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Lettres de Ninon de Lenclos au marquis de Sévigné.
Ninon de Lenclos ( 1616-1706) courtisane et femme d’esprit du Grand Siècle , mena une vie indépendante tenant salon ( elle apporte son soutien au jeune Voltaire) et multipliant les liaisons avec les plus grands esprits de son époque , Condé , La Rochefoucauld, Huygens, et le chevalier de Sévigné avec qui elle entretint des échanges épistolaires. On se laisse surprendre par la justesse de ses analyses dans le style limpide des classiques …
- GenresPsychology
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2016
3 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Ninon de l'Enclos
41 books40 followersAnne "Ninon" de l'Enclos (also spelled Ninon de Lenclos and Ninon de Lanclos) was a French author, courtesan and patron of the arts.
Starting in the late 1660s she retired from her courtesan lifestyle and concentrated more on her literary friends — from 1667, she hosted her gatherings at l'hôtel Sagonne, which was considered "the" location of the salon of Ninon de l'Enclos despite other locales in the past. During this time she was a friend of Jean Racine, the great French playwright. Later she would become a close friend with the devout Françoise d'Aubigné, better known as Madame de Maintenon, the lady-in-waiting who would later become the second wife of Louis XIV. "The lady did not like her to be mentioned in her presence, but dared not disown her, and wrote cordial letters to her from time to time, to the day of her death" (Saint-Simon). Ninon eventually died at the age of (at least) 84, a very wealthy woman.
At one point in her life, Cardinal Richelieu offered fifty thousand crowns for a night in her bed. Ninon took the money, and sent a friend instead. "Ninon made friends among the great in every walk of life, had wit and intelligence enough to keep them, and, what is more, to keep them friendly with one another." (Saint-Simon).
Ninon de l'Enclos is a relatively obscure figure in the English-speaking world, but is much better known in France where her name is synonymous with wit and beauty.
Starting in the late 1660s she retired from her courtesan lifestyle and concentrated more on her literary friends — from 1667, she hosted her gatherings at l'hôtel Sagonne, which was considered "the" location of the salon of Ninon de l'Enclos despite other locales in the past. During this time she was a friend of Jean Racine, the great French playwright. Later she would become a close friend with the devout Françoise d'Aubigné, better known as Madame de Maintenon, the lady-in-waiting who would later become the second wife of Louis XIV. "The lady did not like her to be mentioned in her presence, but dared not disown her, and wrote cordial letters to her from time to time, to the day of her death" (Saint-Simon). Ninon eventually died at the age of (at least) 84, a very wealthy woman.
At one point in her life, Cardinal Richelieu offered fifty thousand crowns for a night in her bed. Ninon took the money, and sent a friend instead. "Ninon made friends among the great in every walk of life, had wit and intelligence enough to keep them, and, what is more, to keep them friendly with one another." (Saint-Simon).
Ninon de l'Enclos is a relatively obscure figure in the English-speaking world, but is much better known in France where her name is synonymous with wit and beauty.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 12, 2025
Je n'ai lu que l'introduction des Lettres au marquis de Sévigné, que je suis tombée sous le charme de Ninon de L'Enclos!
Lettres après lettres, on apprend sur son quotidien, sur son entourage et j'étais médusée par sa franchise, ses connaissances et je cite ''Si elles sont l'oeuvre d'un faussaire, c'est d'un faussaire de génie qui a su retrouver de Ninon tous les traits.''
À travers ses correspondances, elle couvre plusieurs sujets dont: la vie de cour, la société, l'amour, l'intimité, la mort, la religion - mais le point le plus culminant c'est celui du soi, comme à travers son journal, ses introspections et sa vision.
J'admire sa sincérité, sa transparence et qu'elle ose se questionner - si ce n'est pas sur son propre jugement ou sa propre pensée, c'est sur les différents comportements de séduction entre les hommes et les femmes. Ça se trouve que je me pose aussi les même questions et raisonnements.
Lettres après lettres, on apprend sur son quotidien, sur son entourage et j'étais médusée par sa franchise, ses connaissances et je cite ''Si elles sont l'oeuvre d'un faussaire, c'est d'un faussaire de génie qui a su retrouver de Ninon tous les traits.''
À travers ses correspondances, elle couvre plusieurs sujets dont: la vie de cour, la société, l'amour, l'intimité, la mort, la religion - mais le point le plus culminant c'est celui du soi, comme à travers son journal, ses introspections et sa vision.
J'admire sa sincérité, sa transparence et qu'elle ose se questionner - si ce n'est pas sur son propre jugement ou sa propre pensée, c'est sur les différents comportements de séduction entre les hommes et les femmes. Ça se trouve que je me pose aussi les même questions et raisonnements.
Displaying 1 of 1 review