About
Félicité de Genlis, born Stéphanie-Félicité du Crest de Saint-Aubin in 1746 into an impoverished noble family, was an influential pedagogue and writer. Married in 1763, she entered the Palais-Royal in 1772 as a lady-in-waiting. In 1782, she became the first woman appointed as governor to the Orléans princes, including the future Louis-Philippe. An innovator, she used original teaching methods such as magic lantern projections and educational theater. She published about 120 volumes, including pedagogical works and novels, translated throughout Europe. Exiled from 1793 to 1799, she returned to France under Napoleon, who granted her a pension. She died in Paris in 1830.
* 1746-01-25 — † 1830-12-28
Major works
- Théâtre d'éducation (1779-1780)collection of educational plays
- Adèle et Théodore (1782)epistolary novel
- Les Veillées du château (1784)collection of tales
- Mademoiselle de Clermont (1802)short novel
- Mémoires inédits sur le XVIIIe siècle (1825)memoirs
Key milestones
- 1782Appointed governor of the Orléans princes, the first woman to hold this position.
- 1793Fled France after the fall of the Girondins; her husband was guillotined that same year.
- 1799Returned to France after Napoleon's coup; obtained apartments at the Arsenal and a pension.
Themes
educationwomen's roleinnovative pedagogychildren's literaturememoirs and history
Sources: en.wikisource.org · rct.uk · gallica.bnf.fr