier, and Marguerite Pâerier / John J. Conley, S.J.
Description: Notre Dame, Indiana : University of Notre Dame Press, [2019] |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2019002211 (print) | LCCN 2019008438 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780268105150 (pdf) | ISBN 9780268105167 (epub) |
ISBN 9780268105136 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 0268105138
(hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Pascal, Jacqueline, 1625–1661. | Perier, Madame (Gilberte),
1620–1685 or 1687. | Pâerier, Marguerite, 1646–1733. | Augustine, of
Hippo, Saint, 354–430—Influence. | Philosophy, French—17th century. |
Philosophy, French—18th century.
Classification: LCC BX4735.P3 (ebook) | LCC BX4735.P3 C66 2019 (print) |
DDC 230/.20922—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019002211
∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper.
This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party
vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are
encouraged to contact the publisher at [email protected]
Dedicated to Stephen J. Smith, Pascalian friend

c o n t e n t s
Preface ix
Abbreviations xiii
one Introduction: A Familial Philosophy 1
two Jacqueline Pascal: Virtue and Conscience 15
three Gilberte Pascal Périer: Philosophical Portraiture 77
four Marguerite Périer: Creed and Resistance 125
five Conclusion: Canon and Gender 171
appendices
Appendix A: Letters by Jacqueline Pascal 187
Appendix B: Life of Jacqueline Pascal
by Gilberte Pascal Périer 209
Appendix C: Profession of Faith
by Marguerite Périer 223
Notes 225
Bibliography 245
Index 251
vii

p r e f a c e
Whenever I return to Paris for a period of research, I make a pil-
grimage to the city’s “necklace” of Jansenist churches. These are Left-
Bank parishes that sympathized with the Jansenist movement at its
birth in the seventeenth century. Still active, the parishes retain traces
of Jansenism and of one of the movement’s most prominent families,
the Pascals. Austere in its simplicity, the neoclassical Saint- Jacques-
du- Haut- Pas nestles on the commercial Rue Saint- Jacques between
the old convent of Port-R oyal (now Hôpital Cochin) to the south
and the Bibliothèque de la Société de Port-R oyal, the world’s preemi-
nent collection of Jansenist books and manuscripts, to its north. The
prominence of the pulpit, the transparency of the sanctuary, and the
sobriety of the decoration sum up the Jansenist ideal of public wor-
ship. Abutting a bustling market street, Saint-M édard contains one of
the world’s most infamous cemeteries. It was here in the early eigh-
teenth century that riots broke out as Jansenist convulsionnaires claimed
miraculous healings as they leapt into ecstatic dances. Marguerite
Périer, the niece of Blaise Pascal, became an ardent advocate of the
graveyard’s controversial enthusiasts. The Gothic parish church of the
Latin Quarter Saint- Séverin has long served as the center for liturgical
experimentation for French Catholicism. With their plea for greater
use of the vernacular and greater lay participation in the liturgy, the
ancient Jansenist members of the parish would feel at home. Adjacent
to the Sorbonne, the flamboyant Gothic church of Saint- Étienne- du-
Mont stands as a shrine for disciples of Pascal. Blaise Pascal died in
the territory of the parish; his sister Gilberte and her children wor-
shiped here. I occasionally celebrate Mass at the Lady Chapel in the
back of the church. Blaise Pascal, his sister Gilberte, and his nephew
Blaise are buried here, next to the pillars of the chapel.
ix