IRHiS–Institut de Recherches Historiques du Septentrion
Abstract
This article discusses the metaphoric use of light in the gallant letters circulating in the early 17th century Parisian salon “Hôtel de Rambouillet” (1608-1665). At that time, writers predominantly characterised women as obscure creatures with bad intentions. Representing women as beacons of light, thus introducing what one could call the notion of the luminous woman, Vincent Voiture and other gallant writers playfully ridiculed this traditional perception. The shift in the metaphorical use of light gives a vivid impression of the aesthetics of the uncharted genre of the gallant letter. Furthermore, it reveals the societal and literary tendencies of the 17th century. People started to put religious beliefs to the test and to think and write differently about love. It was the start of the pathway towards a different perception of women as human beings rather than obscure creatures, different yet complementary to men
