Anne Marguerite Petit Du Noyer

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Between the novel and the open Chronique Scandaleuse: The gallant Correspondentz, 1-2 (Freyburg, H. Clement, 1712) by Anne-Marguerite Petit DuNoyer

Anne-Marguerite Petit du Noyer (born June 12, 1663 in Nîmes ; † May 1719 in Voorburg ) was a journalist who was famous throughout Europe and who made a name for herself with her reporting of diplomatic events relating to the War of the Spanish Succession and its peace negotiations. In 1686 she married Guillaume du Noyer. In 1701 she converted from the Catholic denomination back to Calvinist Protestantism , her original denomination, and then had to leave France. After a stay in Geneva , she moved to The Hague, the center of Dutch foreign policy, where Voltaire visited her in 1713. A number of contemporary testimonies have been handed down with characterizations:

ZC von Uffenbach's note of a meeting in The Hague in 1710

Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach describes a chance encounter with her on December 27, 1710 , in the third volume of his Merck-worthy trip :

In the afternoon we went to some bookstores [The Hague], in one of which we saw and spoke to Madame du Nöyer, who is known for her many writings. She is an old, small, black [refers to eyes and complexion] and ugly, but gossipy and well-behaved woman. In my presence, in the bookstore, she wrote a very delicate French letter to a scholar in Amsterdam, which she read to us, and sealed it with my pledge because she did not have hers with her. We had to be amazed at their speed and good ideas. She defended some passages in her memoirs in a very lively manner, if this seemed unbelievable to this friend.

The character image given to the English edition of her letters in 1716

The English edition of her letters Letters from a Lady at Paris to a Lady at Avignon, vol. 1 (London, W. Mears / J. Browne, 1716) offered a scandalous curriculum vitae - here in the bilingual text with all due caution regarding the facts:

SHE is about 60 years of age; and has in her time, made a considerable figure in France, where her Husband was concern'd in managing the Publick Revenues, in consequence of which he is now under Prosecution before the Chamber of Justice.

What time this Lady left France, may be gather'd from her Writings. Religion was what she pretended for so doing, but her natural Inconstancy was the real Motive. She went to Holland with two Daughters and Money enough to have supported her honorable, if the desire of serving God in Spirit and in Truth, had been the sole Cause of her Flight: But her head continually running upon vast Undertakings, and filled with I. know not what Ideas of Grandeur, she launch'd out into such profuse Expence, that instead of well settling her Daughters, when they were marriagable, she ruin'd their Reputation, and herself became a Prey to such as knew how to make Advantage of her weal side. Her eldest Daughter, who is called Eleonaora, a fair-complexion'd beautiful Woman, was very indifferently marry'd, and has since found means to return to her Father in Paris: The youngest, whom the Mother calls Pimpette, (instead of Olympia her true name) is a brown lively Woman and has marry'd a Footman, who pretended to be a German Count. She is still at the Hague with her Mother, as likewise a Daughter she has had by the Sham-Count, who is at this time a perfect Vagabond, and stroles about the Country for a livelyhood.

Madam Du Noyer, notwithstanding the ill Posture of her Affairs, and tho 'she is convinc'd that all the World knows the truth of the Story, will have er Daughter to be call'd after her Husband's name, the Countess of Winterfeld, and whenever she speaks of that Daughter absent or present, she always intitles her Madam la Comtesse.

Madam Du Noyer, not knowing how otherwise to subsist, is reduced to write two papers weekly, which she calls the Quintessence of News; this is worth 300 Florins Dutch, per Ann. which are paid duly by the Bookseller: And as she is very liberal of her Elogiums, this Paper gave her an Opportunity, during the Congress of Utrecht, to offer her Compliments to all the Ambassadors and their Ladies round; was a considerable advantage to her.

Of all her former Estate, she has nothing left but about 60 l. per Ann. the rent of two houses, the one in the town, and the other in the country. She, however, has shewed her self very little concerned at all these Crosses of Fortune: And indeed as she herself is the only Cause of them, she would be very much in the wrong to let them sower her Temper: She has, on the contrary, rather chose to laugh it off, and has given so witty, so ingenious an Account of her Adventures, that it is impossible to read them without being very much moved on her behalf. There are in her Miscellaneous Works some exquisite Things, and many pieces of History, which one is so well pleased with being informed of, that one cannot help to favoring her with our good Wishes for having collected them. Her Letters are writ in so easy and so natural a style, that we pass on from one to t'other without being in the least tired with what we read. To conclude, when we look into her memoirs, 'she there seems to justifie herself so fully, that unless one knew her, ne cou'd not help pitying her condition. This shews that she is a Lady of a superior Genius, let her use it ill or well: Her Manners are easie, her Conversation agreeable and entertaining; and whatsoever Subject she talks upon she always manages it with abundance of justness. Her Person is not answerable to her Wit; she has formerly been tolerably handsome, and tho 'low of Stature, and but indifferently shaped, had nothing disagreeable in her; but at present she is almost frightfully Ugly, being grown prodigiously Fat, and extremely Swarthy: However the Writings she has obliged the World with, ought to make amends for any thing that is amiss either in her Person or in her Conduct .

She is around sixty and made quite a figure in her day in France where her husband was entrusted with managing public revenues, a job that has now earned him prosecution from the Justice Chamber.

When this lady left France can be seen from her writings. She gave religious reasons for this, but her real motive was her inconstancy. She went to Holland with two daughters and enough money to get a decent position, had the wish to serve God in spirit and truth been the only reason for her flight. But after her head was turned towards great undertakings, filled with I don't know what ideas of glamor, she risked such a waste that, instead of selling her daughters well, as long as they were in marriageable age, their reputation ruined and fell victim to those who knew how to exploit their weak points. Her eldest daughter, Eleonora, a beautiful fair-complexed woman, found herself married most carelessly, and has since found ways of returning to her father in Paris . The youngest, called Pimpette by her mother (instead of Olympia, as she is actually called) is a lively woman of a darker type and married a messenger who pretended to be a German count. She is still in The Hague and lives with her mother with a daughter (note: "Pimpette" was in a friendly correspondence with Voltaire). The alleged count and father of the child is now a complete vagabond and earns his living traveling through the country.

Madam Du Noyer insists, although her private affairs do not cast a favorable light on her, and although she believes that everyone knows her fate, at every opportunity her daughter should be addressed as Countess von Winterfeld under the name of her husband . Whenever she speaks of her herself, whether in her absence or presence, she never addresses her differently from the Countess.

Not knowing what else to live on, Madam Du Noyer is forced to fill two weekly issues of a paper that she calls the quintessential news . That brings in 300 Dutch guilders (120 Reichstaler) a year, which the bookseller pays her on time. Not sparing with laudatory remarks in her paper, her reporting gave her access to the diplomatic circles negotiating peace in Utrecht and the opportunity to meet all the ambassadors and their ladies, which turned out to be quite advantageous.

Of all her previous possessions, she no longer had 60 pounds a year (for British pounds that would be 266 Reichstaler, for French 20), the rental income from two houses, one in the city, one in the country. However, she has shown herself little affected by her misfortune, and indeed, what reason would she have to show herself bitter, now that she herself is the author of her situation? On the contrary, she decided to laugh at her fate and gave such a witty account of her adventures that it is impossible to read it without being favored by her. Her smaller works contain some exquisite things and a lot of history, which thanks to her you are so well informed that you can't help but say our congratulations to her on collecting it all. Her letters are written in such a smooth and natural style that you can go through them without being in the least tired of reading them. After all, when we look into her memoirs , she succeeds in justifying herself so much that if you didn't know about her any more, you would have to regret her. That shows she is a lady of higher genius, let us leave it to her to use it for better or for worse. Their manners are easy to get along with, their conversation pleasant and entertaining; and whatever she talks about, she always manages to do it with an abundance of good judgment. Their appearance corresponds little with their intellectual gifts. She used to be reasonably pretty, and even if she is small in stature and of an unspecific figure, there was nothing unpleasant about her. However, she is now almost terrifyingly ugly after she became incredibly fat and developed a dark complexion. The writings that she laid at the feet of the world, however, should make up for everything that her person or her conduite lack.

About her work it was said in the same context (the author of these lines is with some probability the English scandal author Delarivier Manley , the side attack on Richard Steele suggests that):

[...] they are full of those peculiar beauties which reign in the best of the fair sex. The Subjects they turn upon, are the Loves and Intrigues of Persons of the first Quality in France, and these not derived from common Fame, and the general magazine of Scandal, but from the Knowledge of one, whose Interests and Pleasures lay mixt with theirs , and who receiving the facts from the Fountain-Head, gave them only the advantage of a good dress, and conveyed them in an agreeable manner to the world.

If Secrets of this Nature must come abroad, (and somehow or other they will) it is happy when they fall into the Hands of a witty and gallant Writer. One Degree less of good Sense, and good Nature, makes a vast difference in the Relater of a Story; and that which would please us very much if well told, disgusts us at the first view of rigor or partiality. For instance, we have in these letters a very particular Account of Madam de Maintenon's Management of the late King of France ; and yet there is nothing that can give the least offense in so nice a subject. The materials scatterd up and down in these letters furnished Sir Richard Steele with two Guardians upon the Life and Conduct of that famous Lady. But we may say, without open to that Gentleman, that the Stories are much more natural and agreeable in the manner which this Lady has related them, than in his Papers.

[...] they are captured by those special beauties that can be found in the best of their sex mates. Her subjects are the love and intrigues of people of the first order in France, but she is not committed to common fame from the general treasure trove of scandals, but with the knowledge of an author who shares interests and the pleasant sides of life with her protagonists. What she draws directly from the source, she dresses favorably in order to give it to the world in a pleasant manner.

When secrets of this nature need to be made public (and one way or another they will) then it is fortunate to see them fall into the hands of a witty and gallant author. Whether the one who writes here writes with a single degree of less good judgment and good nature makes a tremendous difference; and that which satisfies us in the best possible way, if it is well told, produces a disgust, if it is seized with the slightest hint of one-sidedness. For example we have in these letters a very special report on how Madam de Maintenon with the recently deceased King of France bypassed; and yet there is nothing in it that could cause the slightest offense in this sensitive subject. The materials that fill these letters also occupied Sir Richard Steele in two of his Guardians who were devoted to the life and conduite of this famous lady. But we can say, without wanting to offend this gentleman, that the same stories were told far more pleasantly by this author than in his pages.

References

  1. Lit .: Uffenbach (1754) pp. 367-68.
  2. Letters from a Lady at Paris to a Lady at Avignon , vol. 1 (London, W. Mears / J. Browne, 1716), pp. [1] -4
  3. a b translation by Olaf Simons
  4. Letters from a Lady at Paris to a Lady at Avignon , vol. 1 (London, W. Mears / J. Browne, 1716), sheet A2v / A3r

Secondary literature

  • [Delarivier Manley?], "An Account of Madam DuNoyer's Person and Writings", in Anne Marguerite Petit Du Noyer, Letters from a Lady at Paris to a Lady at Avignon, Vol. 1, 2nd ed. (London, W. Mears / J. Browne, 1716).
  • Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach, Merckworthy Travel , Vol. 3 (published posthumously Ulm, 1754), pp. 367-368.
  • Regine Reynolds-Cornell: Fiction and reality in the Mémoires of the notorious Anne-Marguerite Petit DuNoyer (Tübingen: Narr 1999). ISBN 3-8233-5527-9
  • Olaf Simons: Marteau's Europe or The Novel Before It Became Literature (Amsterdam / Atlanta: Rodopi, 2001), p. 642. ISBN 90-420-1226-9

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