Marie Thérèse Rodet Geoffrin

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portrait of Marie Thérèse Geoffrins by Jean-Marc Nattier 1738
Drawing of Madame Geoffrins as an old woman.

Marie Thérèse Geoffrin , née Rodet (born June 2, 1699 in Paris ; † October 6, 1777 ibid), known as Madame Geoffrin , was an author and Salonnière of the Enlightenment . She is considered to be one of the most witty women of the 18th century.

Life and work

Geoffrin was the daughter of a valet of the Dauphin , Pierre Rodet , and the banker's daughter Angelique Thérèse Chemineau . After the death of her mother, she grew up with her grandmother, who she betrothed in 1712 and married Pierre François Geoffrin on July 19, 1713 at the age of 14. He was a rich, 49-year-old widower and mirror manufacturer and lieutenant colonel of the citizen militia (lieutenant-colonel de la Milice de Paris) . She bore him a daughter in 1715 and a son in 1717.

Madame Geoffrin's salon in Paris N ° 374 rue Saint-Honoré (Paris Ier)

From a young age she attended literary salons in which thinkers of the Enlightenment wrong, and acquired their education here. The salon of Madame de Tencin is considered to be a major influence. When both her husband and Madame de Tencin died in 1749, her own salon experienced a considerable social appreciation, as she took on numerous guests in Madame de Tencin's salon. For example, Tencin's regular guest Fontenelle said: “Well, now I will dine with Madame Rodet Geoffrin on Tuesdays”. Until the year of her death in 1777, she organized this salon twice a week in her house in the Hôtel de la rue Saint-Honoré . She invited artists, scholars, writers and philosophers such as Denis Diderot or d'Alembert . Her guests also included Marmontel , Montesquieu , Morellet , Réaumur , Buffon , Rousseau , Marshal Richelieu and Antoine Léonard Thomas .

Madame Geoffrin's literary salon (1755)

Geoffrin was a generous woman who, for example , took over the gambling debts of her guest Stanisław August Poniatowski , whose father, Prince Poniatowski , had entrusted her with his education. Years later, Stanisław August maintained a friendly relationship with her and invited her to Warsaw in 1766, two years after his coronation as King of Poland. At the stopover in Vienna she was received by Maria Theresa and Joseph II .

She stood up for freedom and supported the encyclopedists , which helped make the printing of the encyclopédie possible despite the censorship in France.

Her essay "Sur la conversation" (On witty conversation) and her correspondence with famous figures of the Enlightenment ("Lettres") were edited by Morellet. Together, D'Alembert , Thomas and Morellet wrote the eulogy "Éloges de Madame G."

literature

  • Correspondance inédite du roi Stanislas Auguste Poniatowski et de Madame G. 1764–77 (with introduction, edited by Mouy, Paris 1875).
  • Anny Latour: Cultural History of the Lady . Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1965, DNB 452721377 , pp. 90-98.

Web links

Commons : Marie Thérèse Rodet Geoffrin  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Legend of those present and the people depicted on the painting
  2. ↑ published as a book in Paris 1812
personal data
SURNAME Geoffrin, Marie Thérèse Rodet
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rodet, Marie Thérèse (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French salonnière
DATE OF BIRTH June 2, 1699
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH October 6, 1777
Place of death Paris