Difference between revisions of "Cornélie Wouters"
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== Entry by [[Carrie F. Klaus]], 2004 == | == Entry by [[Carrie F. Klaus]], 2004 == | ||
| − | + | Cornélie Pétronille Bénédicte Wouters was baptized in Brussels in the parish of Notre-Dame du Finistère on October 14, 1737. She was the first of at least seven children born to Jacques Corneille and Catherine Marguerite Wouters (née Charlier). She married the Baron of Wasse (or Vasse) when she was relatively young and travelled with him throughout Europe. There is no indication they had any children. She moved to Paris after her husband's death (date unknown) and had a brief but prolific literary career. In 1787, she was living at No. 6, rue Sainte-Apolline. In 1782 and 1783, she published four short works of fiction: Les Aveux d'une femme galante, an epistolary novel consisting of letters between a French marquise and an English lady; L'Art de corriger et de rendre les hommes constans, an extended conversation among women who tell personal stories in response to L'Art de rendre les femmes fidelles, published by De Cerfvol in 1713 and then reprinted in 1779 and 1783; Le Nouveau continent, an allegory of the American Revolutionary War written as a philosophical tale; and Le Char volant, a journey to the moon that includes both satirical and utopian elements. She also published translations from English to French, adapting the original texts and adding new material. Her translations include two major multi-volume works: the Traduction du théâtre anglois depuis l'origine des spectacles jusqu'à nos jours, of which some plays also appeared separately and which was prepared with her sister, Marie Wouters, and the Vie des hommes illustres d'Angleterre, d'Écosse et d'Irlande, ou le Plutarque anglois, a translation of Thomas Mortimer's British Plutarch, possibly also prepared with Marie Wouters. At the end of this same decade, Cornélie Wouters also published shorter translations of two texts by English women writers: Les imprudences de la jeunesse (based on Agnes Bennett's Juvenile Indiscretions) and Le mariage platonique (an «imitation» of Mrs. H. Cartwright's The Platonic Marriage). She may also have contributed to a Bibliothèque choisie de contes published in Paris. | |
| − | She | + | During the French Revolution, Wouters lost access to her possessions in England and Germany and suffered financial difficulties. Her literary production continued with texts of a more political bent, including a statement to the Assemblée nationale arguing that Jews should be recognized as citizens of the new republic. She supposedly also drafted manuscripts that were never published on scientific topics. Her last known work is La Belle Indienne, 1798, apparently another translation from English. Cornélie Wouters died in Paris on April 3, 1802, at age 64. |
| − | + | We know little about her life, but it is certain that her work met with success during her lifetime. Several of her texts indicate that they were published in London, but most of them were available for purchase at leading Parisian booksellers, and her multi-volume works were also available by subscription. Three of her original works of fiction were reprinted during her lifetime: Les Aveux d'une femme galante (1783), L'Art de corriger et de rendre les hommes constans (1789), Le Char volant (1796). This novel was also translated into German. The contemporary literary press gave more prominence to her translations. The Mercure de France praised the Traduction du Théâtre anglois in 1786, and increasingly positive reviews of the Traduction du Plutarque anglois appeared in the Mercure de France and the Année littéraire in 1785 and 1786. The king of Sweden, to whom Wouters dedicated the Plutarque anglois, awarded her two gold medals for her work. | |
| + | During the nineteenth century, Wouters' diverse literary production was increasingly forgotten, and she was remembered primarily as the author of sentimental, or even scandalous, works. Her Aveux d'une femme galante was censored in 1859, which prompted Lacroix, curator of the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, to defend the text and declare it enjoyable and instructive. Critics paid little attention to Wouters in the twentieth century: references to the author and to her works appeared only in scattered notes and catalogues. | ||
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== Works == | == Works == | ||
Latest revision as of 20:41, 31 March 2011
| Cornélie Wouters | ||
| Spouses | Baron de Wasse | |
|---|---|---|
| Biography | ||
| Birth date | 1737 | |
| Death | 1802 | |
| Biographical entries in old dictionaries | ||
| Dictionnaire Fortunée Briquet | ||
Entry by Carrie F. Klaus, 2004
Cornélie Pétronille Bénédicte Wouters was baptized in Brussels in the parish of Notre-Dame du Finistère on October 14, 1737. She was the first of at least seven children born to Jacques Corneille and Catherine Marguerite Wouters (née Charlier). She married the Baron of Wasse (or Vasse) when she was relatively young and travelled with him throughout Europe. There is no indication they had any children. She moved to Paris after her husband's death (date unknown) and had a brief but prolific literary career. In 1787, she was living at No. 6, rue Sainte-Apolline. In 1782 and 1783, she published four short works of fiction: Les Aveux d'une femme galante, an epistolary novel consisting of letters between a French marquise and an English lady; L'Art de corriger et de rendre les hommes constans, an extended conversation among women who tell personal stories in response to L'Art de rendre les femmes fidelles, published by De Cerfvol in 1713 and then reprinted in 1779 and 1783; Le Nouveau continent, an allegory of the American Revolutionary War written as a philosophical tale; and Le Char volant, a journey to the moon that includes both satirical and utopian elements. She also published translations from English to French, adapting the original texts and adding new material. Her translations include two major multi-volume works: the Traduction du théâtre anglois depuis l'origine des spectacles jusqu'à nos jours, of which some plays also appeared separately and which was prepared with her sister, Marie Wouters, and the Vie des hommes illustres d'Angleterre, d'Écosse et d'Irlande, ou le Plutarque anglois, a translation of Thomas Mortimer's British Plutarch, possibly also prepared with Marie Wouters. At the end of this same decade, Cornélie Wouters also published shorter translations of two texts by English women writers: Les imprudences de la jeunesse (based on Agnes Bennett's Juvenile Indiscretions) and Le mariage platonique (an «imitation» of Mrs. H. Cartwright's The Platonic Marriage). She may also have contributed to a Bibliothèque choisie de contes published in Paris. During the French Revolution, Wouters lost access to her possessions in England and Germany and suffered financial difficulties. Her literary production continued with texts of a more political bent, including a statement to the Assemblée nationale arguing that Jews should be recognized as citizens of the new republic. She supposedly also drafted manuscripts that were never published on scientific topics. Her last known work is La Belle Indienne, 1798, apparently another translation from English. Cornélie Wouters died in Paris on April 3, 1802, at age 64. We know little about her life, but it is certain that her work met with success during her lifetime. Several of her texts indicate that they were published in London, but most of them were available for purchase at leading Parisian booksellers, and her multi-volume works were also available by subscription. Three of her original works of fiction were reprinted during her lifetime: Les Aveux d'une femme galante (1783), L'Art de corriger et de rendre les hommes constans (1789), Le Char volant (1796). This novel was also translated into German. The contemporary literary press gave more prominence to her translations. The Mercure de France praised the Traduction du Théâtre anglois in 1786, and increasingly positive reviews of the Traduction du Plutarque anglois appeared in the Mercure de France and the Année littéraire in 1785 and 1786. The king of Sweden, to whom Wouters dedicated the Plutarque anglois, awarded her two gold medals for her work. During the nineteenth century, Wouters' diverse literary production was increasingly forgotten, and she was remembered primarily as the author of sentimental, or even scandalous, works. Her Aveux d'une femme galante was censored in 1859, which prompted Lacroix, curator of the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, to defend the text and declare it enjoyable and instructive. Critics paid little attention to Wouters in the twentieth century: references to the author and to her works appeared only in scattered notes and catalogues.
Works
- 1782 : Les Aveux d'une femme galante, ou Lettres de madame la marquise de***, à myladi Fanny Stapelton, Paris, Veuve Ballard & fils.
- 1783 : L'Art de corriger et de rendre les hommes constans, Paris, Veuve Ballard & fils.
- 1783 : Le Nouveau continent, Paris, Veuve Ballard & fils.
- 1783 : Le Char volant, et Relation d'un voyage dans la lune, Paris, Veuve Ballard & fils.
- 1784-87 : Traduction du théâtre anglois depuis l'origine des spectacles jusqu'à nos jours, divisée en trois époques, Paris, Veuve Ballard & fils (avec Marie Wouters).
- 1785-1787 : Vie des hommes illustres d'Angleterre, d'Ecosse et d'Irlande, ou le Plutarque anglois [trad. de The British Plutarch de Thomas Mortimer; peut-être en collaboration avec Marie Wouters], Paris, Couturier.
- 1788 : Les Imprudences de la jeunesse [trad. de Juvenile Indiscretions de Fanny Burney], Paris, Buisson.
- 1789 : Le Mariage platonique [trad. de Platonic Marriage de Mrs. H. Cartwright], Amsterdam, Maradan.
- 1790 : Mémoire à l'Assemblée nationale pour démontrer aux François les raisons qui doivent les déterminer à admettre les juifs indistinctement aux droits de citoyens, Paris, Baudouin.
- 1790? : Les Constitutions des empires, royaumes et républiques de l'Europe, avec un Précis de leurs finances, dettes nationales, ressources, commerce, etc. (ouvrage périodique commencé en 1790 et attribué à Cornélie Wouters par certains dictionnaires; introuvable).
- 1793 : La Famille émigrée, ou le procédé généreux, Comédie en un acte, en prose, Nivelles, Plon.
- 1798 : La Belle Indienne, ou les Aventures de la petite-fille du grand Mogol, Paris, Lepetit.
- entre 1790 et 1802? : La Nature dévoilée, ou Précis d'histoire naturelle, à l'usage des Dames, inédit.
- entre 1790 et 1802? : Essai sur l'oxigène, ou les Progrès de la chimie [trad. d'un texte du Dr Watson, évêque de Landaff], inédit.
Selected bibliography
- Bonvalet, Nicole. «Adaptations et traductions de Ben Jonson au XVIIIe siècle». Les Lettres romanes, 35, 3, 1981, p.199-234.
- Klaus, Carrie F. «Morality and Science in Cornélie Wouters' Le Char volant, ou Voyage dans la lune». À paraître.
- Klaus, Carrie F. «Nothing but what I wanted it to be: Cornélie Wouters' Allegory of Revolution in America». À paraître.
Reception
- (à propos du Char Volant) «Cet Ouvrage est d'un Auteur étranger, d'une femme; c'est un double titre à l'indulgence du Lecteur, & l'on pourroit la réclamer, si l'Ouvrage avoit besoin de cette double recommandation» (Mercure de France, 31 janvier 1784, p.210-211).
- (à propos de la Traduction du Théâtre anglois) «C'est à Mme la Baronne de Vasse & à Miss Wouters, c'est à deux soeurs unies par les triples noeuds du sang, de l'amitié et des talens, à deux Angloises, que nous sommes redevables de cette idée et de son exécution. M. de La Place, dans un très-bon Ouvrage, dans un Ouvrage devenu classique, nous avoit déjà familisarisés avec une grande partie du Théâtre d'une Nation rivale de la nôtre dans tous les genres de gloire: la traduction de Mme de Vasse & de Miss Wouters achevera ce qu'il a si bien commencé» (Mercure de France, 12 août 1786, p.58).
- (à propos du Plutarque anglois) «Les témoignages flatteurs d'estime que l'auteur de cette traduction, Madame la Baronne de Vasse, a reçus de Sa Majesté le Roi de Suède, sont une récompense de son travail aussi juste qu'honorable. Ce Prince, ami des lettres, lui a fait remettre par son Ambassadeur à la cour de France, M. le Baron de Stael, deux médailles d'or. Un suffrage aussi glorieux joint à celui du public ne peut qu'encourager l'Auteur à continuer un ouvrage dont le mérite & l'intérêt augmentent à mesure qu'il avance» (Année littéraire, 1786, t.VI, p.278).
- (à propos du Plutarque anglois) «Les illustres Soeurs qui ont consacré leurs loisirs à enrichir la France d'une excellente production de leur pays nous ont rendu un véritable service, & je les en remercie au nom du public» (Année littéraire, 1787, t.I, p.266).
- (à propos des Aveux d'une Femme Galante) «Les mots changent, mais les choses restent: à la fin du dernier siècle, une femme galante n'étoit pas une courtisane vivant de galanterie, mais une grande dame quelquefois, ayant plusieurs galants et aimant les intrigues galantes. Ce petit roman représente donc les moeurs de la meilleure société à cette époque. Tout le monde n'a pas d'autre affaire en ce monde-là que de s'occuper de galanterie: hommes et femmes y font l'amour à l'envi. On comprend qu'un pareil roman écrit par une femme d'esprit, qui possédoit bien son sujet, soit très-agréable et très-instructif. Cette femme d'esprit étoit la baronne de Vasse, née Cornélie Wouters, à laquelle nous devons quelques autres ouvrages du même genre. Celui-ci, où l'auteur s'est mis en scène sous le nom de son héroïne, renferme beaucoup d'épisodes intimes, qui, pour être narrés ou plutôt indiqués avec une extrême réserve, n'en sont pas moins fort scabreux, mais tout est si bien dit et si honnêtement, qu'on n'a pas le droit de se scandaliser» (P. Lacroix, «Les Aveux d'une Femme Galante», Bulletin du Bibliophile et du Bibliothécaire, 16e série, Paris, J. Techener, 1863, p.373-374).
