Difference between revisions of "Mélanie de Boileau"
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== Entry by [[ Isabelle Havelange]], 2008 == | == Entry by [[ Isabelle Havelange]], 2008 == | ||
| − | Mélanie de Boileau was born into an ancient noble family in 1774 in Abbeville, on the Somme. The family’s hopes of their daughter becoming a canoness (a noble woman with her own income who lives in a religious, but not cloistered, community) were thwarted by the Revolution, which abolished non-cloistered monastic foundations. At the beginning of the Empire, she accompanied her father to Paris and began a career as a novelist, writing La Princesse de Chypre in 1807 and Elisa ou les trois chasseurs in 1808. From 1807, citing her exceptional knowledge for a woman, she hoped to become History teacher at Ecouen, the Legion of Honour’s educational establishment recently created by Napoleon. She put her request to Lacépède, grand chancelier, by presenting him with a copy of her Cours élémentaire d'histoire universelle rédigé sur un nouveau plan, ou Lettres de Madame d'Ivry à sa fille, which appeared in 1809. The work consisted of four volumes dedicated to Ancient History and six to Modern History, up until the Napoleonic period. Sixteen pages were given over to critiquing the main writings on which her own work was based: the Précis d'histoire universelle by Anquetil, L'Histoire universelle sacrée et profane by Dom Calmet, the Discours sur l’histoire universelle by Bossuet, the Essai sur l'histoire générale des moeurs et l’esprit des nations by Voltaire and the Annales de la vertu by Mme de Genlis. To make her work as accessible as possible to students, she followed the ‘pleasant education’ principle which had been in fashion since the second half of the eighteenth century: she presented her work as a novel, in which a mother, eager to pass on her knowledge of history to her sixteen-year-old daughter, writes her a series of letters. The proposed course was intended to last two years. The work, which was much favoured by Mme Campan, director of the Maison impériale at Ecouen, became the only female-authored educational work allowed in that institution. It would later circulate in Europe through the Napoleonic courts where former students of Mrs. Campan had become her best advocates for her education methods. On the 5th of January 1811, Lacépède told Mlle de Boileau that she had been nominated to the Maison d’Ecouen as a dame de deuxième classe, with special responsibility for the teaching of History. In 1815, the Emperor’s defeat led to the closure of the establishment in Ecouen, which was then merged with that of Saint-Denis. Mélanie de Boileau, despite her demands, was not kept on as part of the teaching staff. Her Histoire universelle, marked as it is by the Napoleonic period, has not been re-edited. In 1820, she began to publish an Atlas chronologique et littéraire, in 32 synoptic tables, the principle of which was to present, in parallel columns, the main events of a reign or era. Supported during the Restoration by the Bourbon family, to whose cause she had rallied, she published Appel à la nation française, ou réflexions suggérées par les funérailles de son altesse royale monseigneur le duc de Berry, in the same year. During this same period she tried in vain to become the reader for the Duchess of Berry, or failing this, her librarian. She hoped to be promoted to the position of deputy-governess to the French royal children at the time of the creation of the Maison d’Education du Prince à naître, an establishment intended for the future heir presumptive to the Crown of France. From the 1830s, she showed legitimist tendencies, which marginalised her. Demonstrating remarkable tenacity, she continued to write and work on editions of her, mainly historical, works. She died in the Augustine convent in Versailles in 1864, all family ties having been severed. | + | |
| + | Mélanie de Boileau was born into an ancient noble family in 1774 in Abbeville, on the Somme. The family’s hopes of their daughter becoming a canoness (a noble woman with her own income who lives in a religious, but not cloistered, community) were thwarted by the Revolution, which abolished non-cloistered monastic foundations. At the beginning of the Empire, she accompanied her father to Paris and began a career as a novelist, writing ''La Princesse de Chypre'' in 1807 and ''Elisa ou les trois chasseurs'' in 1808. From 1807, citing her exceptional knowledge for a woman, she hoped to become History teacher at Ecouen, the Legion of Honour’s educational establishment recently created by Napoleon. She put her request to Lacépède, grand chancelier, by presenting him with a copy of her ''Cours élémentaire d'histoire universelle'' rédigé sur un nouveau plan, ou Lettres de Madame d'Ivry à sa fille, which appeared in 1809. The work consisted of four volumes dedicated to Ancient History and six to Modern History, up until the Napoleonic period. Sixteen pages were given over to critiquing the main writings on which her own work was based: the ''Précis d'histoire universelle'' by Anquetil, ''L'Histoire universelle sacrée et profane'' by Dom Calmet, the ''Discours sur l’histoire universelle'' by Bossuet, the ''Essai sur l'histoire générale des moeurs et l’esprit des nations'' by Voltaire and the ''Annales de la vertu'' by Mme de Genlis. To make her work as accessible as possible to students, she followed the ‘pleasant education’ principle which had been in fashion since the second half of the eighteenth century: she presented her work as a novel, in which a mother, eager to pass on her knowledge of history to her sixteen-year-old daughter, writes her a series of letters. The proposed course was intended to last two years. The work, which was much favoured by Mme Campan, director of the Maison impériale at Ecouen, became the only female-authored educational work allowed in that institution. It would later circulate in Europe through the Napoleonic courts where former students of Mrs. Campan had become her best advocates for her education methods. On the 5th of January 1811, Lacépède told Mlle de Boileau that she had been nominated to the Maison d’Ecouen as a dame de deuxième classe, with special responsibility for the teaching of History. In 1815, the Emperor’s defeat led to the closure of the establishment in Ecouen, which was then merged with that of Saint-Denis. Mélanie de Boileau, despite her demands, was not kept on as part of the teaching staff. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Her'' Histoire universelle'', marked as it is by the Napoleonic period, has not been re-edited. In 1820, she began to publish an Atlas chronologique et littéraire, in 32 synoptic tables, the principle of which was to present, in parallel columns, the main events of a reign or era. Supported during the Restoration by the Bourbon family, to whose cause she had rallied, she published ''Appel à la nation française, ou réflexions suggérées par les funérailles de son altesse royale monseigneur le duc de Berry,'' in the same year. During this same period she tried in vain to become the reader for the Duchess of Berry, or failing this, her librarian. She hoped to be promoted to the position of deputy-governess to the French royal children at the time of the creation of the Maison d’Education du Prince à naître, an establishment intended for the future heir presumptive to the Crown of France. From the 1830s, she showed legitimist tendencies, which marginalised her. Demonstrating remarkable tenacity, she continued to write and work on editions of her, mainly historical, works. She died in the Augustine convent in Versailles in 1864, all family ties having been severed. | ||
Despite all the changes in her life, she remained the woman who had been, during the Napoleonic period, the first female history teacher in France. Furthermore, she had held this role in an institution that was extremely important in the recruitment of female teachers in the public sphere. She has only just been rediscovered, a century after the only biography ever written about her. | Despite all the changes in her life, she remained the woman who had been, during the Napoleonic period, the first female history teacher in France. Furthermore, she had held this role in an institution that was extremely important in the recruitment of female teachers in the public sphere. She has only just been rediscovered, a century after the only biography ever written about her. | ||
Latest revision as of 09:49, 13 August 2011
| Mélanie de Boileau | ||
| Biography | ||
| Birth date | 1772 | |
|---|---|---|
| Death | 1864 | |
| Biographical entries in old dictionaries | ||
Entry by Isabelle Havelange, 2008
Mélanie de Boileau was born into an ancient noble family in 1774 in Abbeville, on the Somme. The family’s hopes of their daughter becoming a canoness (a noble woman with her own income who lives in a religious, but not cloistered, community) were thwarted by the Revolution, which abolished non-cloistered monastic foundations. At the beginning of the Empire, she accompanied her father to Paris and began a career as a novelist, writing La Princesse de Chypre in 1807 and Elisa ou les trois chasseurs in 1808. From 1807, citing her exceptional knowledge for a woman, she hoped to become History teacher at Ecouen, the Legion of Honour’s educational establishment recently created by Napoleon. She put her request to Lacépède, grand chancelier, by presenting him with a copy of her Cours élémentaire d'histoire universelle rédigé sur un nouveau plan, ou Lettres de Madame d'Ivry à sa fille, which appeared in 1809. The work consisted of four volumes dedicated to Ancient History and six to Modern History, up until the Napoleonic period. Sixteen pages were given over to critiquing the main writings on which her own work was based: the Précis d'histoire universelle by Anquetil, L'Histoire universelle sacrée et profane by Dom Calmet, the Discours sur l’histoire universelle by Bossuet, the Essai sur l'histoire générale des moeurs et l’esprit des nations by Voltaire and the Annales de la vertu by Mme de Genlis. To make her work as accessible as possible to students, she followed the ‘pleasant education’ principle which had been in fashion since the second half of the eighteenth century: she presented her work as a novel, in which a mother, eager to pass on her knowledge of history to her sixteen-year-old daughter, writes her a series of letters. The proposed course was intended to last two years. The work, which was much favoured by Mme Campan, director of the Maison impériale at Ecouen, became the only female-authored educational work allowed in that institution. It would later circulate in Europe through the Napoleonic courts where former students of Mrs. Campan had become her best advocates for her education methods. On the 5th of January 1811, Lacépède told Mlle de Boileau that she had been nominated to the Maison d’Ecouen as a dame de deuxième classe, with special responsibility for the teaching of History. In 1815, the Emperor’s defeat led to the closure of the establishment in Ecouen, which was then merged with that of Saint-Denis. Mélanie de Boileau, despite her demands, was not kept on as part of the teaching staff.
Her Histoire universelle, marked as it is by the Napoleonic period, has not been re-edited. In 1820, she began to publish an Atlas chronologique et littéraire, in 32 synoptic tables, the principle of which was to present, in parallel columns, the main events of a reign or era. Supported during the Restoration by the Bourbon family, to whose cause she had rallied, she published Appel à la nation française, ou réflexions suggérées par les funérailles de son altesse royale monseigneur le duc de Berry, in the same year. During this same period she tried in vain to become the reader for the Duchess of Berry, or failing this, her librarian. She hoped to be promoted to the position of deputy-governess to the French royal children at the time of the creation of the Maison d’Education du Prince à naître, an establishment intended for the future heir presumptive to the Crown of France. From the 1830s, she showed legitimist tendencies, which marginalised her. Demonstrating remarkable tenacity, she continued to write and work on editions of her, mainly historical, works. She died in the Augustine convent in Versailles in 1864, all family ties having been severed.
Despite all the changes in her life, she remained the woman who had been, during the Napoleonic period, the first female history teacher in France. Furthermore, she had held this role in an institution that was extremely important in the recruitment of female teachers in the public sphere. She has only just been rediscovered, a century after the only biography ever written about her.
(Translated by Elizabeth L’Estrange, August 2010)
Works
-1807: La Princesse de Chypre, roman historique, Paris, Fréchet, 5 vol. (sous le pseudonyme d'Ursula Scheulterie).
-1808: Elisa ou les trois chasseurs, Paris, Fréchet.
-1809: Cours élémentaire d'histoire universelle rédigé sur un nouveau plan, ou Lettres de Madame d'Ivry à sa fille, Paris, Dentu, 10 vol. avec 3 cartes.
-1817: Azélie ou les vicissitudes de la fortune, Paris, Veuve Lepetit, 3 vol.
-1822: Atlas chronologique, historique et littéraire. Cahiers d'histoire ancienne, Paris, chez l'auteur.
-1820: Appel à la nation française, ou réflexions suggérées par les funérailles de son altesse royale monseigneur le duc de Berry, Paris, Lenormand,
-1824: Trois nouvelles politiques, Paris, Lenormant; Vernarel et Tenon; Ladvocat; Ponthieu.
-1854: Fastes napoléens, tableau historique des faits et événements principaux du règne de Napoléon le Grand, depuis son avénement à l'Empire jusqu'à la naissance du roi de Rome, Versailles, impr. de Beau jeune.
-sd.: Ier(-VIIe) Tableau historique et chronologique de l'histoire de France, donnant la suite des rois de France depuis Pharamond jusqu'à Louis XVI, Paris, impr. de F. Didot.
Selected bibliography
-Bout, Antoinette, Une abbevilloise célèbre, mademoiselle Mélanie de Boileau, dame de la Légion d’honneur et publiciste. Sa famille, sa vie, ses œuvres, Abbeville, F. Paillart, 1905, 20p.
-Havelange, Isabelle, «Mélanie de Boileau (1774-1862), une historienne à Ecouen», dans Histoires d'historiennes, dir. N. Pellegrin, Saint-Etienne, Publications de l'Université de Saint-Etienne, 2006, p.243-264.
-Havelange, Isabelle, «Heurs et malheurs de Mélanie de Boileau, femmes de lettres, historienne et pédagogue (1774-1862)», dans Femmes et livres, dir. D. Bajomée, J. Dor et M.-E. Henneau, Paris, l’Harmattan, 2007, p.175-185.
-Havelange, Isabelle, «Maîtresse à Ecouen: le cas de Mélanie de Boileau (1774-1862)», dans Bicentenaire des maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur, Paris, l'Harmattan, 2007, p.63-79.
-Havelange, Isabelle, «Des femmes écrivent l’histoire. Auteurs masculins et féminins des premiers livres d’histoire pour la jeunesse (1750-1830)», dans Pédagogies de l’histoire, XVIIIe-XXIe siècles, dir. A. Buter, Histoire de l’éducation, n° 114, 2007, p. 25-52.
Reception
- [De Mme Campan à Mélanie Boileau]: «Je me suis de jour en jour, Mademoiselle, plus de gré d’avoir réclamé auprès de vous l’avantage, dont je me glorifie, d'avoir été la première à solliciter l’adoption de votre ouvrage pour l’étude de l’histoire dans la Maison impériale. Je ne sais ce qui m’étonne le plus de votre entreprise, de l’agrément qui est répandu dans votre ouvrage et de la rapidité avec laquelle vous exécutez un projet aussi vaste. L’enchaînement en est parfait, vous ramenez avec grâce l’attention sur votre élève, vous n’en fatiguez pas le lecteur formé qui ne voudrait pas détourner son attention [...] en faveur de leçons uniquement propres à la jeunesse. […] Je vous prie de m’envoyer vos quatre volumes bien reliés pour cette jeune princesse qui aime la lecture de l’histoire, est pleine d’esprit et de grâce, et dont la jeunesse annonce pour l’avenir une femme très marquante. […] Je ne sais quel malicieux esprit a fait dire que les femmes n’aimaient point à applaudir aux ouvrages des femmes ; sans mettre trop de valeur à mon opinion particulière, j’ai été charmée d’accorder un hommage empressé à toutes leurs aimables productions et je suis ravie d’avoir le même hommage à offrir pour une oeuvre bien plus importante pour une personne de mon sexe. J’aime à vous exprimer ces sentiments, mademoiselle, et je vous prie de les croire unis à tous ceux avec lesquels j’ai l’honneur d’être votre très humble et très obéissante servante.» (Bibliothèque de Versailles, Collection Victor Bart, Lettre Mme Campan à Mlle de Boileau, 2 octobre 1809)
- Témoignage de Jenny Bastide, ancienne élève d’Écouen, qui, évoquant les enseignantes, ne retient que Mme de Beaufort d’Hautpoul et «Madame Mélanie de Beaulieu [sic], qui a fait un abrégé de l’histoire de France et trois ou quatre romans aussi prétentieux que ceux de mademoiselle de Scudéry». (cité par Léon Gozlan, Les châteaux de France, Paris, 1857, p.126)
