Calumny is the main criticism that has been attributed to Marie de Gournay throughout the centuries. Among the attacks addressed against this “woman of letters” there is the condemnation of her interest in alchemy. Mainly focusing on the Peincture de mœurs, Marie de Gournay’s lyric self-portrait, the present contribution seeks to reveal the uniqueness of the ideas of this author in the social and intellectual network of her time.

Attitudes and ideas moving either away or against social conventions, in a well-defined period – the Sixteenth century – are generally rejected. Hence, they can even be classified as some kind of ‘foolishness’ because of the very gap separating them from the ‘rule’. This is especially true in the case of women. Focusing on the example of Marie de Gournay, whose existential and literary choices are unique and evolve under the sign of diversity from established patterns, this contribution aims at showing how ‘foolishness’ in this case is to be perceived as a cultural phenomenon, resulting from a sort of fear of this difference at both the social and religious levels.

This paper has been presented at the international conference "Les formes de la mémoire nationale et religieuse dans l'épopée vers 1650" (Caen 12-13 march 2009). It points out the female contribution to the construction of the French épopée.

Marie de Gournay’s career in the literary field begins when she publishes the first posthumous edition of Montaigne’s Essais in 1595. Referring to her unique relationship with the well-known writer, she considers herself as the only authorized person to look after the celebrated masterpiece by her « père d’alliance » [adoptive father]. By her editorial work, she mainly aims at defending the authenticity of her edition against all the accusations of exploiting Montaigne’s reputation in order to make her own way as a woman of letters. Taking into account both the multiple editions of the Essais by Marie de Gournay following their author’s death and her Preface to her initial edition of Montaigne’s masterpiece (1595), this contribution focuses on the evaluation of the tireless promotion and the assiduous editorial labors of this woman in the reception of her father’s renowned work.

This is an original paper on Marie de Gournay published in an issue of the review "Oeuvres et Critiques" entirely devoted to the "Ecrivaines du XVIIe siècle" and directed by Rainer Zaiser. This text aims at pointing out the heroic portrait of a woman whose work has been too long disregarded.