Memoirs of the Countess de Genlis: Illustrative of the History of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, Volume 7Henry Colburn, 1826 - France |
Common terms and phrases
Abbé Abbé Morellet Adèle et Théodore admirable affected agreeable amiable astonishment Baron d'Holbach beautiful Bonchamp Bouillé Casimir celebrated charming Châteaubriand Comte de Rochefort conversation courage daughter death delighted desired displayed disposition drawing-room Duchess Duchess of Bourbon Duke Duke of Chartres Duke of Orleans Encyclopédie entitled excellent feel felt fortune gave give grand-daughter happy harp heart honour idea interesting kind learned letter live Madame de Choiseul Madame de Staël Madame Recamier Mademoiselle d'Orleans manner Mantes Memoirs mentioned mind moral Moreau Morellet nature never obtained opinion Orleans Ourika Paris person philosophers piety pleasing pleasure poem politeness possessed praise present princess published received religion religious Saint sent sentiments singular society soul sublime talent thing thought thousand francs tion told truth Valence verses virtue Voltaire whole wished worthy write written wrote young lady youth
Popular passages
Page 2 - ... and grace. Were we to expunge from the letters of Madame de Sevigné everything that is frivolous, we should take away their principal charm. " Such was frivolity amongst us in the times of old. The following incident will show what modern politeness is : "Towards the end of June, 1821, I dined with thirteen persons, amongst whom were four peers, four marshals of France, and three generals ; among the peers there were two dukes. Before dinner they were in their own way very polite to me, and...
Page 3 - This clamor and confusion lasted for more than an hour and a half, when I left the drawing-room, delighted with having received the first lesson of the new customs of society, and the new code of French gallantry — of that politeness which has rendered us so celebrated throughout Europe. I confess that down to this moment I had very inadequate notions of all these things.
Page 2 - ... approached his neighbour, and thus formed a circle in the middle of the room ; I was thus left quite alone with a semicircle of backs turned towards me — to be sure I saw the faces of the other half of the party. I thought at first they had seated themselves so to play at those little games that require such an arrangement, and found it very natural and proper ; but it was no such thing — it was solely for the purpose of discussing the most difficult questions of state policy ; every one...
Page 2 - ... their conversation to gentlemen at the other end of the table. We returned to the drawingroom after dinner, and at the moment I was sitting down I saw with surprise that all the dukes and peers had escaped from me ; each of them took hold of an arm chair, dragged it after him, approached his neighbor, and thus formed a circle in the middle of the room. I was thus left quite alone, with a semi-circle of backs turned towards me. To be sure, I saw the faces of the other half of the party. I thought...
Page 9 - The talents of the lady of the house are praised, but of what use are they to her ? She can neither speak nor hear — one cannot come near her. A wax figure placed in an arm-chair would do the honours of such a party as well as herself. She is condemned to remain there till three o'clock in the morning, and will go to bed without having it in her power to see half of the company she has received.
Page 2 - We returned to the drawing-room after dinner, and at the moment I was sitting down, I saw with surprise, that all the dukes and peers had escaped from me ; each of them took hold of an arm-chair, dragged it after him, approached his neighbour, and thus formed a circle in the middle of the room ; I was thus left quite alone with a semicircle of backs turned towards me — to be sure I saw the faces of the other half of the party.
Page 132 - It-is both frivolous and pedantic at the same time; it has been said of the author, that when she wrote she changed her sex, but in this case, it seems to me that there was no change, that she merely caricatured the character. In her political writings she displays an excess pf petty vanity, which a man of talent would never have shown.
Page 7 - Il a trop peu de temps, et trop de soins à prendre : Son peuple à soulager, ses amis à défendre, La guerre à soutenir ; en un mot, les bourgeois Doivent très rarement importuner les rois. La cour te croira fou : reste chez toi, bonhomme.
Page 288 - ... so that what was formerly regarded as the most wretched taste, is now not even noticed. The effects of this will be, that no one will henceforth be able to distinguish himself by magnificence or the luxury of dress, and this is certainly no great evil ; but it is also to be noticed that people...