Women, Castles, and Power in Early Modern France: The Case of the Duchess of Montpensier (1627-1693)

FAIN: FT-59516-12

Sophie Marinez
Research Foundation Of The City University Of New York (New York, NY 10007-1044)

I am preparing a book tentatively entitled Women, Castles, and Power in Early Modern France: The Case of the Duchess of Montpensier (1627-1693). This manuscript includes an analysis of the discourse of architecture of the period as well as an interpretation of the architectural contributions made by women. It focuses on the works of Anne-Marie-Louise de Bourbon, duchesse de Montpensier (627-1693), whose memoirs, letters, literary texts, and architectural projects assert notions of female autonomy and power. An NEH stipend would support developing a chapter on other women builders, completing a comparative analysis of Montpensier's castles and those built by others, and further discussing the architectural aspect of her writings.

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