Un ejemplo relevante del modelo portugués en la epístola amorosa: las Lettres d’une Péruvienne de Mme de Grafigny

Abstract

This paper concerns the epistolary no­vel Lettres d’une Péruvienne (1747), written by Mme de Grafigny. It is based on the «Portuguese model», or model of a single voice, i.e. letters of an abandoned lover to her beloved with no reply, drawn from Lettres portugaises (1669).

Grafigny’s Letters was a publishing success of French Literature in the 18^th Century, similar to Rousseau’s Nouvelle Héloïse written some years later. In the essay, we first study the fiction in 18^th Century France and the figure of Mme de Grafigny; then, we will focus on the editions, sequels, and reception of the work; and finally on the structure of the Lettres.