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Ann Arbor, MI 48106 SALON, FAMILY, AND PATRIE: THE MEMOIRS AND NOVELS OF EL&ONORE-ADELE D'OSMOND, COMTESSE DE BOIGNE (1781-1866) DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By David S. Vanderboegh, B.A., M .A . * * * * * The Ohio State University 1993 Dissertation Committee: Approved By: Charles G.S. Williams, Dir. Micheline Besnard John Rothney Adviser Dept, of French and Italian Copyright by David Scott Vanderboegh 1993 To Allegra and Maria Teresa ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I express sincere appreciation to Dr. Charles G.S. Williams for his unwaivering confidence and guidance throughout the research and writing of this dissertation. My thanks go to the other members of my committee, Drs. Micheline Besnard and John Rothney for their valuable suggestions and support, as well as to Dr. Ronald Rosbottom for his important role in my graduate studies. I would like to thank my friend Marie-Christine Rdgnier for her assistance with my research. To my parents, Doris M. and Jack L. Vanderboegh, I express special thanks for a lifetime of love, support, and encouragement. iii VITA January 8, 1960 ............ Born - Marion, Ohio 1983 .......................... B.A., Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1983-1985 .................... Teaching Associate, Ohio State University 1985 .......................... M.A., Ohio State University, 1986-1990 .................... Teaching Associate, Ohio State University 1990-present................. Instructor, Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: French and Italian Studies in 17th Century: Dr. Charles G.S. Williams Enlightenment Literature: Dr. Ronald Rosbottom 19th Century: Dr. Micheline Besnard iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION.........................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................iii VITA ............................................................... iv INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 1 CHAPTER PAGE I. SALON ................................................... 4 7 The Role of the Novels................................ 76 The Role of the Memoirs.............................. 106 II. FAMILY ................................................. 126 The G6n§ral de Boigne................................ 137 The Relation to Social Existence................. 177 III . PATRIE ..................................................195 Etienne-Denis Pasquier............................... 219 Napoleon Bonaparte.................................... 249 Charles X ............................................... 256 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................290 v Une etude gdnerale sur Madame de Boigne me paraitrait seule pouvoir rdpondre & tout. II y faudrait user...la correspondance, ... 1'ensemble de ses Souvenirsr les romans... Sainte-Beuve, & Madame Lenormant 10 fevrier 1867 INTRODUCTION Charlotte Louise Eleonore Adelaide d'Osmond, comtesse de Boigne (1781-1866), is the author of two published novels as well as her memoirs. All of her works were published posthumously. The first to appear was the novel Une Passion dans le grand monde, in 1866, the very year of her death. The second novel, La Marechale d'Aubemer, was published the following year. Her memoirs, Recits d'une tante, would not be published for another four decades, the first volumes appearing in 1907. Before describing the publication history of her works, it would be helpful for the reader to know more about the life of this relatively unknown writer. More than anything else, it is her own experiences and impressions that the author describes in her works. The comtesse de Boigne was very much a product of her environment, or rather her environments: by the time she reached adulthood she had already spent years abroad, becoming fluent in Italian and English and learning much about English customs. Her father spared no expense for her education, and even as a child she showed great 1 2 promise. Not many children can read and recite Racine, as she claims to have aone, at the age of three! The opening pages of her memoirs focus on the remarkable history of her family. Born the daughter of the marquis d'Osmond and raised around the court at Versailles until the Revolution of 1789, de Boigne would remain profoundly marked for the rest of her life by her sense of honor for the name and subsequent "station" that she had inherited from her father, as well as her intimate childhood contact with the royal family and the trauma resulting from the Revolution. She had been a playmate of the ailing Dauphin, and Marie-Antoinette occasionally took part in her games. Her father would be the central figure of her life. Adele d'Osmond felt a deep attachment to him, and was very much influenced by his political outlook. The marquis d'Osmond was one of that rare, special group of nobles who welcomed the Revolution of 1789, and advised the king to make many concessions in order to keep up with the rapidly changing times. His "liberal" views would be reflected in his daughter. The young Adele d'Osmond, deeply affected by what her family had lost in the Revolution, followed her family into exile. Their first destination was Italy, where queen Caroline, sister of Marie-Antoinette, assisted her family 3 and provided the young Adele with a pension that would last until she completed her education. It was in Naples that the youthful Adele met and befriended the princesse Marie- Amelie, future Queen of the French. This friendship was to last a lifetime, and is described in great detail in her memoirs. From Naples the d'Osmond family made its way to Eng­ land. Adele continued her education there, observing her fellow emigres, and taking music lessons from Sappio, the former "maitre de musique" of Marie-Antoinette. She was a striking young woman. Chateaubriand describes her at this period in his memoirs: "Parmi les Frangaises de l'ouest on nommait madame de Boignes [sic], aimable, spirituelle, remplie de talents, extremement jolie, et la plus jeune de toutes..." (Memoires d'outre tombe, I, 387). It was, in fact, at one of her recitals with Sappio, which became popular among many of the emigres, that a military man fell in love with this beautiful woman upon hearing her voice. It was the financial plight of her family which drove her, so she writes in her memoirs, to a "mariage de raison" with the general de Boigne. This "mercenary," veteran of years of service to an Indian potentate, had returned to Europe having spent his health in the harsh climate of India. He brought back with him, however, an immense fortune, and a reputation bordering on legend in military 4 circles. One might question the character of the general if one were to base one's judgement solely on the memoirs of his wife, which present a very different view of him from that of several biographers. But, certainly, the general was to find it easier to lead thousands of soldiers in combat than to win the affection of his wife and to integrate himself into the elite circle that she inhabited. It was an unlikely marriage from the start. In addition to the disparity in age (the general was forty- seven, and his young bride only seventeen), there was an insurmountable, for Adele, gap in breeding. The comtesse would never forgive her husband for hiding his true heritage (he was born Benoit Leborgne, to bourgeois parents in Savoy), or for what she describes as his lack of social skills. She claims to have made no secret of her lack of affection for him, and in fact negotiated the terms of the marriage entirely on her own, without the participation of her parents. Before accepting the general's hand, she insisted on a pension