Abortion in the Fiction of Laclos, Rousseau, Isabelle de Charrière, Montesquieu

Authors

Servanne Woodward, The University of Western OntarioFollow

Author Biography

Servanne Woodward teaches eighteenth-century Language and Literature in the Department of French Studies at the University of Western Ontario.

Abstract

Eighteenth-century French fiction containing episodes on abortion are influenced by the seventeenth-century scandal of La Voisin, and by the 1731 legal suit involving the Jesuit Priest Père Girard and Catherine Cadière. Two observations may be derived from eighteenth-century French novels: women's abortions are monitored, instigated, and decided by fathers, husbands and lovers, who select for them, if they are to remain celibate, and whose children they bear. And as well, abortion tests or reveals the limits of a woman’s individual freedom and right to care for herself.

Keywords

Laclos, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Sade, Marquis d'Argens, Beaumarchais, Charrière

Recommended Citation

Woodward, Servanne (2023) "Abortion in the Fiction of Laclos, Rousseau, Isabelle de Charrière, Montesquieu," ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640-1830: Vol.13: Iss.2, Article 15.
http://doi.org/10.5038/2157-7129.13.2.1364
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/abo/vol13/iss2/15