Book contents
- Frontmatter
- CONTENTS
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Select Bibliography
- Note on the Text
- VOL I Adelaide and Theodore, or Letters on Education
- LETTER I From the Baron d’ Almane to the Viscount de Limours.
- LETTER II Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER III The Countess d’ Ostalis, to the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER IV Viscountess de Limours, to the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER V Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER VI Viscountess de Limours to the Baroness
- LETTER VII The Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER VIII Answer from the Viscountess
- LETTER IX Answer from the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER X Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER XI Answer from the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER XII The Baroness to the Countess d’ Ostalis
- LETTER XIII Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER XIV The Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER XV The same to the same
- LETTER XVI Baron d’ Almane to the Viscount de Limours
- LETTER XVII Viscount to the Baron d’ Almane
- LETTER XVIII Answer from the Baron d’ Almane, to the Viscount de Limours
- LETTER XIX From the same to the same
- LETTER XX From the Baron d’ Almane to the Viscount de Limours
- LETTER XXI From the Baroness d’ Almane, to Madame d’ Ostalis
- LETTER XXII The Baroness d’ Almane, to the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER XXIII Answer from the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER XXIV From the Count de Roseville, Brother to the Viscountess de Limours, to the Baron d’ Almane
- LETTER XXV The Viscountess to the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER XXVI Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess
- LETTER XXVII Answer from the Viscountess Limours
- LETTER XXVIII From the Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess
- LETTER XXIX From the same to the same
- LETTER XXX Answer from the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER XXXI Answer from the Baroness
- LETTER XXXII From the Viscountess, in Answer
- LETTER XXXIII From the Chevalier d’ Herbain, to the Baron d’ Almane
- LETTER XXXIV Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess
- LETTER XXXV From the same to the same
- LETTER XXXVI The Count de Roseville to the Baron d’ Almane
- LETTER XXXVII The Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER XXXVIII Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER XXXIX Answer from the Baroness
- LETTER XL The same to the same
- LETTER XLI Same to the same
- LETTER XLII Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER XLIII Madame d’ Ostalis to the Baroness
- LETTER XLIV Answer from the Baroness to Madame d’ Ostalis
- LETTER XLV The Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER XLVI From the same to the same
- LETTER XLVII Count de Roseville to the Baron
- LETTER XLVIII Baron to the Viscount
- LETTER XLIX Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER L Madame d’ Ostalis to the Baroness
- LETTER LI From the Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER LII Answer from the Barones
- LETTER LIII From the same to the same
- LETTER LIV The Count de Roseville to the Baron
- LETTER LV Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER LVI The Baroness to Madame d’ Ostalis
- LETTER LVII The Baroness to Madame de Valmont
- LETTER LVIII The Baroness to Madame d’ Ostalis
- LETTER LIX Madame de Valcy to Madame de Germeuil
- LETTER LX The Baroness to Madame de Valmont
- LETTER LXI The Baroness to Madame d' Ostalis
- LETTER LXII Madame de Valcy to Mons. de Creny
- LETTER LXIII Madame d' Almane, to Madame de Valmont
- VOL II Adelaide and Theodore, or Letters on Education
- VOL III ADELAIDE AND THEODORE
- Course of Reading pursued by Adelaide, from the Age of six Years, to Twenty-two
- Index
- Endnotes
LETTER XIV - The Baroness to the Viscountess
from VOL I - Adelaide and Theodore, or Letters on Education
- Frontmatter
- CONTENTS
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Select Bibliography
- Note on the Text
- VOL I Adelaide and Theodore, or Letters on Education
- LETTER I From the Baron d’ Almane to the Viscount de Limours.
- LETTER II Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER III The Countess d’ Ostalis, to the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER IV Viscountess de Limours, to the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER V Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER VI Viscountess de Limours to the Baroness
- LETTER VII The Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER VIII Answer from the Viscountess
- LETTER IX Answer from the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER X Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER XI Answer from the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER XII The Baroness to the Countess d’ Ostalis
- LETTER XIII Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER XIV The Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER XV The same to the same
- LETTER XVI Baron d’ Almane to the Viscount de Limours
- LETTER XVII Viscount to the Baron d’ Almane
- LETTER XVIII Answer from the Baron d’ Almane, to the Viscount de Limours
- LETTER XIX From the same to the same
- LETTER XX From the Baron d’ Almane to the Viscount de Limours
- LETTER XXI From the Baroness d’ Almane, to Madame d’ Ostalis
- LETTER XXII The Baroness d’ Almane, to the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER XXIII Answer from the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER XXIV From the Count de Roseville, Brother to the Viscountess de Limours, to the Baron d’ Almane
- LETTER XXV The Viscountess to the Baroness d’ Almane
- LETTER XXVI Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess
- LETTER XXVII Answer from the Viscountess Limours
- LETTER XXVIII From the Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess
- LETTER XXIX From the same to the same
- LETTER XXX Answer from the Viscountess de Limours
- LETTER XXXI Answer from the Baroness
- LETTER XXXII From the Viscountess, in Answer
- LETTER XXXIII From the Chevalier d’ Herbain, to the Baron d’ Almane
- LETTER XXXIV Baroness d’ Almane to the Viscountess
- LETTER XXXV From the same to the same
- LETTER XXXVI The Count de Roseville to the Baron d’ Almane
- LETTER XXXVII The Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER XXXVIII Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER XXXIX Answer from the Baroness
- LETTER XL The same to the same
- LETTER XLI Same to the same
- LETTER XLII Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER XLIII Madame d’ Ostalis to the Baroness
- LETTER XLIV Answer from the Baroness to Madame d’ Ostalis
- LETTER XLV The Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER XLVI From the same to the same
- LETTER XLVII Count de Roseville to the Baron
- LETTER XLVIII Baron to the Viscount
- LETTER XLIX Baroness to the Viscountess
- LETTER L Madame d’ Ostalis to the Baroness
- LETTER LI From the Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER LII Answer from the Barones
- LETTER LIII From the same to the same
- LETTER LIV The Count de Roseville to the Baron
- LETTER LV Viscountess to the Baroness
- LETTER LVI The Baroness to Madame d’ Ostalis
- LETTER LVII The Baroness to Madame de Valmont
- LETTER LVIII The Baroness to Madame d’ Ostalis
- LETTER LIX Madame de Valcy to Madame de Germeuil
- LETTER LX The Baroness to Madame de Valmont
- LETTER LXI The Baroness to Madame d' Ostalis
- LETTER LXII Madame de Valcy to Mons. de Creny
- LETTER LXIII Madame d' Almane, to Madame de Valmont
- VOL II Adelaide and Theodore, or Letters on Education
- VOL III ADELAIDE AND THEODORE
- Course of Reading pursued by Adelaide, from the Age of six Years, to Twenty-two
- Index
- Endnotes
Summary
Ineither give my children Fairy Tales to read, or The Arabian Nights, nor even Madame d' Aulnoy's Fables, which were composed for this purpose. There is scarcely one of them which has a moral tendency. Love is the subject in them all. You find a Princess persecuted on account of her beauty. A Prince, handsome as the day, dying for love of her, and a wicked, ugly rival, consumed with envy and jealously! Tho’ the moral of these little stories may be good, children cannot improve by them; and only struck with the wonderful, they will remember nothing but the enchanted gardens and diamond palaces; all these ridiculous ideas give them only false notions, stop the course of their reasoning, and inspire them with a dislike for instructive reading. Locke complains that there is not a single work existing proper for infancy; I know not one in the French language, though it would be so useful. The fixing our first principles and turn of mind depends greatly on the impressions we receive in infancy: it is therefore necessary these books should be written with great simplicity; that they should be equally interesting and instructing, and to vary the form of these little histories will also be proper. And I believe, if the subjects were well chosen, and the charms and simplicity of Nature were properly described, it would make such works more valuable than you have any idea of: now, I hear you exclaim, and you repeat twenty times: 'Where is a book so ‘useful?’ 'Where can it be met with?’ I will tell you, and will even produce it to you, whenever you chuse to have it. And as there is no great wisdom required in the composition, but only Nature and common sense; I will without evasion tell you I am myself the Author. We call it the ‘Castle Evening.’ The subject of it is, a good mother retired to the castle with her three children, the eldest of whom is only seven years old, and who every evening, if they are very good, tells them a little story.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Adelaide and Theodoreby Stephanie-Felicite De Genlis, pp. 32 - 34Publisher: Pickering & ChattoFirst published in: 2014