After reading the first set of letters by Madame de Sévigné, please discuss the following:
In your opinion, which of our two most recent authoresses (Marguerite de Navarre and Madame de Sévigné) is more "Raisonnable" and which is more "Sensible"?
Monday, September 17, 2007
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5 comments:
In my opinion, Navarre is more reasonable and sensible. She attempts to show the relationship between man and woman and how things would reasonably play out. After reading Madame de Sevigne's letters to her daughter, it seems to me that she is more sentimental and has placed her daughter before God in her life. She is sensitive, yes, and I think that she has reason to miss her daughter, however I think that she has gone slightly overboard. Being 9 hours away from home, I do not get to see my mom very often however she does not call me everyday or write to me often. I usually see my parents 5 times a year and talk to them every few days. I believe that madame de Sevigne has gone slightly overboard in her longing for her daughter and therefore is not very reasonable.
I would agree with Anna in saying that Navarre is more resonable and Sevigne more sensible. I think part of the difference in their writings can be attributed to the genre in which they write. The selections we read of Navarre were from a book, while Sevigne was writing personal letters to her daughter. It seems only natural to me that personal letters, especially to a loved one far away, would tend to be more sentimental than a volume intended for a more general audience.
I believe it's natural that Madame de Sevigne's letters would be more sensible. She has a very specific audience, which is her daughter whom she is obviously missing terribly. It almost seemed like she seemed slighted by her daughter, because the girl probably doesn't write her mother as much as her mother writes her. So there is an emotional element behind the letter and that is reflected in the letter. I think that the letter is in a completely different class than the writings of Nevarre because they are meant for two opposite affects. Sevigne's letters are for her daughter and her daughter alone. They are far more personal and don't necessarily have to have a moral or a purpose other than to converse with her daughter. Yes, both pieces serve to "divertir", but I think Sevigne's letters are meant more for the literal sense of the word(to divert her from maybe a boring life) and Nevarre's writings are more for the entertainment sense of the word.
I agree that Navarre tends to write more reasonably, while Sevigne is much more sensible. Sevigne's letters to her daughter are very sentimental and personal, where Navarre are more story-oriented with less emotional attachment. I completely agree with Anna in that Sevigne is overboard, but that adds to her sense of sensibility.
I think Navarre is more sensible while Sevigne is more sentimental in their writings. I agree with the rest of the blog postings that this difference appears to be related to the intended audience. Navarre's target audience is the general public, while Sevigne's is her daughter. Having her daughter as the audience permits the degree of sentimentality she expresses in her writings, since this is more personal and involves emotional connections.
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