French Literature Reviews - 2026

B. Ertle-Perrier, Agrippa d'Aubigné as a Letter Writer: From Letters to the Oeuvre
Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Agrippa d'Aubigné as a Letter Writer: From Letters to the Oeuvre

Barbara Ertle-Perrier

Paris: Honoré Champion, coll. "La bibliothèque littéraire de la Renaissance", 2008.

450 p.

EAN 9782745316783

85 EUR

Publisher's overview:

Based on manuscript sources, this study examines the active correspondence of Agrippa d'Aubigné, who personally organized his epistles with a view to publication. It explores the transition from a collection of letters to an epistolary oeuvre, offering a portrait gallery of the letter writer as a man of war, Calvinist militant, man of science, and historiographer. Serving as a genuine laboratory for d'Aubigné's writing, the epistolary corpus incorporates various text types to create new reading units that go beyond the traditional letter. The author stages vivid scenes to make a lasting impression on the reader, carving out a specific role for himself and casting the recipient in a way that enhances his own persona. Furthermore, he instructs readers on how to approach his writings and interpret reality through signs that reveal a truth far deeper than the superficial and deceptive immediacy of appearances.

Epistolary writing during the early modern period frequently served as both a practical means of communication and a deliberate literary enterprise. Authors of the Renaissance often curated their personal correspondence to shape posterity, blending private communication with public self-presentation. This study examines how manuscript sources reveal the careful organization of letters into cohesive literary structures, reflecting the complex intellectual and religious landscape of late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century France within the broader tradition of humanist and confessional prose.

Readers interested in Renaissance literature, epistolary studies, and the works of Agrippa d’Aubigné may find this volume relevant. Based on manuscript sources, this study examines the active correspondence of Agrippa d’Aubigné, who personally organized his epistles with a view to publication. It explores the transition from a collection of letters to an epistolary oeuvre, presenting a portrait of the letter writer as a man of war, Calvinist militant, man of science, and historiographer.