Françoise de Graffigny

Felicia Gottmann (University of Northumbria at Newcastle)
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Françoise de Graffigny was one of the most important literary figures of mid-eighteenth-century France. Her epistolary novel, the

Lettres d’une Péruvienne

, was an instant best-seller and immediately translated into various European languages. She was also one of the few, perhaps the only, truly successful female playwright:

Cénie

ranked amongst the most successful plays of the century. Largely due to her fame as an author, her salon became one of the hubs of Enlightenment Paris, which drew the best-known writers, artists, scientists, politicians, financiers, and aristocrats. The Imperial court at Vienna accorded her patronage, the

Encyclopédie

mentions her in several articles, and visitors from all over Europe sought entry to her salon. Posterity has not treated her this kindly.…

3057 words

Citation: Gottmann, Felicia. "Françoise de Graffigny". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 May 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12651, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12651 Françoise de Graffigny 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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