When skimming through Aristocrats by Stella Tillyard 1994, I came upon the name of Madame de Sévigné whose letters were quoted and used as models by English women of noble birth (page 88). The male writers used Latin in their correspondence, showing off their classical education while the female writers used French to show that they too had a form of education. It is a pity that my French is not up to standard to be able to read Madame de Sévigné’s letters because they seem(ed) highly captivating, especially the ones she wrote to her daughter, Madame de Grignan. In those letters, she gave her opinion about everyday life and commented on the act and art of letter writing.

Aristocrats is a very interesting read about the Lennox sisters, the four children of the Duke of Richmond: Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah, who wrote to each other nearly every day in the 18^th century. This book needs more attention than just skimming and it will be my next holiday read. In the meantime, I watch the 1999 Television series in short episodes on YouTube whenever I have a break.