Françoise de Graffigny

Le récit montre comment l'héroïne se révèle peu à peu capable de retourner ses handicaps (différence de langue, de culture, déracinement, manque d'autonomie...) à son profit, réussissant à penser comme telle sa condition singulière, à l’accepter et à la dépasser. La différence (de sexe, de race, de classe) s'impose comme une force dont la jeune Inca va tirer le meilleur parti. En véritable autodidacte, elle va s’instruire grâce à l’observation puis à la lecture, faisant profiter son correspondant des savoirs qu'elle a patiemment acquis. L'héroïne ne choisit ni l’assimilation pure et simple à la France, ni l’oubli du passé et des origines. À l’inverse, elle se compose une existence propre, riche de tout ce qui la constitue : l’ailleurs et l’ici (le Pérou et la France de Louis XV), le passé et le présent, l’altérité assumée, mais aussi la capacité de s’adapter et de se transformer.

Lettres d'une péruvienne

'It has taken me a long time, my dearest Aza, to fathom the cause of that contempt in which women are held in this country ...' Zilia, an Inca Virgin of the Sun, is captured by the Spanish conquistadores and brutally separated from her lover, Aza. She is rescued and taken to France by Déterville, a nobleman, who is soon captivated by her. One of the most popular novels of the eighteenth century, the Letters of a Peruvian Woman recounts Zilia's feelings on her separation from both her lover and her culture, and her experience of a new and alien society. Françoise de Graffigny's bold and innovative novel clearly appealed to the contemporary taste for the exotic and the timeless appetite for love stories. But by fusing sentimental fiction and social commentary, she also created a new kind of heroine, defined by her intellect as much as her feelings. The novel's controversial ending calls into question traditional assumptions about the role of women both in fiction and society, and about what constitutes 'civilization'. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Françoise de Graffigny

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