Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy (1650/1651 – 14 January 1705), also known as Countess d'Aulnoy, was a French author known for her literary
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
s. When she termed her works ''contes de fées'' (fairy tales), she originated the term that is now generally used for the genre.
Biography
D'Aulnoy was born in
Barneville-la-Bertran
Barneville-la-Bertran is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Barnevillais'' or ''Barnevillaises''.
Geography
Barneville-la-Bertran is located north ...
, in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, as a member of the noble family of Le Jumel de Barneville. She was the niece of
Marie Bruneau des Loges, the friend of
François de Malherbe
François de Malherbe (, 1555 – 16 October 1628) was a French poet, critic, and translator.
Life
He was born in Le Locheur (near Caen, Normandie), to a family of standing, although the family's pedigree did not satisfy the heralds in terms of ...
and of
Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac.
In 1666, she was given at the age of fifteen (by her father) in an arranged marriage to a Parisian thirty years older—
François de la Motte, Baron d'Aulnoy, of the household of the
Duke of Vendôme
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...
. The baron was a freethinker and a known gambler. In 1669, the Baron d'Aulnoy was accused of treason (speaking out against imposed taxes by the King) by two men who may have been the lovers of Mme d'Aulnoy (aged nineteen) and her mother, who by a second marriage was the Marchioness de Gadagne.
If found guilty, the verdict would have meant execution. The Baron d'Aulnoy spent three years in the Bastille before finally convincing the court of his innocence. The two men implicated in the accusation were executed instead. The accusations and counter-accusations are recorded in the Bastille's archives. The Marchioness de Gadagne fled to England, and although a warrant was served for Mme d'Aulnoy's arrest, she escaped from officers through a window and hid in a church.
It is possible she then worked as a spy for France (and perhaps spent some time in Holland, Spain, and England) before returning to Paris in 1685 (possibly as repayment for spying). The Marchioness de Gadagne stayed in Madrid financed by a pension from the Spanish King. Mme d'Aulnoy hosted
salon gatheringsbr>
in her home at rue Saint-Benoît that were frequented by leading aristocrats and princes, including her close friend,
Charles de Saint-Évremond, Saint-Evremond.
In 1699, Mme d'Aulnoy's friend Angélique Ticquet was beheaded for having a servant retaliate against Angélique's abusive husband, also from a forced marriage. The servant was hanged for shooting and wounding Councillor Ticquet. Mme d'Aulnoy escaped persecution despite her alleged involvement and discontinued involvement in the Paris social scene for twenty years.
D'Aulnoy published twelve books including three pseudo-memoirs, two fairy tale collections and three "historical" novels. She contributed to the anthology ''Recueil des plus belles pièces des poètes français'' in 1692 and wrote a series of travel memoirs based on her supposed travels through court life in Madrid and London. And although her insights may have been plagiarized and invented, these stories later became her most popular works. She gained the reputation as a historian and recorder of tales from outside France, and elected as a member of
Paduan Accademia dei Ricovrati, she was called by the name of the muse of history,
Clio
In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing.
Etymology
Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλεί ...
. 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 led 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. The money she made from her writing helped raise her three daughters, not all produced during her time with the Baron d'Aulnoy .
Her most popular works were her fairy tales and adventure stories as told in ''Les Contes des Fées'' (Tales of fairies) and ''Contes Nouveaux, ou Les Fées à la Mode''. Unlike the
folk tales of the
Grimm Brothers
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
, 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. Much of her writing created a world of animal brides and grooms, where love and happiness came to heroines after surmounting great obstacles. These stories were far from suitable for children and many English adaptations are very dissimilar to the original.
Scholars Jack Zipes and David Blamires suggest that, due to the high number of similarities of MMe. d'Aulnoy's literary work with recognizable folkloric material, she must have been acquainted with the oral tradition or their literary reworking during her time. In addition, Jacques Barchilon stated that d'Aulnoy's works can be classified under some popular tale types of the
international index of folktale classification, some of which "The Animal Bride" and "
Animal as Bridegroom
In folkloristics, "The Animal as Bridegroom" refers to a group of folk and fairy tales about a human woman marrying or being betrothed to an animal. The animal is revealed to be a human prince in disguise or under a curse. Most of these tales are ...
" tale types.
Issue
Madame d'Aulnoy had six children, two of whom were born after she became estranged from her husband, although they bore his name:
* Marie-Angélique (26 January 1667, died young, probably before November 1669)
* Dominique-César, her only son (23 November 1667, died young)
* Marie-Anne, Dame de Barneville (27 October 1668 – before 1726
[Raymond Foulché-Delbosc, ''Revue Hispanique'', Volume 69, 1926, p. 106.]); she married on 29 November 1685 Claude-Denis de Héère (1658 – before June 1711
), a nobleman from Berry, who became Sire de Barneville, and had:
** Jacques-Denis-Augustin de Héère (1698–?); he married on 2 November 1734 Geneviève Françoise de La Fauche. No issue.
** Marguerite de Héère, Dame de Vaudoy.
** Denise-Lucrèce de Héère (? – after 1772).
** Marguerite-Françoise de Héère; she married Jacques-François Tardieu, "Count" of Malissy.
** Marie-Anne de Héère (6 August 17013 January 1737); she married on 24 September 1735 Jean-Pierre de Fontanges, and had a son:
*** François-Alexandre de Fontanges (28 December 17361754).
* Judith-Henriette (14 November 1669 – after 1711); she married on 4 September 1704 in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
Giulio Orazio Pucci, second Marquis of Bargente (Barsento, in Italy), and had at least two children:
** Antonio Pucci
[Raymond Foulché-Delbosc, ''Revue Hispanique'', Volume 69, 1926, p 109.]
** Luisa Maria Pucci; she was the first wife of Francesco Guicciardini.
* Thérèse-Aimée (13 October 1676 – after 1726
); she married Edmé des Préaux d'Antigny and had a daughter:
** Edmée-Angélique des Préaux d'Antigny (born on 18 November 1704 – death date unknown); she was married to Pierre-Joseph Vermale but the marriage was annulled.
* Françoise-Angélique-Maxime (c. 1677 – 17 November 1727); she never married and had no issue.
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 Douglas (''Histoire d'Hippolyte, comte de Duglas'') (1690)
* History of
Jean de Bourbon
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jean ...
,
Prince of Carency
The lordship of Carency belonged to a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. From the 15th century onwards they were known as princes of Carency, even if their fiefdom does not seem to have been promoted to a princedom. In the 16th century Carency ...
(''Histoire de Jean de Bourbon, Prince de Carency'') (1692)
* The Count of Warwick (''Le Comte de Warwick'')
* The present court of Spain, or, The modern gallantry of the Spanish nobility unfolded in several histories and seventy five letters from the enamour'd Teresa, to her beloved the
Marquess of Mancera (1693) (''Memoire de la cour d'Espagne'') (1690)
* 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)
**
Babiole Babiole is a French literary fairy tale, written by Madame d'Aulnoy. In English publications, the name is sometimes translated as ''Babiola''.Valentine, Laura. ''The Old, Old Fairy Tales''. New York: Burt 1889. pp. 188-225.
Synopsis
A queen thoug ...
**
Cunning Cinders (''Finette Cendron'')
**
Graciosa and Percinet
Graciosa 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. T ...
(''Gracieuse et Percinet'')
**
Princess Mayblossom (''La Princesse Printanière'')
**
Princess Rosette Princess Rosette (french: La Princesse 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 '' ...
(''La Princesse Rosette'')
**
The Bee and the Orange Tree
The Bee and the Orange Tree (''L'Oranger et l'Abeille'') is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy.
Synopsis
After many childless years, a king and queen had a daughter, whom they named Aimée. Unfortunately, a ship she was on, wrecked. ...
(''L'Orangier et l'Abeille'')
**
The Benevolent Frog The Benevolent Frog or The Frog and the Lion Fairy is a French literary fairy tale, written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included the tale in ''The Orange Fairy Book'' with the title ''The Frog and the Lion Fairy''.
Synopsis
A king's capital w ...
or ''The Frog and the Lion Fairy'' (''La Grenouille bienfaisante'')
**
The Blue Bird (''L'Oiseau bleu'')
**
The Dolphin (''Le Dauphin'')
**
The Fortunate One or ''Felicia and the Pot of Pinks'' (''Fortunée'')
**
The Imp Prince
The Imp Prince (known as ''Le Prince Lutin'' in French) is a French fairy tale written by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy and published in her book ''Fairy Tales'' (''Les Contes des Fees'') in 1697.
The word ''Lutin'', in French, can have several tra ...
(''Le Prince Lutin'')
**
The Little Good Mouse
The Little Good Mouse is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Red Fairy Book''.
Synopsis
A king and queen were in love and happy, and made their entire kingdom happy. Nearby lived a cruel ...
(''La bonne petite souris'')
**
The Ram or ''The Wonderful Sheep'' (''Le Mouton'')
**
The Story of Pretty Goldilocks
The 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''.
It is Aarne–Thompson type 531. This type is generally called "The ...
or ''The Beauty with Golden Hair'' (''La Belle aux cheveux d'or'')
**
The Yellow Dwarf
The Yellow Dwarf (french: Le Nain jaune) 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 th ...
(''Le Nain jaune'')
**
The White Doe The 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''.
Alternate names
James Planché, author and dramatist, translated the tale as ''The Hind in th ...
or ''The Hind in the Wood'' (''La Biche au bois'')
* From ''New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion'' (''Contes Nouveaux ou Les Fées à la Mode'') (1698)
**
Belle-Belle (''Belle-Belle ou Le Chevalier Fortuné'')
**
Green Serpent
Le Serpentin Vert (translated as ''Green Serpent'' or ''Green Dragon'') is a French folklore, French fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy, Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy, popular in its day and representative of European folklore, that was published in ...
(''Serpentin vert'')
**
The White Cat (''La Chatte Blanche'')
**
The Golden Branch
The 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 ...
(''Le Rameau d'Or'')
**
The Pigeon and the Dove
The Pigeon and the Dove (French: ''Le Pigeon et la Colombe'') is a French folklore, French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy, Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy and published in her book ''New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion'' (''Contes Nouveaux ou ...
(''Le Pigeon et la Colombe'')
**
Prince Marcassin (''Le Prince Marcassin'')
**
Princess Belle-Etoile
''Princess 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.
It is classified as Aarne-Thompson type 707 ''The dancing water ...
(''La Princesse Belle-Étoile'')
**
The Princess Carpillon (''Princesse Carpillon'')
[Planché, James Robinson. ''Fairy Tales by The Countess d'Aulnoy, translated by J. R. Planché''. London: G. Routledge & Co. 1856. pp. 332-374.]
Notes
References
* Disse, Dorothy. (1 October 2004
Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy Other Women's Voices. Retrieved 22 January 2005.
*
* Trinquet Charlotte. Le conte de fées français (1690-1700) : Traditions italiennes et origines aristocratiques
rench Fairy tale (1690-1700) : Italian Traditions and Aristocratic Origins Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag, 2012.
*
Zipes, Jack ''When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition'',
* Amy Vanderlyn De Graff, ''The Tower and the Well'' (1984), the standard psychoanalytic study.
Further reading
* Palmer, Nancy, and Melvin Palmer. "English Editions of French "Contes De Fees" Attributed to Mme D'Aulnoy." Studies in Bibliography 27 (1974): 227-32. Accessed 29 June 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/40371596.
* Planché, James Robinson. 'Fairy Tales by The Countess d'Aulnoy, translated by J. R. Planché''. London: G. Routledge & Co. 1856.
* Verdier, Gabrielle. "COMMENT L'AUTEUR DES «FÉES À LA MODE» DEVINT «MOTHER BUNCH»: MÉTAMORPHOSES DE LA COMTESSE D'AULNOY EN ANGLETERRE." Merveilles & Contes 10, no. 2 (1996): 285–309. Accessed 30 June 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/41390464.
External links and resources
SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages: The Fairy Tales of Madame d'Aulnoy (1893) with a guide to d'Aulnoy's tales in English
*
*
*
Works by Madame d'Aulnoyat
Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library (TPL) (french: Bibliothèque publique de Toronto) is a public library system in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest public library system in Canada, and in 2008 had averaged a higher circulation per capita than any other pu ...
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aulnoy, Madame d
1650 births
1705 deaths
People from Calvados (department)
French baronesses
French children's writers
French fantasy writers
French women novelists
Collectors of fairy tales
French salon-holders
17th-century French women writers
17th-century French writers
17th-century French novelists
French women children's writers
Women science fiction and fantasy writers
Women folklorists