Quotes and Images From Memoirs of Louis XIV.

Charlotte-Elisabeth, Duchesse d'OrléansProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.9
Word count
3.3K words
Chapters
1

Tags

English Originals World History Historical ReappraisalCourt MemoirPalace IntriguePortrait GalleryPower GameComplex HumanityDocumentary NarrativeLiterary ExcerptsSocial ObservationAristocratic Life

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Quotes and Images From Memoirs of Louis XIV. by OrléansAuthor: Orléans, Charlotte-Elisabeth, duchesse d', 1652-1722,Language: English, Class: DC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: France, Andorra, Monaco, Release Date: Feb 1, 2005

Editor's review

This is a selection of quotes and images from the memoirs of Charlotte-Elisabeth, Duchesse d'Orléans, concerning the age of Louis XIV, published by Project Gutenberg. The Duchesse d'Orléans was Louis XIV's sister-in-law and long stood at the heart of the Versailles court; her memoirs are known for their frankness, sharpness, and personal tone, and this selection preserves the passages richest in vivid imagery and character judgment. Its strength lies in the intimacy of the perspective: not official panegyric but an insider's observations colored by emotion and prejudice—vivid to read, and a reminder to be wary of the narrator's stance. The images serve as counterparts to the text, offering glimpses of how figures and scenes were presented at the time. As a selected e-book, it lacks full context and scholarly annotation and is not suitable as a standard introduction to the age of Louis XIV; it is better suited for readers with some knowledge of French court history who want to sense the era through private records, or for writers needing quotation material for casual browsing.

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Reading tips

  1. First learn the Duchesse d'Orléans's identity and position at court; the excerpts' tone will then be easier to appreciate.
  2. While reading, note the narrator's biases and emotions and treat each excerpt as testimony with a standpoint.
  3. Read alongside a general history of Louis XIV's reign or studies of the Versailles court.
  4. You may concentrate on passages of character judgment to appreciate the memoirs' personal style.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

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FAQ

Who was the Duchesse d'Orléans? She was Louis XIV's sister-in-law; after marrying into the French royal family she lived for a long time at the Versailles court, giving her close observation of court figures and daily life. Her memoirs are known for their frank, sharp, personal tone, and this selection is drawn from them.
Can the excerpts reflect the memoirs as a whole? No. The selection retains only some passages and illustrations, lacking full context and annotation, so readers may see only the most dramatic fragments. For a comprehensive understanding, find the complete memoirs and consult relevant scholarship.
Is this book suitable for historical researchers? It can serve as a lead for quotations or an entry point for reading, but should not be used directly as a basis for research. It has no annotations, textual notes, or full context; researchers should verify the original text and context against the complete memoirs and authoritative editions.
Why read private memoirs rather than formal histories? Private memoirs offer close-up observations colored by emotion and prejudice, revealing details of life and personal relationships that formal histories miss. But they are not objective records; while reading, be aware of the narrator's standpoint and compare with formal histories.

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About the author

Charlotte-Elisabeth, Duchesse d'Orléans Author · German (Bavarian) · 1652–1722

Charlotte-Elisabeth, Duchesse d'Orléans (1652–1722), was a daughter of the Elector of Bavaria. In 1671 she married Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the brother of Louis XIV, and went on to live at the court of Versailles for more than fifty years. The library holds seven of her works, chiefly the volumes of her Memoirs of the Court of Louis XIV and of the Regency, together with a collection of her correspondence with the Princess Palatine and others. Writing with candor and humor, she records the figures, anecdotes, and behind-the-scenes affairs of the court in the age of Louis XIV and the Regency, bringing people and details vividly to life. Her letters and memoirs have long been valued as important primary sources for the study of French court society and political life, and are read with pleasure for their frank and lively narrative.