Lettres de Mmes. de Villars, de Coulanges et de La Fayette, de Ninon de L'Enclos et de Mademoiselle Aïssé

Marie-Angélique Du Gué Bagnoles Coulanges

1641–1723

A sharp-witted French writer of the salon world, she is remembered for letters, songs, and light verse that capture the tone of late 17th-century literary society. Her writing moved through the same social circles as some of the best-known names of classical French literature.

Madame de (Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne) La Fayette

1634–1693

Best known for writing The Princess of Clèves, she helped shape the modern novel with clear, psychologically sharp fiction. Moving in the literary world of Louis XIV’s France, she turned court life into stories that still feel perceptive and human.

Ninon de Lenclos

1620–1705

A sharp-witted French salon host, writer, and celebrated conversationalist, she became one of the most talked-about women in 17th-century Paris. Her life and letters have long fascinated readers for their mix of independence, style, and clear-eyed views on love and society.

A sharp-eyed French noblewoman, she turned court life in Madrid into vivid, revealing letters. Her writing opens a rare window onto diplomacy, gossip, and power at the court of Charles II of Spain.