Emilie Du Chatelet: Daring Genius of the EnlightenmentThe captivating biography of the French aristocrat who balanced the demands of her society with passionate affairs of the heart and a brilliant life of the mind Although today she is best known for her fifteen-year liaison with Voltaire, Gabrielle Emilie le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise Du Châtelet (1706-1749) was more than a great man's mistress. After marrying a marquis at the age of eighteen, she proceeded to fulfill the prescribed-and delightfully frivolous-role of a French noblewoman of her time. But she also challenged it, conducting a highly visible affair with a commoner, writing philosophical works, and translating Newton's Principia while pregnant by a younger lover. With the sweep of Galileo's Daughter, Emilie Du Châtelet captures the charm, glamour, and brilliance of this magnetic woman. |
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LibraryThing Review
Umsögn notanda - setnahkt - LibraryThingFor Women’s History Month; a rather sad story. Before the women’s movement, Gabrielle Emilie le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise Du Châtelet was remembered as Voltaire’s mistress (if remembered at all ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
Umsögn notanda - Paulagraph - LibraryThingI read parts of this biography & then decided I had better books to read. Perhaps I just got too annoyed at La Marquise & her milieu. Granted, in 18th century France, only a wealthy, high-status ... Read full review