Marie-Madeleine Bonafon

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Marie-Madeleine Bonafon was born on 20 October 1716 in Versailles, the daughter of Jean-Pierre de Bonafon, 

écuyer

to Sieur d’Albert and Marie Le Noir. She was sometimes referred to as Marie-Madeleine Bonafous d’Albert. Bonafon was educated at the Abbaye de Pentemont. At twenty-three years of age, she moved to the Palace of Versailles to serve as 

femme de chambre

 [lady’s maid] to the Princesse Catherine-Eléonore de Mauntauban. In service there, Bonafon seems to have put her education to good use in writing novels pointedly criticizing the behaviour of those whom she served and observed. (While only the novel

Tanastès

is known to survive, several others are referred to in the legal briefs from her later arrest and incarceration.)

Bonafon’s early life would have given her

2303 words

Citation: Abrams, Barbara. "Marie-Madeleine Bonafon". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 March 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14992, accessed 09 December 2024.]

14992 Marie-Madeleine Bonafon 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.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.