France: Marie Catherine Le Jumelle de Barneville

(1650-1705)

Marie Catherine le Jumelle de Barneville, Baronne d'Aulnoy was an established woman writer who was praised for her works but also scrutinized and thought of as a fraud. Marie Catherine was born in the year sixteen hundred and fifty in Normandy to a poor noble family. Though poor she was soon to transform from rags to riches by marrying a rich suitor. In France when Marie was just sixteen years old she married Francois de la Motte, Baron d'Aulnoy who was at the ripe old age of forty-six. The public knew Baron d'Aulnoy as a Libertine and a reckless gambler. Marie Catherine had three children with him when her husband had been accused of treason. It was said that Marie Catherine’s mother had come up with the whole ploy and accused Baron d'Aulnoy of being a traitor but no one knows why she did it. Marie then had three more children but decided to take a break from the Parisian social scene and traveled to Spain and England. She was gone for nearly twenty years when she decided to return back to France. Once again Marie Catherine was back in the lime light and had a famous solon which had high esteem people that gathered there. She also had Sentiments d'une Ame penitente and Le Retour d'une Ame a Dieu published in sixteen-ninety one. They were two religious writings that were favored by high society and even in Louis XIV's court. Baronne d'Aulnoy began to write many historical books and memoirs about Louis XIV and the Dutch wars. She wrote fairy tales as well which she was loved for. L'Ile de la felicite was her first fairy tale which was incorporated in her three historical novels called Histoire d'Hippolyte, comte de Duglas. Many of her books were very popular and would be until the day of her death in the year seventeen hundred and five. One hundred and fifty years later the French saw her works as dismissive claiming that much of her historical works were fictitious. Many still enjoyed her fairy tale collection which includes Contes Nouveaux ou Les Fees a la Mode and Les Contes des Fees.

By David U