Monsieur d'Eon Is a Woman: A Tale of Political Intrigue and Sexual Masquerade
Born in 1728, French aristocrat Charles d'Eon de Beaumont had served his country as a diplomat, soldier, and spy for fifteen years when rumors that he was a woman began to circulate in the courts of Europe. D'Eon denied nothing and was finally compelled by Louis XVI to give up male attire and live as a woman, something d'Eon did without complaint for the next three decades. Although celebrated as one of the century's most remarkable women, d'Eon was revealed, after his death in 1810, to have...
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Born in 1728, French aristocrat Charles d'Eon de Beaumont had served his country as a diplomat, soldier, and spy for fifteen years when rumors that he was a woman began to circulate in the courts of Europe. D'Eon denied nothing and was finally compelled by Louis XVI to give up male attire and live as a woman, something d'Eon did without complaint for the next three decades. Although celebrated as one of the century's most remarkable women, d'Eon was revealed, after his death in 1810, to have been unambiguously male. Gary Kates's acclaimed biography of d'Eon recreates eighteenth-century European society in brilliant detail and offers a compelling portrait of an individual who challenged its conventions about gender and identity.Author Biography: Gary Kates is dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs at Pomona College. He is co-editor and translator, with Roland A. Champagne and Nina Ekstein, of The Maiden of Tonnerre: The Vicissitudes of the Chevalier and the Chevalière d'Eon, also available from Johns Hopkins. Nation A terrific tale, told with suspense and style and interpreted with wisdom and restraint.
Contents: Prologue: The DiscoveryIntroductionPart I: A French ChevaliereChapter 1: Maiden VoyageChapter 2: Foreign Minister VergennesChapter 3: TonnerreChapter 4: D'Eon's PatronsChapter 5: Rose BertinChapter 6: Marie-AntoinetteChapter 7: Franklin and VoltaireChapter 8: Public PerceptionsChapter 9: D'Eon on d'EonChapter 10: The Hopes of a Good PortraitPart II: The Rise and Fall of a StatesmanChapter 11: Louis XV's DiplomacyChapter 12: The King's Secret Chapter 13: Conti and Russia Chapter 14: The Russian Myth Reexamined Chapter 15: Diplomacy in Russia Chapter 16: Dragoon Captain Chapter 17: Making Peace Chapter 18: The Secret in England Chapter 19: Reversal of Fortune Chapter 20: Recalled Chapter 21: D'Eon to Louis XV and Broglie Chapter 22: Broglie to Louis XV Chapter 23: Scapegoat Chapter 24: The "Lettres, memoires, et negociations" Chapter 25: Libel Chapter 26: Indictment Chapter 27: Royal Decree of 1 April 1766Part III: Inside d'Eon's LibraryChapter 28: D'Eon to Jean-Jacques Rousseau Chapter 29: Rousseau's Disciple Chapter 30: D'Eon's Library Chapter 31: Pompadour and La Pucelle Chapter 32: Contra RousseauPart IV: The TransformationChapter 33: Contexts Chapter 34:Rumors Chapter 35: Drouet's VisitChapter 36: Macauley, d'Espinay, and the "Femme Savante" Chapter 37: Hannah Snell and the Amazons Chapter 38: Morande Chapter 39: Louis XVI Chapter 40: The Letter to Poissonier Chapter 41: The Transaction Chapter 42: Beaumarchais Bets Chapter 43: Beaumarchais "To Mlle Genev. L. Deon de Beaumont" Chapter 44: D'Eon to Beaumarchais Chapter 45: D'Eon Sues Morande Chapter 46: Lord Mansfield's CourtPart V: D'Eon's Christian FeminismChapter 47: Considering Convents Chapter 48: Reborn Again Chapter 49: Return to England Chapter 50: Gendered Theology Chapter 51: Christian FeministNotesBibliography of Works By and About d'Eon
\ NewsdayWith great verve, lucidity and admirable restraint, Gary Kates guides us through the setbacks and switchbacks of the Chevalier's odd history.\ — Francine Prose\ \ \ \ \ \ San Francisco ChronicleD'Eon's story comes alive in Kates' capable hands, allowing us to lose ourselves in this 18th-century gender-bender.\ \ \ The NationA terrific tale, told with suspense and style and interpreted with wisdom and restraint.\ \ \ \ \ New York Review of BooksWhy did d'Eon, at the age of forty-nine, let it be known that he was a woman after having cut quite a figure as a diplomat and a soldier? That is the question Gary Kates sets himself in the latest biography [of d'Eon]. It is also the best, not at all an exercise in petite histoire but a book built around questions of gender and narrated in a lively manner, which makes those questions seem anything but academic.\ — Robert Darnton\ \ \ \ \ \ Quentin CrispA fascinating book. Monsieur d'Eon Is a Woman is instructive and a delight to read all at the same time.\ \ \ \ \ Francine ProseWith great verve, lucidity and admirable restraint, Gary Kates guides us through the setbacks and switchbacks of the Chevalier's odd history. —Newsday\ \ \ \ \ Robert DarntonWhy did d'Eon, at the age of forty-nine, let it be known that he was a woman after having cut quite a figure as a diplomat and a soldier? That is the question Gary Kates sets himself in the latest biography [of d'Eon]. It is also the best, not at all an exercise in petite histoire but a book built around questions of gender and narrated in a lively manner, which makes those questions seem anything but academic. —New York Review of Books\ \ \ \ \ NationA terrific tale, told with suspense and style and interpreted with wisdom and restraint.\ \ \ \ \ San Francisco ChronicleD'Eon's story comes alive in Kates' capable hands, allowing us to lose ourselves in this 18th-century gender-bender.\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyKates (The Girondins) has consulted an impressive body of research in his investigation of the remarkable life of the Chevalier d'Eon (1728-1810). D'Eon, a French diplomat who served in the monarchy's espionage operations, was declared to be legally a woman by Louis XVI in 1776. D'Eon explained that he had been born female but raised as a male by a father desperate for a son. At his death, 35 years later, it was discovered that d'Eon was really a man. In a series of engaging vignettes, Kates describes d'Eon's life before and after his decision to live as one of the opposite gender, including encounters with philosophers Rousseau and Voltaire. Drawing on d'Eon's writings, Kates argues convincingly that d'Eon's decision to change gender was based on religious conviction rather than sexuality; in fact, according to the author, he died a virgin. D'Eon had a deep belief, prevalent under the ancien rgime, that women were more virtuous than men, and transformed his gender to be closer to God. Illustrations not seen by PW. (June)\ \ \ \ \ BooknewsThe Chevalier d'Eon (1728-1810) was a decorated soldier, educated lawyer, undercover spy, confidant of the French king Louis XV, and one of the most distinguished diplomats in Europe. Then in 1776 he announced that he was a woman disguised as a man to escape the constraints on his sex. She retired from politics and became the darling of society and center of gossip and curiosity. Only after her death was it discovered that she was a man after all. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \ \ \ \ From Barnes & NobleThe mesmerizing true story of an 18th-century French diplomat & spy, caught in a web of international intrigue, aristocratic ambition, & royal conspiracy, who spent the last 35 years of his life purporting to be a woman.\ \
