“Le Journal pour Mlle de Menou”: exemple de l’art de vivre en reclusion

Abstract

This article presents a hybrid work by Mme de Murat, “Le Journal pour Mlle de Menou”, written between 1708 and 1709 in the château de Loches where the countess was exiled. Mme de Murat copes with the oppression of royal power by leading a life similar to that from which she was cut off. She finds consolation in the writing of the diary and affection for her cousin, she writes poems and organises literary and social life in exile demonstrating freedom of her spirit.