Now, David Bodanis, author of "Passionate Minds", aka the romantisized biography of Émilie and Voltaire which is fun to read until Fritz appears on the scene and you realize Bodanis does not know and understand much about 18th Century Prussia, says in a "Where are they now?" footnote that "it's assumed" that Émilie entrusted the letters, which she had bound, to Saint-Lambert, who destroyed them after her death. Otoh, I don't have the volume with me right now, but the magisterial 1960s Voltaire biography, I seem to recall, suspects Madame Denis was the one to destroy the letters after Voltaire's death. (On the assumption that Émilie's husband returned Voltaire's letters to him after her death, and Voltaire himself of course had Émilie's letters. Robyn Arianrhod doesn't have an opinion, but I wouldn't be surprised if Judith Zinnser thinks Voltaire himself destroyed the letters, not least because she has it in for Voltaire.
Heh, I feel like this all says more about the biographer's personal opinion about these people than what actually might have happened. (I remember Orieux really, really did not like Madame Denis!)
Of course, it's also possible Émilie herself destroyed them in the last year of her life, either because she thought she might die and did not want them to get published - she must have known most of the letters to and from Voltaire would get published sooner or later, and indeed part of the Fritz/Voltaire letters from the Crown Prince years were already publically known at that point - , or because she was angry at Voltaire.
:( Maybe!
Voltaire himself destroyed them. Instinctively, I'd say no
I agree. That doesn't fit my image of Voltaire at all. Doctor them? I'd buy that, and as you say it's canon. But destroy, no.
As my own image of Voltaire is different from Zinnser's
The more primary sources we read, the more I feel that Zinnser is just... taking things out of context. :P
I feel like this all says more about the biographer's personal opinion about these people than what actually might have happened.
Oh absolutely. I haven't seen anyone but Bodanis suspect Saint-Lambert, but then Bodanis' Saint-Lambert is a cad who cheated on Émilie practically the moment they got together. (Which, to be fair, was the interpretation of some of Émilie's letters to him until Judith Zinnser suggested a different dating for the letters and pointed out Saint-Lambert did react heartbroken to Émilie's death. And of course Jean Orieux would blame Madame Denis!
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Re: Happy V-day, everybody!!!!
Heh, I feel like this all says more about the biographer's personal opinion about these people than what actually might have happened. (I remember Orieux really, really did not like Madame Denis!)
Of course, it's also possible Émilie herself destroyed them in the last year of her life, either because she thought she might die and did not want them to get published - she must have known most of the letters to and from Voltaire would get published sooner or later, and indeed part of the Fritz/Voltaire letters from the Crown Prince years were already publically known at that point - , or because she was angry at Voltaire.
:( Maybe!
Voltaire himself destroyed them. Instinctively, I'd say no
I agree. That doesn't fit my image of Voltaire at all. Doctor them? I'd buy that, and as you say it's canon. But destroy, no.
As my own image of Voltaire is different from Zinnser's
The more primary sources we read, the more I feel that Zinnser is just... taking things out of context. :P
Re: Happy V-day, everybody!!!!
Oh absolutely. I haven't seen anyone but Bodanis suspect Saint-Lambert, but then Bodanis' Saint-Lambert is a cad who cheated on Émilie practically the moment they got together. (Which, to be fair, was the interpretation of some of Émilie's letters to him until Judith Zinnser suggested a different dating for the letters and pointed out Saint-Lambert did react heartbroken to Émilie's death. And of course Jean Orieux would blame Madame Denis!