Ellen Welch

Murat’s Magic Wand: Politics, Politesse, and Bedtime Stories in the grand siècle
February 18, 2005

Abstract:
Toward the end of the reign of Louis XIV, a vogue for fairy tales swept the French literary scene. Although often presented as timeless stories from folklore, these fantastic tales have a surprisingly complicated relationship with the very specific social and literary environment of their era.

A particularly vivid illustration comes from one prodigious writer of fairy tales, Henriette-Julie de Murat, who kept a sort of journal of her social and literary life—notebooks filled with accounts of daily events, records of conversations, and samples of her poems, songs, and stories. In her journal, Murat describes lively gatherings characterized by singing, dancing, and the composition of what she calls “contes à dormir debout” (bedtime stories).

Most strikingly, Murat’s journal reveals the permeability of boundaries between social life and literary imagination within her milieu. Murat introduces the language of fairy tales into accounts of everyday life: She writes of one friend as a fairy godmother, and wishes for a magic wand to help clean up a household mess.

Murat’s fictional works, meanwhile, are not merely frivolous stories. One tale uses allegory to criticize the king’s favorite mistress, and evidence suggests that authorities banished Murat from Paris for this literary slander. In such moments, Murat shows off her talent—both highly valued and politically dangerous in her time—to translate worldly events into stylish linguistic performances and to convert political realities into bedtime tales.

Ellen Welch
PhD Candidate
Comparative Literature
and Literary Theory
University of Pennsylvania