In 1729 an event occurred that amused playwright Alexis Piron (1689-1773) and caused significant excitement in French literary circles: the

began publishing verse by Antoinette Malcrais de La Vigne, who would eventually become known as “la muse bretonne” [the Breton muse]. Although she was far from being the first female French writer, the event was still unusual enough to attract attention, and a number of important authors of the time, including most famously Voltaire, but also Destouches, Fontenelle, and La Motte, expressed admiration for her. Indeed, in 1732 Voltaire even went as far as to publish in the

a poem in praise of her which stopped just short of including a declaration of love: at thirty-six, he says, he is too old for love, but her verse could…

3362 words

Citation: Connon, Derek Frederick. "La Métromanie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 August 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38969, accessed 21 November 2024.]