La marquise de Sévigné (1626-1696), is considered one of the foremost epistolary authors in French literature or in any literature, for that matter. Born Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, daughter of Celse-Bénigne de Rabutin, baron de Chantal, she was raised by her maternal uncle, Christophe de Coulanges. She received an unusual education for women at her time, including foreign languages and literatures.
Married in 1644 to Henri, baron de Sévigné (who called himself
marquis), she bore two
children,
Charles and Françoise-Marguerite.
Widowed young, when her
husband was killed in a
duel regarding a
mistress, she quickly became much sought after in
Parisian society. She was known to be friends with the duc de
La Rochefoucauld,
Mme de Lafayette, and Mme Scarron, the future
Mme de Maintenon and secret wife of
Louis XIV.
In 1671 her daughter married the comte de Grignan, who was obliged to live in the south of France because of his government duties. This was the beginning of a long and exhaustive correspondence, most of which focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter. Nevertheless, few subjects escape the marquise's pen; children, marriage, religion, gossip, royalty, peasants, agriculture and literature are all treated in her letters, with freshness and vitality. The letters were first published in authorized form in 1725, although many had been circulated or published earlier.