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Meghan Kort B.A., University of Northern BC, 2014

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Meghan Kort B.A., University of Northern BC, 2014 The Girls Who Spoke for God: Vocation and Discernment in Seventeenth-Century France by Meghan Kort B.A., University of Northern BC, 2014 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of History ã Meghan Kort, 2016 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee The Girls Who Spoke for God: Vocation and Discernment in Seventeenth-Century France by Meghan Kort B.A., University of Northern BC, 2014 Supervisory Committee Dr. Sara Beam, Department of History Supervisor Dr. Jill Walshaw, Department of History Departmental Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Sara Beam, Department of History Supervisor Dr. Jill Walshaw, Department of History Departmental Member During the seventeenth century, the Catholic Reformation sparked unprecedented growth in girls' educational opportunities with the opening of over five hundred new teaching convents. Yet, the active role girls played in these institutional and social changes is often overlooked. Even though girls' autobiographical writing from the seventeenth century is rare, prescriptive, educational, and biographical sources from convent schools are rich in details about girls' lives and vocational discernment. Upon leaving school, girls were encouraged to take either marriage or religious vows. Since orthodox Catholicism taught that salvation could only be received if one's life reflected God's will this decision was weighty. In fact, reformed convents tested their entrants to ensure that their vocations were freely chosen and not forced. Seventeenth-century girls' educational theorists shared this concern, and while they debated the details of curriculum, they agreed that only girls had the authority to articulate their own God-given vocations. At convent schools, girls encountered both models of female domesticity and women who were dedicated to religious life. The repeated affirmation of both of these paths created an atmosphere in which girls could legitimately choose either. Furthermore, the memories of vocational discernment recorded in nuns' lives offer evidence of plausible ways in which girls proved their callings to their communities. Focusing on religious vocation reveals how girls in the seventeenth century actively articulated their ideas, impacted their societies, and challenged adult authority. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. vi Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: "If on the Contrary She Makes Up Her Mind to Become a Nun:" Girls' Education and Vocation in Prescriptive Literature ........................................................... 18 Chapter 2: Becoming a "Mediocre Christian Lay Woman or a Bad Nun:" Learning Domestic and Religious Vocation at Convent School ...................................................... 44 Chapter 3: "It is Here that God Wants Me:" Discerning and Proving Religious Vocation ........................................................................................................................................... 83 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 121 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 128 v List of Figures Figure 1: Isaac épouse Rebecca ........................................................................................ 50 Figure 2: Jacob sert son oncle pour avoir sa fille Rachel en mariage ............................... 51 Figure 3: Jesus-Christ propose à ses Disciples un enfant pour modele de l’humilité chrestienne ........................................................................................................................ 53 Figure 4: Jesus-Christ entre dans la maison de Marthe, qui s’empresse de le recevoir pendant que sa soeur entend sa parole .............................................................................. 54 Figure 5: Mort de Sisara ................................................................................................... 57 Figure 6: Esther va se presenter le Roy Assuerus, dans le dessein de sauver son peuple de la mort qui le menaçoit ..................................................................................................... 59 Figure 7: Children’s Games ............................................................................................ 109 Figure 8: Inset of procession ........................................................................................... 110 Figure 9: Inset of altar ..................................................................................................... 110 vi Acknowledgments When I first began paging through the Lives of seventeenth-century nuns in the imposing reading rooms of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, I was delighted to find these girls surrounded by networks of people who encouraged and loved them. There was a familiarity in their stories, as I too have been blessed with a supportive community. I owe many of these people more thanks than I could possibly articulate on one page. First to my Horlings family, thank-you Mom for raising me as a feminist and teaching me to be a writer; Dad for blazing the trail with your perseverance and hard work; Jason, Evan, and Josh for always inspiring me with your selflessness, silliness, and determination. To my Kort family, thank-you for your Whatsapp chats and Victoria visits which have so often left me smiling and reenergized. To my friends both far and near, Sarah, Natalie, Roni, Kim, Ashley, Brittney, Bonnie, Jenny, Janine, and Alyssa, thank-you for always checking in on me, celebrating each milestone, and taking my mind off work with countless beach walks and phone chats. Special thanks are due to Rina, my tireless editor, it has been a delight doing this grad school journey together. Thank-you also to the floor hockey crew and the lunch time Dutch Blitz addicts who kept me coming to campus each day and made the grad office one of my favourite places to work. To the Victoria Christian Reformed Church community, thank-you for welcoming us with grace and love. Particular thanks are due to the rambunctious group of young adults who have committed to gathering every Monday night for the past year and a half. Thank-you for filling our living room with joy, supporting us through the loss of a dear friend, and for always challenging me to live with purpose. To my mentors, Dana Wessell Lightfoot, Neil and Virginia Lettinga, and Tracy Summerville, thank-you for your gentle criticism, honest advice, and confident affirmation. From my first day at UNBC, each of you took the time to listen to my passions and direct me with your wisdom. Thank-you Dr. Beam and Dr. Walshaw for continuing this work at UVic with your enduring patience, insightful encouragement, and commitment to excellence. Many thanks also go to Dr. Carlin, Dr. Cazes, and Dr. Harding who generously offered primary source recommendations and interdisciplinary guidance. Finally, I owe the biggest thank-you to my loving husband who believed in this project before I even knew what it was. Thank-you for your willingness to uproot your life to pursue my dreams, for your insistence that I never give up, and for eagerly explaining my thesis to anyone who will listen. Your enthusiasm and joy for life are infectious and I could never have completed this project without you, it certainly would not have been as fun. For all of these reasons, I dedicate this thesis to you. Introduction In 1703, Madame de Maintenon, the founder of Saint-Cyr girls’ school, issued a pertinent warning to the graduating class. She cautioned them, “better for you to be a mediocre Christian lay woman than to be a bad nun.”1 Maintenon was concerned that her students would choose to become nuns without thorough consideration of God’s calling, thus endangering their souls' salvation.2 Her fears were echoed in the words of one of the students in the class, Marie Liée de Girard Merbouton who reminded Maintenon, “we’ve heard so often that if you’re not in the state of life to which God has called you, it’s almost certain that you can’t be saved.”3 Merbouton and her classmates, all noble girls between the ages of seventeen and twenty, had spent at least ten years away from their families receiving an education in domesticity and housekeeping. Each girl knew that upon graduating she must either “get married or become a nun.”4 Singlehood was highly discouraged; Maintenon described it as “one of the most dangerous states,” and the greatest risk to a good reputation.5 Therefore, the girls faced a choice between wedding vows
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