Madame+Geoffrin

[|Madame Geoffrin: 1748-1777] "We should not let grass grow on the path of friendship."--//Marie Therese Rodet Geoffrin// media type="custom" key="3140282" Madame Geoffrin was born in Paris in 1699. A devoted Parisian, Mme Geoffrin rarely left the city. Her journey to The Republic of Poland, in 1766 to visit the king, was a once in a lifetime event. Although, it was not till Mme Geoffrin was nearly fifty years of age that we begin to hear of her as a power in Parisian society. Madame Geoffrin attended the salons of her neighbor, Mme Tencin, a celebrated salonnière who attracted many of the leading intellectuals, including Helvétius and Montesquieu. Madame Tencin was a mentor to Geoffrin, yet Geoffrin's letters emphasize her gratitude to Chemineau, her grandmother for encouragment. Geoffrin's instincts, her grandmother's guidance, and experience at Mme Tencin's salons combined to launch her own salon. Geoffrin's husband did not share Geoffrin's intellectual drive, yet his financial support contributed to her initial success in 1748. Following the deaths of Tencin and her husband in 1749 and 1750, Geoffrin joined the board and management of the Saint-Gobain glassworks and welcomed the guests of her mentor to her own salons.

Mme Geoffrin hosted intellectual conversations for important philosophes (writers and thinkers of the French Enlightenment), artists, musicians, and writers on Mondays and Wednesdays at her home on the fashionable road, Saint-Honoréin. Madame Geoffrin was a devout Christian who did not hold with any enlightened ideas that were skeptical of God and His existence. Madame Geoffrin’s reputation was so great that she regularly corresponded with the King of Sweden and Catherine the Great of Russia. ===  The Enlightenment, Women and Society: ===  The Enlightenment was shaped in large part by women. The French philosphes argued for more rights for women and artists and writers reflected a certain degree of femininity in their works. Sentimental portraits featuring lovers and cupid were very in during the 18th Century, as well as soft shades of pastels and ornate decors, all reflecting women’s heightened social status. Women had a very important role in the salon and were the center of its life. They were responsible for selecting their guests and deciding whether the salon would be primarily social, literary, or political. They also assumed the role as mediator by directing the discussion.The salon was really an informal university for women in which women were able to exchange ideas, receive and give criticism, read their own works and hear the works and ideas of others. Many ambitious women used the salon to pursue a form of higher education.

 **A New Form of Government:** The first form of government for the new country was the Articles of Confederation. A confederation is a loose association of states. The Articles was unable to meet the needs of the new country; many feared the states would seperate into individual nations. __Using the ideas of the Enlightenment__, a new system of government was ratified in 1789. - The Constitution of the United States. The constitution created a federal system, power is shared by the national and state governments. In order to get the new Constitution ratified a "Bill of Rights" with 10 amendments was added to protect the rights of the individual. **Noteback Activity! ** Madame Geoffrin's salon was a prestigous place during the Enlightenment. For the notebook activity, please create an Annotated Illustration. An Annotated Ilustration is a detailed drawing off a historical scene. Key characteristics, events and people are incorporated into the scene like a photograph or painting; they are integrated into the scene. Each of the main aspects is identified with either a number or letter that corresponds with the annotations below. You may use historical images you have downloaded from the computer. The illustrations should be in color. There should be a minimum of ** ten ** different historical aspects in the illustration.
 * Two innovations Mme. Geoffrin added to create the ideal Enlightenment salon: **
 *  Mme. G switched the traditional late night dinner, "the sociable meal of the day" to a one-o'clock dinner to allow plenty of time for conversation.
 *  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mme. G created a regular, weekly salon dinner schedule with Monday assigned to the artists, Wednesday for the men of letters, etc. .However, the prime focus and function of her salon was intellectual conversation, which could also include time for sharing informal writing or formal poetry.

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