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Excerpt from Selected Letters of Madame De Sévigné
As an excuse for an edition of the Letters of Mme de Sevigne, I may plead the very kind words of encouragement called forth from teachers and reviewers by my edition of Moliere's L'Avare. I may also quote in support of my views as to the manner in which a text should be edited, the words of Mr. Balfour. He, speaking of the immortality which is con ventionally ascribed to great writers of the past, says: "If they survive at all, it is but a shadowy life they live, moving on through the gradations of slow decay to distant but inevitable death. They can no longer, as heretofore, speak directly to the hearts of their fellow-men, evoking their tears or laughter, and all the pleasures, be they sad or merry, of which imagination holds the secret. Driven from the market place, they become first the companions of the student, then the victims of the specialist. He who would still hold familiar intercourse with them must train himself to penetrate the veil which, in ever thickening folds, conceals them from the ordinary gaze."
It is impossible in the short space of an introduction to give all that is necessary to enable us to "penetrate the veil" which hangs between us and the century of Mme de Sevigne. This has been done once with loving care by the Baron de Walckenaer (Memoires sur Mme de Sevigne), but as this fills out some eight volumes, I may be excused from thinking that it is likely to have been read by the ordinary student. I have felt compelled to omit from my choice of letters all reference to the Jansenist controversy, despite Mme de Sevigne's close connection with the Arnauld family; nor have I ventured to mention Descartes.
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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
As an excuse for an edition of the Letters of Mme de Sevigne, I may plead the very kind words of encouragement called forth from teachers and reviewers by my edition of Moliere's L'Avare. I may also quote in support of my views as to the manner in which a text should be edited, the words of Mr. Balfour. He, speaking of the immortality which is con ventionally ascribed to great writers of the past, says: "If they survive at all, it is but a shadowy life they live, moving on through the gradations of slow decay to distant but inevitable death. They can no longer, as heretofore, speak directly to the hearts of their fellow-men, evoking their tears or laughter, and all the pleasures, be they sad or merry, of which imagination holds the secret. Driven from the market place, they become first the companions of the student, then the victims of the specialist. He who would still hold familiar intercourse with them must train himself to penetrate the veil which, in ever thickening folds, conceals them from the ordinary gaze."
It is impossible in the short space of an introduction to give all that is necessary to enable us to "penetrate the veil" which hangs between us and the century of Mme de Sevigne. This has been done once with loving care by the Baron de Walckenaer (Memoires sur Mme de Sevigne), but as this fills out some eight volumes, I may be excused from thinking that it is likely to have been read by the ordinary student. I have felt compelled to omit from my choice of letters all reference to the Jansenist controversy, despite Mme de Sevigne's close connection with the Arnauld family; nor have I ventured to mention Descartes.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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- PublisherForgotten Books
- Publication date2018
- ISBN 10 0666877378
- ISBN 13 9780666877376
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages221
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Selected Letters of Madame De Svign Classic Reprint
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(2018)
ISBN 10: 0666877378
ISBN 13: 9780666877376
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Stock Image
Selected Letters of Madame De Svign Classic Reprint
Published by
Forgotten Books
(2018)
ISBN 10: 0666877378
ISBN 13: 9780666877376
New
Hardcover
Quantity: 15
Seller:
Rating
Book Description HRD. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # LX-9780666877376
Buy New
US$ 34.77
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