Rambouillet, Catherine de Vivonne, Marquise de
Rambouillet, Catherine de Vivonne, Marquise de ( 1588 – 1665 )French aristocrat who presided over the first of the salons that dominated the intellectual life of 17th-century Paris. The Hôtel de Rambouillet was at the height of its influence between 1620 and 1645 and was frequented by such figures as the playwright Corneille , the writer Madame de Sévigné , and the clergyman Bossuet . The Marquise sought to promote philosophical conversation, refinement, and good taste, earning her the description précieuse, later mocked in Molière's comedy Les Précieuses Ridicules.
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