Pauline de Meulan (2 November 1773 — 1 August 1827) was a French writer and journalist, known especially for her work on education and her liberal position in the aftermath of the French Revolution. French literary critic

Sainte-Beuve Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (; 23 December 1804 – 13 October 1869) was a French literary critic. Early life He was born in Boulogne, educated there, and studied medicine at the Collège Charlemagne in Paris (1824–27). In 1828, he s ...

described her as the best and most important moralist since

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

Biography

Pauline de Meulan was the daughter of Count Charles de Meulan, an advisor to the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

and collector-general of Paris, later of Marguerite de Saint-Chamans. Her father died early in the French Revolution, likely due to stress. The family lost much of their fortune during the Revolution, and de Meulan began writing as a way to financially support her family. With the help of

Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Suard Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Suard (15 January 1732 – 20 July 1817) was a French journalist, translator and man of letters during the Age of Enlightenment. He was born in Besançon and died in Paris. Biography Suard was incarcerated in the ''Royal F ...

, she began writing for the magazine ''Le Publiciste'' in 1799. She also began publishing novels in 1799. She published ''Les Contradictions'' in 1799, a novel about a young man during the aftermath of the French Revolution. She also translated the very popular

epistolary novel An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of letters. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse documents of other kinds with the letters, most commonly diary entries and newspaper clippings, and sometimes considered ...

'' Memoirs of Emma Courtney'' by English writer Mary Hays. She married

François Guizot François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (; 4 October 1787 – 12 September 1874) was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848. A conservative liberal who opposed the ...

in 1812. The couple seemed strange since she was 14 years older than François and both had very different characters, as stated by Gabriel de Broglie in the following table taken from his book ''Guizot'': The couple worked together on several major projects, including a journal on education called ''Les Annales de l'Éducation''. The journal ran six editions from 1811 until 1814. She also assisted in editing and writing ''Abailard et Héloise: essai historique'' with her husband. Pauline Guizot died in 1827 of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

. Before her death, she arranged for her husband's second marriage to her niece, Élisa Dillon.

Works

* ''Les Contradictions, ou ce qui peut arriver'' (1799) * ''La Chapelle d’Ayton, ou Emma Courtenay'' (1799) * ''Essais de littérature et de morale'' (1802) * ''Écolier, ou Raoul et Victor'' (1821) * ''Lettres de famille sur l'éducation'' (1826) * ''Une famille'' (1828) * ''Conseils de morale, ou Essais sur l'homme, la société, la littérature'' (1828)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meulan, Pauline de 18th-century French women writers 19th-century French women writers 18th-century French journalists 19th-century French journalists French women journalists Writers from Paris 1773 births 1827 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 18th-century women journalists 19th-century women journalists