Aulnoy, Marie‐Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, baronne d'
Aulnoy, Marie‐Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, baronne d' [or comtesse] (1650/51–1705).The most famous French writer of fairy tales after Perrault, d'Aulnoy had a significant influence on the development of the genre in France and other countries (especially Germany).
Born in Normandy, Marie‐Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville was married at 15 or 16 to François de la Motte, baron d'Aulnoy, who was more than 30 years her elder. The marriage, which had been arranged by her mother, Mme de Gudane, and her mother's companion, Courboyer, quickly turned sour, leading to the most turbulent phase of her life. The baron's financial difficulties and abusive behaviour created a hostile relationship between Marie‐Catherine's mother and husband. In 1669, Mme de Gudane, Courboyer, and other accomplices hatched a plot to accuse M. d'Aulnoy of lèse‐majesté, a capital offence. Although arrested, the...
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