Marie-Antoinette, the woman beyond the myth
Myths about Marie Antoinette abound. In this talk at the Institut français d'Ecosse, Catriona Seth will strip away some of the accumulated legends about to reveal a complex and engaging personality.
About Marie-Antoinette, the woman beyond the myth
| 27th May 2025 | |
| 4pm | |
|
Institut francais d Ecosse Institut français d'Ecosse West Parliament Square, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1RF |
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| Free admission for members / £7 non-members | |
| Visit the event website here | |
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Myths about Marie Antoinette abound. She is one of the most famous characters in History, and yet so much we know about her is wrong: she didn’t say "Let them eat cake"; she didn’t bankrupt France with her desire to buy diamonds; she wasn’t the power-hungry and lascivious woman revolutionary caricatures represent.
In this talk, Catriona Seth will strip away some of the accumulated legends about ‘the last Queen of France’ and reveal a complex and engaging personality: someone who was a true but often naïve friend, a devoted Mother, a remarkable musician, a woman with assured taste in interior decoration, a fashion icon and, when the Revolution came, an active figure in the political landscape.
Pr. Catriona Seth is a British scholar of French literature and the history of ideas. Since 2015, she has been Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.
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