Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 1998 What a saint am I! : The self-canonization of Madame Jeanne-Marie Guyon in the Quietist controversy of seventeenth-century France Jennifer Marie Lior Blacke Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the European History Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Blacke, Jennifer Marie Lior, "What a saint am I! : The self-canonization of Madame Jeanne-Marie Guyon in the Quietist controversy of seventeenth-century France" (1998). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 5725. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.7586 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. THESIS APPROVAL The abstract and thesis of Jennifer Marie Lior Blacke for the Master of Arts in History were presented May 6, 1998, and accepted by the thesis committee and department. COMMITTEE APPROVALS: Thomas Luckett, Chair William Lang /,/· or dJon Dodds 'J Christine Rose Representative of the Office of Graduate Studies DEPARTMENT APPROVAL: --ibn Dodds, Chair Uepartment of History ABSTRACT An abstract of the thesis of Jennifer Marie Lior Blacke for the Master of Arts in History presented May 6, 1998. Title: What a Saint am I!: The Self-Canonization of Madame Jeanne-Marie Guyon in the Quietist Controversy of Seventeenth-Century France At the center of the heated Quietist Controversy in late seventeenth­ century France was Jeanne-Marie Guyon, whose writings and teachings on inner prayer were similar to those of recognized Catholic mystics. Unlike celebrated mystics, however, Mme Guyon expounded a doctrine which seemed to concentrate not only on holy indifference, but on herself as the sole mechanism by which others could attain union with God. A careful reading of the writings of Mme Guyon reveals a woman obsessed with herself -- her salvation, her martyrdom, her popularity, and her superiority. Such a description corresponds perfectly with the suggestions of her foremost persecutor, the bishop of Meaux, Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, that she saw herself as a living saint, above and beyond the mystics of the past, more powerful than the priests of the present, and positively ensured that she was the true bride of Christ who would rule beside him in the future. In order to make sense of Mme Guyon's interpretation of herself, this thesis seeks to unite various aspects of her writings and personality, including the imagery of the Book of Revelation, sainthood, mysticism, sensuality in reference to Jesus, and persecution. Ultimately I suggest that her writings sought to prove her own assertion that she was the woman of the apocalypse, the highest level of saint in the Glorious Orders. Mme Guyon's autobiography appears to be a consciously constructed hagiography to serve in fortifying this image of herself. This self-canonization, compounded by the awkward imitation of accepted mystical doctrine, was central to Mme Guyon's condemnation in the French Quietist debates of the late seventeenth century. WHAT A SAINT AM I!: THE SELF-CANONIZATION OF MADAME JEANNE-MARIE GUYON IN THE QUIETIST CONTROVERSY OF SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE by JENNIFER MARIE LIOR BLACKE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in HISTORY Portland State University 1998 THIS THESIS IS DEDICATED TO VICTORIA PLUM, WHO TRULY WAS A LIVING SAINT. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This master's thesis is the result of my first graduate class in French history, a seminar on the seventeenth century offered in Spring of 1996. I first found Mme Guyon's name as I was thumbing through the index of Pierre Goubert's Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen desperately looking for a term-paper topic. Her name lept out from the page, and even though I had no idea who she was, I was convinced that she would be the focus of a great paper. By the Fall I had resigned myself to the revelation that, like she had seduced so many at Louis XIV's court with her charismatic manner, I too had fallen victim to Jeanne Guyon's seductive personality. My thesis topic was settled. This thesis and all of my graduate work at Portland State University was made possible by the generous support and encouragement of my advisor, Professor Thomas Luckett. There are not enough words in English or French to describe my gratitude to him. No matter how quiet, how shy, or how loud and outspoken I was, Professor Luckett was always patient and understanding. I feel so honored, and so lucky, to have been able to work with such an outstanding scholar and historian. Professor Christine Rose of the PSU English department deserves mention for offering her fantastic seminar on Medieval Women's Literature in the Fall of 1997. Many of the ideas in this thesis are a direct result of readings and discussions from this class, as well as from the inspiring lectures given by Professor Rose. Thanks are also in order for Professor William Lang, who rescued my academic career by graciously agreeing to be my minor advisor. Despite his busy schedule, Professor Lang always found time to support me and my work .. Professor Gordon Dodds deserves credit for being a good sport by agreeing to be on my thesis committee. Who knew a colloquium could be so beneficial! Last but not least, I would like to express eternal gratitude to my husband, William L. Blacke, who was always there with a warm cup of apple cider when I sat down to write, and who enlightened my bad mood with his brilliant and timely wit. (And who reminded me of Mme Guyon's four-somes when things got really bad!) I also thank my dear sister, Kristin Johnson, for her encouraging phone calls and letters, and my mother, Margaret Wagle, for her insights into Catholicism. Phthia Blacke, Francis and Margie Schuller, and the rest of my family and in-laws all deserve praise for their kind understanding when I was busy, and for their limitless support. Most of all, I extol Mme Jeanne Guyon, without whom this thesis would have been impossible - it has been an honor. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Mme Guyon as Saint: The Path to Self-Sanctity Begins ....... 1 Chapter 1 : A Challenge to Sanctity: The "Quietist" Controversy . .. .. .. ... 1 7 Chapter 2: A Living Saint and the Queen of Heaven . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... 47 Chapter 3: Mme Guyon as Saint: The Woman of the Apocalypse Reveals Herself . .. .. .. 73 Chapter 4: Mme Guyon as Saint: Constructing the Autobiography ..... .. 112 Chapter 5: Mme Guyon as Saint: Autobiography as Hagiography . .. .. .. 121 Conclusion: Mme Guyon and the Legacy of her Self-Constructed Sanctity...................................................................... 165 Bibliography .. ...... .. .. ......... .. .. .. ... ...... ...... .. .. .... .. .. ... ... ... .. ...... .. 176 Appendix A: Chapter 12 from the Book of Revelation . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 185 Appendix B: The Covenant of Consecration of Mme Guyon .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 188 Introduction Mme Guyon as Saint: The Path to Self-Sanctity Begins My parents, particularly my father, was extremely pious; but to him it was a manner hereditary. Many of his forefathers were saints. 1 Jeanne Guyon A new prophetess undertook to revive the Guide of Molinas, and the prayer that it teaches. She is full of this esprit, this mysterious woman of the apocalypse; it is this child that is within her. This woman's work is not finished .... 2 Jacques-Benigne Bossuet History best remembers Jeanne-Marie Bouviers de La Mothe Guyon as the degenerate bud from whom blossomed the unfortunate Quietist controversy. This event is well-known to French historians, as it involved a heated exchange between two of the most influential French churchmen of the seventeenth century: Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627-1704) and Franc;ois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (1651-1715). What continues to stimulate debate and controversy among scholars is the personality of Mme Guyon herself - some see her as a true prophet whose words are to be accepted and admired for their painful honesty; to others she is nothing more than an ignorant, greedy, and self­ absorbed woman whose meddling in Church affairs deservedly landed her in jail. It seems that when reading Mme Guyon, you either like her immensely, or 1 Jeanne Guyon, An Autobiography: Madame Guyon, trans. Gene Edwards (Chicago: Moody Press, 1970), 19. For the purposes of this thesis, this work will be referred to in the footnotes and the text as simply the Vie (referring to the original title, La vie de Madame Guyon). 2 Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, "Relation sur le Quietisme," in Oeuvres (n.p.: Bibliotheque de La Pleiade, 1960) , 1172. All translations found in this thesis are my own unless stated otherwise. hate her passionately. The very presence of her strong, almost overbearing personality jumps out from the page as though three hundred years has done nothing to dilute its strength. She is a powerful force, someone to be reckoned with in any generation, and her superficial message is hypnotically attractive - anyone can achieve some form of spiritual union with God. Sanctification comes not from attending mass, or weekly confessions, or even self­ mortification; instead, it comes only from losing oneself in quiet prayer with the Lord. Such a message, while not original by any means, proves a dangerous potion when mixed with her fantastic, charismatic personality. The overarching objective of this thesis is to examine Mme Guyon's role in the Quietist Controversy. is it really so simple to say, as many historians have done, that her famous and well-read tracts like The Short and Easy Method of Prayer (a translation of the French title Mayen court et tres facile de faire oraison) and Spiritual Torrents (Les spirituals torrents) represent an elaboration of themes and methods suggested by earlier mystics such as St.