Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations and Notes
- Introduction
- 1 1843–1844: The Battle against the Pedantocracy
- 2 Tensions in Comte's Relationships, 1842–1846
- 3 Clotilde de Vaux and the Initial Encounter with Comte
- 4 The Muse's Tragic End
- 5 Pain and Recognition
- 6 The Revolution of 1848
- 7 Discours sur l'ensemble du positivisme
- 8 Personal and Professional Disappointments
- 9 The Early Development of the Religion of Humanity
- 10 The Development of the Positivist Movement
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
4 - The Muse's Tragic End
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations and Notes
- Introduction
- 1 1843–1844: The Battle against the Pedantocracy
- 2 Tensions in Comte's Relationships, 1842–1846
- 3 Clotilde de Vaux and the Initial Encounter with Comte
- 4 The Muse's Tragic End
- 5 Pain and Recognition
- 6 The Revolution of 1848
- 7 Discours sur l'ensemble du positivisme
- 8 Personal and Professional Disappointments
- 9 The Early Development of the Religion of Humanity
- 10 The Development of the Positivist Movement
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
Summary
You were…the most eminent woman from the point of view of your heart, mind and even character whom universal history has heretofore presented to me.
Comte, “Onzième Confession annuelle,” October 12, 1856HEALTH, FINANCIAL, FAMILY, AND FRIENDSHIP PROBLEMS
As de Vaux labored on her book, she had to face myriad problems that would have proved daunting to any writer. She had to contend with the pressure from Comte to become more than a friend, though she told him frequently did that she not love him. She was disturbed not only by palpitations and fatigue but also by family fights. She loved her mother dearly for her selflessness but found her to be blind to what was going on around her. In de Vaux's eyes, Madame Marie was overly suspicious of Comte and excessively solicitous of Max. Comte, who found Max presumptuous, aggravated the problem by severely criticizing the work on the sciences that he was writing. Max would no longer speak to him. Given these tensions with Madame Marie and Max, Comte seemed intent on estranging de Vaux from her family. But she felt she owed them the “justice that is due to them” for taking care of her.
Nevertheless, she increasingly relied on Comte to supplement their care. He lent her money to pay for heat and clothes, which allowed her to keep up with the fashion of the day.
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- Auguste ComteAn Intellectual Biography, pp. 183 - 229Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009