La femme heroique

Overview

La femme heroique, ou les heroines comparées avec les heros en toute sorte de vertus : Et plusieurs reflexions morales à la fin de chaque comparaison is a two volume French book authored by Jacques Du Bosc. The book was published in 1645 by Antoine de Sommaville in Paris, France and currently resides in the University of Pennsylvania’s Kislak Center for Special Collections. This book is premised on the idea that men and women hold equal virtues. It is considered to be one of the greatest feminist literary works of seventeenth century France.

Background

Historical Context

Importantly, La femme heroique was published in the middle of a crisis and transformation within the book industry in France. After the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598), the economy of France destabilized, heavily impacting the book industry. During this time, there was a lack of books being printed. The Postman of the Plantinian Press Théodore Reinsart testified to this when he said that because of the low supply of books he "could not chase the people out of the room where they were books and sometimes there were as many as 50 people there together.”

Additionally, the few books that were being printed were made with cheaper materials. The book-making industry turned to smaller amounts of gelatin and calcium in the paper making process, thinner paper when publishing books, copper engravings for illustrations instead of wood engravings, and even developed a new book format known as the duodecimo, which saved costs due to its smaller size. On top of the cheaper quality, these books were also not being circulated outside of their respective regions due to the economic hardship in France. For example, numerous 17th century testimonies corroborate that books published in Paris could not be imported for circulation in other parts of France.

That said, the recovery that followed the collapse of the book industry further into the 17th Century opened possibilities for previously published works like Du Bosc’s to gain new audiences and recognition as the market stabilized. Among the most notable aspects of France’s recovery in the literary sector was the transition from Lyon to Rouen as the second typographic hub of France in the middle of the 17th century. Other cities in France also experienced literary transformations like the city of Troyes, which developed the "blue library." Several cities also adopted the designation "official printer to the king." Printers became conduits for the king's speech and authority, while others formed alliances with local bishops, among other affiliations.

Overall, La femme heroique was published during a transformative period in the literary world of France. While it is likely that the success of the book, like many others, was initially limited due to the economic challenges that plagued the industry, the recovery of the book market would eventually allow it to reach a wider audience. This revival and the evolving dynamics of the literary landscape during the 17th century highlight the resilience and adaptability of the book industry in France.

Genre History

The book aligns with other feminist literary works published during the 17th Century. While French feminism and literature is often linked to the French Revolutionin 1789, writers, both male and female, were publishing important works advocating for equality of the sexes prior to the 18th Century. In alignment with the book’s focus on moral virtue, other feminist writers during the 17th Century also advocated for equality with a heavy religious underpinning prior to Du Bosc.

The most renowned of these writers was the French feminist writer Marie de Gouray (1565-1645). In her “Equality for Men and Women (1622)” de Gournay argues that men and women are of equal virtue “only by the authority of God himself and of the Fathers who were buttresses of his Church, and of those great philosophers who have enlightened the universe” (55). Additionally, in her “The Ladies’ Complaint (1626)” De Gournay builds on her religious feminist perspective by outlining the inequality that women in French society experience, which she claims strips women of virtues that men are able to obtain with the privileges they are granted. Du Bosc’s La femme heroique fits well into the religious feminist literary works that were being published during the 17th Century, setting the stage for the plethora of works that would later be published during the French Revolution in the 18th Century.