New dissertation in Literature
By Sofia Nilsson Warkander: Doubles and Troubles: Dissimulation and Ambiguity in the Writings of Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette and Madame de Villedieu.
Unkown Marie Catherine Hortense Desjardins de Villedieu Mme de Villedieu 1640-1692. Unkown Marie Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne de La Fayette Mme de La Fayette 1634-1693. Both Nationalmuseum in Stockholm
In seventeenth-century France, under the reign of Louis XIV, literature operated under the watchful eye of absolute power. Doubles and Troubles examines how works by Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette and Madame de Villedieu (Marie-Catherine Desjardins) used dissimulation and ambiguity to carve out spaces for female experience and anti-monarchist critique.
These novels and novellas not only shaped the emerging genre of the nouvelle historique, but also offered a counter-history to the official narratives of the grand siècle. This study reveals how dissimulation and ambiguity convey subversive ideas within seemingly innocuous stories.
Illustrations by Henning Trollbäck.
Last updated: 2025-12-15
Source: Department of Culture and Aesthetics