Louise Michel

Elizabeth Tuttle (Penn State University)

Ed. by Nigel Harkness, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.05: French Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth-Century , 1800-1900.
Vol. editors: David Elwyn Evans (University of St Andrews), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Elisabeth Gerwin (University of Lethbridge), Nigel Harkness (University of Newcastle upon Tyne), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield), Jennifer Yee (University of Oxford)

Dates

Born 1830
Died 1905

Places

Active in France

Cultural Identities

Feminist

Activities

Primary

Political writer

Other

Autobiographer
Poet

Resources

Michel's Works

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Known as the “high priestess of anarchy”, Louise Michel was a nineteenth-century novelist, poet, playwright, orator, and revolutionary. Born in 1830 in Vroncourt, Michel was the daughter of Marianne, the housekeeper for the aristocratic, turned-republican Demahis family. Although the identity of her father has never been confirmed, it is generally believed to be Laurent, son of Etienne-Charles and Louise Charlotte Maxence Porcquet who, with her mother, raised Louise Michel as the

demoiselle

of the chateau. Her paternal grandparents never allowed the circumstances of Louise’s birth to hinder her education, despite the fact that Michel occasionally felt marginalized by her illegitimate status (Thomas 15). Inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s educational philosophy, the Demahis…

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2319 words

Citation: Tuttle, Elizabeth. "Louise Michel". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 August 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13590, accessed 22 November 2024.]