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Abstract
The Mémoires de Madame de la Guette (1613-1676) constitute a major historical document on the series of crises that hit France in the middle of the seventeenth century. Beyond its status as an historical document, however, the author's account of her struggles, successes and setbacks also reveals the everyday life of a woman who aspires to become noble. If Micheline Cuenin sees in the memoirs of Madame de la Guette the story of a woman who writes to remember (in contrast to men, who write memoirs to defend themselves), the aim of this article is to demonstrate, through an historical and literary perspective, her desire to justify herself and her choices (in particular, her choice of a husband against her father's wishes) and to prove that her life had purpose.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]