A portion of an autograph letter to her daughter, Madame de Grignan, aux Rochers.

SRendell 1.jpg
SRendell 2.jpg

Creator

Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné (1626–1696).

Title

A portion of an autograph letter to her daughter, Madame de Grignan, aux Rochers.

Date

mercredi 15e août.

Description

The celebrated ėpistoliėre, whose letters to her daughter are a classic of French literature, was in fine form on the day she wrote this one as she was anticipating a visit from her within mere days. (Madame de Sévigné’s letters are so cherished that they were often cut up, as valuable literary souvenirs.)

I love this piece and I especially love the person who gave it to me—my future husband. I suppose you could call it a courting gift. We had just met. My date (Kenneth W. Rendell) was astonished that I was reading something as esoteric as the letters of Madame de Sévigné, in French. I was amazed that he had even heard of her. Amazement turned to wonder when one day he presented me with a fragment of one of her letters. Her pen! Her handwriting! Her voice! On this half page we read that she has just gone to get the post from Paris and there was a letter from ma bonne (her daughter). I was hooked, on him and on collecting.

My collection eventually grew to include letters by many interesting women of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially French women. I was able to acquire other letters by Madame de Sévigné, some running to several complete pages, but none ever replaced this morceau in my heart.

Source

Shirley McNerney Rendell