Rétif de la Bretonne, Ingénue Saxancour; or, The Wife Separated from Her Husband

Translated by Mary S. Trouille

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New Translations 6

Modern Humanities Research Association

28 February 2017  •  226pp

ISBN: 978-1-781881-82-8 (paperback)  •  RRP £14.99, $19.99, €17.99

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Set in Paris in the 1780s, Rétif de la Bretonne's Ingénue Saxancour is a thinly veiled account of his daughter's disastrous marriage to an abusive husband. From the time of her marriage in January, 1780, until she left her husband in July, 1785, Agnès Rétif suffered continually from severe physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Published in 1789, Rétif's novel scandalized the public with its graphic descriptions of his son-in-law's sexual perversity and brutal violence. Rétif's novel remains shocking more than two centuries later and continues to raise disturbing questions about power relations within abusive relationships.

Reviews:

  • ‘Mary S. Trouille’s translation admirably renders the feel of the original, does not embellish, and gives the English reader access to the source with a minimum of stylistic anachronism... Trouille’s ample introduction provides a thorough and thoughtful account of the historical and legal context of the work, its place within Rétif’s writings and contemporaneous European literature, and crucial elements of the author’s biography.’ — James A. Steintrager, Eighteenth-Century Fiction 31.4, 2019, 769-71

Bibliography entry:

Trouille, Mary S. (trans.), Rétif de la Bretonne, Ingénue Saxancour; or, The Wife Separated from Her Husband, New Translations, 6 (MHRA, 2017)

First footnote reference: 35 Rétif de la Bretonne, Ingénue Saxancour; or, The Wife Separated from Her Husband, trans. by Mary S. Trouille, New Translations, 6 (MHRA, 2017), p. 21.

Subsequent footnote reference: 37 Trouille, p. 47.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

Bibliography entry:

Trouille, Mary S. (trans.). 2017. Rétif de la Bretonne, Ingénue Saxancour; or, The Wife Separated from Her Husband, New Translations, 6 (MHRA)

Example citation: ‘A quotation occurring on page 21 of this work’ (Trouille 2017: 21).

Example footnote reference: 35 Trouille 2017: 21.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

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