Adélaïde Dufrénoy
Encyclopedia
Adélaïde-Gillette Dufrénoy (née Billet) (1765–1825) was a French
poet
and painter from Brittany
.
The daughter of Jacques Billet, a jeweller for the Crown of Poland, she had a lavish education and learnt Latin to a proficient enough level that she was able to translate the works of Horace
and Virgil
. A M. Laya would later introduce her to French poetry
, which would capture her imagination for years to come.
At the age of fifteen, she married a rich prosecutor, Simon Petit-Dufrenoy, at the Châtelet de Paris. Her marital home became the meeting-place of the beaux-esprits of the city, which influenced her towards a true poetic vocation. In 1787, her career as a writer started in earnest with a small work titled Boutade, to a friend. Also, she had a few of her poems published in the popular poetic periodical, the Almanach des Muses. The subsequent year, she tried her hand with theatre
, and put on a play, l'Amour exilé des Cieux ("Love Exiled from the Skies"), but she would owe her literary reputation to her popular elegies
.
Her run of good luck ended when the French Revolution
erupted and their home was set on fire, which would lead to the bankruptcy
of her husband. The Directoire
offered no compensation to them, and the subsequent Consulate
moved him to a badly paid job in Alexandria
. Adélaïde-Gillette accompanied him there and, when he went blind, tried to help him by copying his dossiers and writing out his judgements. Despite this monopolising her time, it is from this sombre period that the majority of her elegies come. The melancholy that she felt was bolstered by her feeling so far from her homeland.
Upon her husband's retiring, she returned to an uncomfortable life back in France
, until, thanks to the intervention of Antoine Vincent Arnault and the Comte de Ségur
, she was freed of poverty and the need for the vital necessities of life supplied by Napoléon
, for whom she vowed her utmost support. Leaving trade for art, her literary career took an upturn. She started to write erotic poetry
, veiled in elegy. In 1807, the first edition of her Elegies was published and was a great success, and in 1812, she sang for the King of Rome
. A year later, she was part of the escort that accompanied Marie Louise of Austria to Cherbourg.
Things were looking up for Adélaïde and her husband, but once again, the tempestuous political climate of contemporary France disturbed her plans. This time, it would be the fall of the French Empire
that affected her and her fellow nationals, but this time, she would manage to do well, her gift for writing becoming her family's saving grace. She wrote many children's books; edited la Minerve littéraire, l'Almanach des Dames, and l'Hommage aux Demoiselles; translated some novels from English
and wrote novels of her own. She saw much of her work lauded by critics of the day and various academies; most prominently, she was awarded a prize by the Académie Française
for her poem, Les Derniers Moments de Bayard ("The last moments of Bayard.").
She died in Paris on the 7 March 1825, survived by her son, the geologist and mineralogist, Armand Dufrénoy
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and painter from Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.
The daughter of Jacques Billet, a jeweller for the Crown of Poland, she had a lavish education and learnt Latin to a proficient enough level that she was able to translate the works of Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
and Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
. A M. Laya would later introduce her to French poetry
French poetry
French poetry is a category of French literature. It may include Francophone poetry composed outside France and poetry written in other languages of France.-French prosody and poetics:...
, which would capture her imagination for years to come.
At the age of fifteen, she married a rich prosecutor, Simon Petit-Dufrenoy, at the Châtelet de Paris. Her marital home became the meeting-place of the beaux-esprits of the city, which influenced her towards a true poetic vocation. In 1787, her career as a writer started in earnest with a small work titled Boutade, to a friend. Also, she had a few of her poems published in the popular poetic periodical, the Almanach des Muses. The subsequent year, she tried her hand with theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, and put on a play, l'Amour exilé des Cieux ("Love Exiled from the Skies"), but she would owe her literary reputation to her popular elegies
Elegies
is the Hello! Project 2005 shuffle group consisting of Ai Takahashi and Reina Tanaka of Morning Musume, along with Melon Kinenbi's Ayumi Shibata and Country Musume's Mai Satoda. The name comes from the word elegy. They released the single "" on June 22, 2005....
.
Her run of good luck ended when the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
erupted and their home was set on fire, which would lead to the bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
of her husband. The Directoire
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
offered no compensation to them, and the subsequent Consulate
French Consulate
The Consulate was the government of France between the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire in 1804...
moved him to a badly paid job in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. Adélaïde-Gillette accompanied him there and, when he went blind, tried to help him by copying his dossiers and writing out his judgements. Despite this monopolising her time, it is from this sombre period that the majority of her elegies come. The melancholy that she felt was bolstered by her feeling so far from her homeland.
Upon her husband's retiring, she returned to an uncomfortable life back in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, until, thanks to the intervention of Antoine Vincent Arnault and the Comte de Ségur
Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur
Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur was a French diplomat and historian.-Life:He was born in Paris, the son of Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur and Louise Anne Madeleine de Vernon....
, she was freed of poverty and the need for the vital necessities of life supplied by Napoléon
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, for whom she vowed her utmost support. Leaving trade for art, her literary career took an upturn. She started to write erotic poetry
Erotica
Erotica are works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing descriptions...
, veiled in elegy. In 1807, the first edition of her Elegies was published and was a great success, and in 1812, she sang for the King of Rome
King of Rome
The King of Rome was the chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom. According to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city in 753 BC upon the Palatine Hill. Seven legendary kings are said to have ruled Rome until 509 BC, when the last king was overthrown. These kings ruled for...
. A year later, she was part of the escort that accompanied Marie Louise of Austria to Cherbourg.
Things were looking up for Adélaïde and her husband, but once again, the tempestuous political climate of contemporary France disturbed her plans. This time, it would be the fall of the French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
that affected her and her fellow nationals, but this time, she would manage to do well, her gift for writing becoming her family's saving grace. She wrote many children's books; edited la Minerve littéraire, l'Almanach des Dames, and l'Hommage aux Demoiselles; translated some novels from English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and wrote novels of her own. She saw much of her work lauded by critics of the day and various academies; most prominently, she was awarded a prize by the Académie Française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
for her poem, Les Derniers Moments de Bayard ("The last moments of Bayard.").
She died in Paris on the 7 March 1825, survived by her son, the geologist and mineralogist, Armand Dufrénoy
Ours-Pierre-Armand Petit-Dufrénoy
Ours-Pierre-Armand Petit-Dufrénoy was a French geologist and mineralogist.He was born at Sevran, in the département of Seine-et-Oise. After leaving the Imperial Lyceum in 1811, he studied until 1813 at the École Polytechnique, and then entered the Corps des Mines...
.
Cultural references
- The 19th century songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, Pierre-Jean de BérangerPierre-Jean de BérangerPierre-Jean de Béranger was a prolific French poet and chansonnier , who enjoyed great popularity and influence in France during his lifetime, but faded into obscurity in the decades following his death...
, dedicated a song, La Lampe, to Adélaïde and her poetry, in which he writes 'keep shining, my lamp, keep shining still; I'm reading the poems of Dufrénoy.'