French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. de La Roche-Guilhen, Histoire des Favorites
Novel and Narrative Prose
Anne de La Roche-Guilhen, Histoire des favorites (1697)
(Edited by Els Höhner)
Saint-Étienne, Publications de l'Université, collection « la cité des dames », no. 3, 2005, 412 p.
ISBN: 2-86272-397-5
EAN: 9782862723976
€8
Anne de La Roche-Guilhen (1644–1707) stands out as one of the finest exponents of the historical novella genre that flourished in the final third of the 17th century, a tradition also championed by Segrais, Madame de Lafayette, Saint-Réal, Madame de Villedieu, and Madame d'Aulnoy. First published in 1697, her Histoire des favorites enjoyed remarkable success throughout the 18th century, inspiring roughly a dozen French editions, unauthorized reprints, sequels, and translations into English, Dutch, and even Russian.
Written at the height of her literary maturity by an author who had already penned some fifteen works across various genres, this collection of ten novellas transports the reader from Spain to papal Rome, via France, Portugal, and the court of the Grand Turk. Along the way, we encounter Augustus, Dagobert, Suleiman, Alexander Borgia, Henry IV, and, of the course, their "favorites"—women of power determined to survive in violent times where mercy has no place. An impoverished single woman and a Protestant exile following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Anne de La Roche-Guilhen effortlessly blends social critique with romance, striking a balance between gallantry and darkness characteristic of a disillusioned era that in many ways mirrors our own.
A former teacher, Els Höhner studied French at the Tilburg School of Humanities, Leiden University in the Netherlands, and finally at the University of Saint-Étienne. Having dedicated her master's thesis and postgraduate research degree (DEA) to Anne de La Roche-Guilhen, she continues her scholarly work today to deepen our understanding of this author and bring her to a wider audience. She is a member of the Society for the Study of Women of the Ancien Régime (SIEFAR).
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Published in 1697, the collection reflects the flourishing of the historical novella during the late seventeenth century, a literary movement shared by notable contemporaries such as Madame de Lafayette and Madame de Villedieu. Anne de La Roche-Guilhen constructs ten distinct narratives spanning diverse geographies, from the Ottoman court to papal Rome, examining the precarious political influence of royal favorites. These texts offer modern scholars valuable insights into early modern conceptions of sovereignty, gender dynamics, and the intersection of romance with stark political realism during a tumultuous era of European history.
This scholarly edition by Els Höhner makes an unjustly marginalized voice accessible to contemporary readers, researchers, and students of early modern literature. It serves as a vital resource for anyone investigating women's writing under the Ancien Régime, the dissemination of prose fiction across early modern Europe, and the strategies utilized by Protestant exiles who navigated religious persecution. By contextualizing La Roche-Guilhen within her turbulent historical moment, Höhner illuminates a writer whose sophisticated critiques of power continue to resonate with modern literary and historical inquiry.