Pauline Fréchette (after marriage, Fréchette-Handfield;

religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should ...

, Soeur Marie-Pauline; 16 October 1889 – 5 January 1943) was a Canadian poet, dramatist, journalist, and lecturer. After marriage and a divorce in Canada, she removed to France and became a Catholic

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

. She died in 1943.

Early life and education

Marie-Emma-Pauline-Adine ("Pauline") Frechette was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Canada on 16 October 1889. She was the youngest daughter of

Louis-Honoré Fréchette Louis-Honoré Fréchette, (November 16, 1839 – May 31, 1908), was a Canadian poet, politician, playwright, and short story writer. For his prose, he would be the first Quebecois to receive the Prix Montyon from the Académie française, as w ...

and Marie-Emma (Beaudry) Fréchette (died 1922). Her siblings from this marriage included, Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Joseph Fréchette, Marie-Jeanne-Emma Fréchette, Marie-Desiree-Louise-Alexandrine Fréchette, and Charles-Auguste-Jean-Louis Fréchette. Her studies were pursued at Villa Maria Convent, C.N.D., whence she graduated in 1908.

Career

In addition to the volume of verse, ''Tu m'as donné le plus doux rêve'', with preface by Hon. Gonzalve Desaulniers, she was author of a work in prose entitled ''L’Art d'être une bonne Mère'', which was highly praised in medical circles and was honored by a long study from Leon Berthaut, of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Many of Fréchette's poems were set to music in Montreal and in Paris. She was fond of travel and gave the press racy descriptions of her journeys. She was frequently called upon to give public readings from her poems. She resided at Ville de Léry, Chateauguay County, Quebec, near Montreal. Fréchette published a collection of her father's works under the title of ''Centmorceaux choisis de Louis Fréchette'', with a preface by Senator L. O. David. The Duke of Bauffremont, who specialized in French-Canadian literature, said of this poetess:— "She does not lack of inspiration and originality. These verses are from a poet, a real poet. Poetry does not consist in putting rhymes in line and in using rare words: poetry is the way of feeling and thinking and in the way of seeing things--qualities that Mrs. Fréchette possesses in a supreme degree." Henri d'Arles wrote an extensive criticism to her volume of verses. In ''Nos Poetes'', of Paris, he stated:— "One finds in Mrs. Fréchette's works the sincerity of inspiration and the sensibility which are so fascinating in Louis Fréchette's poetry. It is like a charming inheritance which the author of 'Tu m'as donné le plus doux rêve' has put in value."

Personal life

On 22 September 1910, in Montreal, she married Dr. Joseph Azarie Handfield (1873–1935), a physician of Montreal. In 1926, he petitioned for a

dissolution of marriage Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

. Pauline Fréchette, now Soeur (Sister) Marie-Pauline, died at the l'Institut de Jésus Crucifié, in

Launay Launay () is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Eure department The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France. The communes cooperate in t ...

, France, 5 January 1943.

Selected works

* ''L'art d'être une bonne mère: notions d'hygiène, de physiologie et de psychologie pour les jeunes mères'', 1922 * ''L’Art d'être une bonne Mère'', 1923 * ''Centmorceaux choisis de Louis Fréchette'', 1924 * ''Tu m'as donné le plus doux rêve'', 1924

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frechette, Pauline 1889 births 1943 deaths Writers from Montreal 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian journalists 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian women poets Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian women journalists Canadian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns