s and ridiculous in their pleasures and their
elegance. She has described the most _risque_ situations and the most
delightful women, but she gives us to understand that the latter are
not to be loved. The vanity of the social world might be called her
text.

Mme. Blanc--Therese de Solms--is known to us to-day as the first
woman to reveal English and American authors and habits to her
contemporaries. By advocating American customs she has done much
to ameliorate the condition of French girls, by giving them a freer
intercourse with young men and permitting them to see more of the
world before entering upon married life.

Mme. Greville, who died recently, deserves a place among the prominent
women writers of France. No _femme de lettres_ ever received more
honors, prizes, and decorations than she; a number of her writings
were crowned by the Academy. A member of the Societe des Gens de
Lettres, with all her literary work she was a domestic woman, keeping
aloof from all feminist movements. Her husband, Professor Durand, to
show his esteem and admiration for her, adopted her name--a wise act,
for it may preserve his name with that of his talented wife.

Many other names might be cited, but, as the list of prominent women
is practically without end, owing to the indefiniteness of the term
"prominent," we shall close with these names, which have become
familiar in both continents.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

I. WOMAN IN POLITICS.
II. WOMAN IN FAMILY LIFE. EDUCATION, AND LETTERS.
III. THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY: WOMAN AT HER BEST.
IV. WOMAN IN SOCIETY AND LITERATURE.
V. MISTRESSES AND WIVES OF LOUIS XIV.
VI. MME. DE SEVIGNE. MME. DE LA FAYETTE, MME. DACIER, MME. DE CAYLUS.
VII. WOMAN IN RELIGION.
VIII. SALON LEADERS MME. DE TENCIN. MME. GEOFFRIN, MME. DU DEFFAND,
MLLE. DE LESPINASSE, MME. DU CHATELET.
IX. SALON LEADERS (CONTINUED)-MME. NECKER. MME. D'EPINAY. MME. DE
GENLIS: MINOR SALONS.
X. SOCIAL CLASSES.
XI. ROYAL MISTRESSES.
XII. MARIE ANTOINETTE AND THE REVOLUTION.
XIII. WOMEN OF THE REVOLUTION AND THE EMPIRE.
XIV. WOMEN OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

List of Illustrations

Marguerite d'Angouleme, Queen of Navarre, reading
the Heptameron to her brother, Francis I, Leon Olivie.

Marguerite of Valois at the coronation of Marie de
Medici, P.P. Rubens.

Mme. du Chatelet protecting Voltaire,