Tag Archives: Claudine Alexandrine Guerin de Tencin

tencin: high wire act between rationalism and passion

“My menagerie,” Alexandrine Tencin called her salon; her guests were “mes betes.” Her Tuesdays she filled with good talk, high spirits, and low comedy involving chamber pots and such. Her leisure she filled with literature, the recourse of the bored. … Continue reading

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liberation: french identity on the short leash

The liberation of Mme de Tencin. From convent to court, from bank to boudoir, she was always prone to argue. It was the end of the Louis XIV reign, a hey-day of cynical license that characterized the Regency period that … Continue reading

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arguing from bank to boudoir

Powerful advocates brought Alexandrine’s pleas to the ear of the pope, and in November 1712, her vows were formally annulled. It was the liberation of Mme de Tencin. From convent to court, and from bank to boudoir, she was always … Continue reading

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madame de tencin: liberation of null and void

A rockin’ nun. The liberation of Mme de Tencin. From convent to court, from bank to boudoir, she was always prone to argue. It was the beginning of the eighteenth-century and the rays of light were starting to shine through … Continue reading

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liberation of Mme de tencin

From convent to court, from bank to boudoir, she was always prone to argue… In France during the ancien regime the Tencin family of Grenoble rose by industry mixed with avarice from nothingness to wealth, provincial distinction, and a tiny … Continue reading

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