Madame d'Aulnoy
Encyclopedia
Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy (1650/1651–4 January 1705), also known as Countess d'Aulnoy, was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
known for her fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s. When she termed her works contes de fées (fairy tales), she originated the term that is now generally used for the genre.
Biography
Born in Barneville-la-BertranBarneville-la-Bertran
Barneville-la-Bertran is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-Personalities:It was the birthplace of Madame d'Aulnoy, writer known for her fairy tales.-References:*...
, Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
as a member of the noble family of Le Jumel de Barneville. In 1666, she was given at the age of sixteen in an arranged marriage to a Parisian thirty years older—François de la Motte, Baron d'Aulnoy, of the household of the duc de Vendôme. The baron was a freethinker and a known gambler. Over the next three years, the couple had three children. In 1669, the Baron d'Aulnoy was accused of treason but the accusations, in which Mme d'Aulnoy appeared to be involved, proved to be false, and two men implicated in the accusation were executed. Marie-Catherine's mother fled the country as she was also allegedly involved, however it is not known if the Comtesse d'Aulnoy herself had anything to do with the charges. She had three more children and discontinued involvement in the Paris social scene for twenty years. During this period, she later said that she had traveled to Spain, with her mother, who remained in Madrid, and England, the latter voyage cannot be confirmed however. Much of this time was also spent writing stories inspired by these destinations; these stories later became her most popular works.
Madame d'Aulnoy was a permanent resident of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
again by 1690, where her salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
became frequented by leading aristocrats and princes, including her close friend, Saint-Evremond
Charles de Saint-Évremond
Charles de Marguetel de Saint-Denis, seigneur de Saint-Évremond was a French soldier, hedonist, essayist and literary critic. After 1661, he lived in exile, mainly in England, as a consequence of his attack on French policy at the time of the peace of the Pyrenees . He is buried in Poets' Corner,...
. Over the next thirteen years she published twelve books including three pseudo-memoirs, two fairy tale collections and three "historical" novels. Gaining the reputation as a historian and recorder of tales from outside of France, and elected as a member of Paduan Accademia dei Ricovatri
Galileiana Academy of Arts and Science
The Galileiana Academy of Arts and Science is an Italian academy of arts and sciences and cultural center in the city of Padua in Italy. It was originally founded as the Academy of the Ricovrati in Padua in 1599, under the initiative of a Venitian nobleman, Federico Cornaro...
, she was called by the name of the muse of history, Clio
Clio
thumb|Clio—detail from [[The Art of Painting|The Allegory of Painting]] by [[Johannes Vermeer]]In Greek mythology, Clio or Kleio, is the muse of history. Like all the muses, she is a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne...
. However, at this time the idea of history was a much looser term which included her fictional accounts. In 150 years, the more strictly documented form of the term lead to her accounts being declared "fraudulent". However, in France and England at the time her works were considered as mere entertainment, a sentiment reflected in the reviews of the period. Her truly accurate attempts at historical accounts telling of the Dutch wars of Louis XIV were less successful.
Her most popular works were her fairy tales and adventure stories as told in Les Contes des Fees (Tales of fairies) and Contes Nouveaux, ou Les Fées à la Mode. Unlike the folk tales of the Grimm Brothers, who were born some 135 years later than d'Aulnoy, she told her stories in a more conversational style, as they might be told in salons
Précieuses
The French literary style called préciosité arose in the 17th century from the lively conversations and playful word games of les précieuses , the witty and educated intellectual ladies who frequented the salon of Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet; her Chambre bleue offered a...
. These stories were far from suitable for children and many English adaptations are very dissimilar to the original.
Works
- Sentiments of a Penitent Soul (Sentiments d'une Ame penitente)
- The Return of a Soul to God (Le Retour d'une Ame à Dieu)
- History of Hippolyte, Count of Duglas (Histoire d'Hippolyte, comte de Duglas) (1690)
- History of Jean de Bourbon, Prince of Carency (Histoire de Jean de Bourbon, Prince de Carency) (1692)
- The Count of Warwick (Le Comte de Warwick)
- Memories of the Court of Spain, Account of the Voyage to Spain (Memoires de la cour d'Espagne, Relation du voyage d'Espagne) (1690 or 1691)
- Memories of the Court of England (Mémoires de la cour d'Angleterre) (1695)
- From Fairy Tales (Les Contes des Fées) (1697)
- BabioleBabiole- Synopsis :A queen thought she was childless because of the ill wishes of the fairy, Fanferluche. One day, Fanferluche appeared to her to say that this was not true, that the queen would have a daughter who would bring her much woe, and that to avert this, Fanferluche would give her a branch of...
- Cunning CindersFinette CendronFinette Cendron is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy.It is Aarne-Thompson type 510A...
(Finette Cendron) - Graciosa and PercinetGraciosa and PercinetGraciosa and Percinet is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.-Synopsis:A king and queen had a beautiful daughter, Graciosa, and an ugly duchess hated her. One day, the queen died. The king grieved so much that his doctors ordered him to...
(Gracieuse et Percinet) - Princess MayblossomThe Princess MayblossomThe Princess Mayblossom is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy in 1697.Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
(La Princesse Printanière) - Princess RosettePrincess RosettePrincess Rosette is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.Italo Calvino included an orally collected tale, The King of the Peacocks, in his Italian Folktales, but observed in the notes that it was clearly a variant on Princess...
(La Princesse Rosette) - The Bee and the Orange TreeThe Bee and the Orange Tree-Synopsis:After many childless years, a king and queen had a daughter, whom they named Aimée. Unfortunately, a ship she was on, wrecked. As fate would have it, she drifted ashore in her cradle. There, an ogre couple found her, and the ogress resolved to raise Aimee, instead of eating her,...
(L'Orangier et l'Abeille) - The Benevolent FrogThe Benevolent FrogThe Benevolent Frog or The Frog and the Lion Fairy is a French literary fairy tale, written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Orange Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
or The Frog and the Lion Fairy (La Grenouille bienfaisante) - The Blue BirdThe Blue Bird (fairy tale)"The Blue Bird" is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy, published in 1697. An English translation was included in The Green Fairy Book, 1892, collected by Andrew Lang.The tale is Aarne-Thompson type 432, The Prince as Bird...
(L'Oiseau bleu) - The DolphinThe Dolphin (fairy tale)The Dolphin is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy.Another literary tale of this type is Giambattista Basile's older Peruonto. A folk variant is the French Half-Man.-Synopsis:...
- The Fortunate OneFortunéeFortunée or Felicia and the Pot of Pinks is a French literary fairy tale, written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Blue Fairy Book.-Synopsis:A poor labourer, dying, wished to divide his goods between his son and daughter...
or Felicia and the Pot of Pinks (Fortunée) - The Imp PrinceThe Imp PrinceThe Imp Prince is a French fairy tale written by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy and published in her book Fairy Tales in 1697....
(Le Prince Lutin) - The Little Good MouseThe Little Good MouseThe Little Good Mouse is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
(La bonne petite souris) - The RamThe RamThe Ram is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it, under the title The Wonderful Sheep in The Blue Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
or The Wonderful Sheep (Le Mouton ) - The Story of Pretty GoldilocksThe Story of Pretty GoldilocksThe Story of Pretty Goldilocks or The Beauty with Golden Hair is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Blue Fairy Book....
or The Beauty with Golden Hair (La Belle aux cheveux d'or) - The Yellow DwarfThe Yellow DwarfThe Yellow Dwarf is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Blue Fairy Book.-Synopsis:A widowed queen spoiled her only daughter , who was so beautiful that kings vied for the honor of her hand, not believing they could attain it. Uneasy that her daughter...
(Le Nain jaune) - The White DoeThe White DoeThe White Doe or The Doe in the Woods is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Orange Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
or The White Doe (La Biche au bois)
- Babiole
- From New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion (Contes Nouveaux ou Les Fées à la Mode) (1698)
- Belle-BelleBelle-Belle ou Le Chevalier FortunéBelle-Belle ou Le Chevalier Fortuné is a French literary fairy tale, written by Madame d'Aulnoy.-Plot summary:A king, driven from his capital by an emperor, was forming an army and demanded that one person from every noble household become a soldier or, face a heavy fine. An impoverished nobleman,...
(Belle-Belle ou Le Chevalier Fortuné) - Green Serpent (Serpentin vert)
- The White Cat (La Chatte Blanche)
- The Golden BranchThe Golden BranchThe Golden Branch is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.-Synopsis:A cruel king had a hideous but good-hearted son. The king wanted to arrange an alliance by marrying his son to a princess who was as ugly as he was. The prince,...
(Le Rameau d'Or) - The Pigeon and the DoveThe Pigeon and the Dove"The Pigeon and the Dove" is a French literary fairy tale written by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy and published in her book New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion written in 1698....
(Le Pigeon et la Colombe) - Prince MarcassinPrince MarcassinThe Pig King is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in his The Facetious Nights of Straparola. Madame d'Aulnoy wrote a French, also literary, variant, titled Prince Marcassin....
(Le Prince Marcassin) - Princess Belle-EtoilePrincess Belle-EtoilePrincess Belle-Etoile is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Her source for the tale was Ancilotto, King of Provino, by Giovanni Francesco Straparola....
(La Princesse Belle-Étoile)
- Belle-Belle