Born in Le Havre, France, in November 1607, Madeleine de Scudery was born into minor nobility, although it seems her father may have been in a debtors prison in his lifetime. Madeleine was one of seven siblings, but only one of the two that lived past infancy. Orphaned at a young age, ironically enough, like one of her inspirations, Sappho, Madeleine was raised by her well-educated and worldly Uncle. It was not common then for girls and women to be well-educated to the extent of Scudery. She was enamored with her Uncle’s vast library and was knowledgeable about not only literature but botany and herbal medicine. Madeleine knew Italian and Spanish, along with the ability to write legibly in French. She was also well-versed in the classics and had unusually specific knowledge about the ancients despite believing she had little ability to read any ancient languages.
Around the age of thirty, Madeleine moved to Paris to live with her brother Georges de Scudery, who was a writer and dramatist there. Many of Madeleine’s first novels were published under his name. Both Madeleine and Georges frequented the many literary salons which were very popular at this time in Paris. These salons are where Madeleine was introduced to many other literary figures, playwrights, and political thinkers of the time. Scudery’s novels were filled with heroic women of history who she deems “forgotten,” Many were also considered romances. During her lifetime and beyond, many critics have called her writing pedantic and too lengthy. Several of her novels were published in up to ten volumes. Madeleine’s first novel, Ibrahim, or, The Renowned Bassa, was published in 1641. After publishing a few novels, Scudery’s work seems to take a turn toward conversations. She believed that if women could not take command on the battlefield, they could command in conversation and literature.
Scudery hosted her own salon, which she named after the day it was held, Saturday, or Samedi in French. Volumes deep in her novel, Artamène is ‘The Story of Sapho,’ based on the greek Sappho. Scudery identifies herself very much as Sapho in the story, as Sapho is a woman writer and intellectual. She believes marriage is akin to slavery and, unlike Scudery, hides her learning. Madeleine writes about friendship, or tender love, especially between women friends. It’s an exploration of gender, and love is one of the many hallmarks of Scudery’s brilliant work. Although considered by critics and foes to be “précieuse,” Scudery is being reconsidered as a woman writer who gives incredible attention to detail and explores topics that weren’t publicly written about by many others at the time. Although several of her works were written under her brother, Georges de Scudery, many were published anonymously and under her name.
Scudery enjoyed philosophical thought and opposed Descartes’s mechanistic view of animals. Scudery herself wrote about two chameleons she acquired from Alexandra and viewed as having distinct personalities and even love for each other. She defends her chameleons against their stereotypical associations with shallowness and inconsistency. Scudery defends animal relationships with humans, giving them the ability to reason by their ability to choose companions. The writing across her lifetime continued to address topics including philosophy, sexuality, love, marriage, gender, and strong women. Scudery lived to surprisingly old age for her time. She died at the age of ninety-three, on June 2nd, 1701.