Finding Emilie

by Laurel Corona

  Within the confines of the book, the boundaries between documented fact and authorial license can also be fairly easily delineated. I believe that a historical novelist has an unwritten pact with readers to be as truthful as he or she can. Though in the end it is up to readers to remember the difference between a novel and a scholarly treatment of a subject, I want my audience to be confident I present people, events, and eras accurately. Because historical records are often so short on intimate and mundane details, it’s necessary to invent a great deal to fill out a story, but as long as these inventions are consistent with what is documented and don’t misrepresent critical truths, I embellish freely on the known.

  In fact, there would be no historical fiction without doing this, and those who prefer their history straight will probably be happier reading nonfiction. For the rest, I offer the argument that more things are true than are ever written down. Even the famous don’t often leave behind much of a record of their day-to-day lives, and sometimes the imagination brings us closer to the whole truth than documented sources can.

  That said, I would like to acknowledge a few places where I have made minor adjustments to nonessential facts. First, it isn’t clear when Emilie and Voltaire first met. There was almost certainly a brief introduction when she was a child, but it registered on neither of them. Judith Zinsser places their first meeting at the opera, but I chose to base my scene on the alternative account in David Bodanis’s book. I also adjusted the time frame for Emilie leaving Paris for Cirey after the death of her son. In reality, she didn’t go for several months. I changed by a few months the premiere date for Philidor’s opera based on Tom Jones to make it consistent with the purchase of Vaux-le-Vicomte by the Duc de Praslin. I also adjusted the date of La Barre’s execution. It actually occurred a year before Lili’s visit to Ferney, but I thought the incident was so instructive about Voltaire and his times that it would be valuable to include it. Finally, it isn’t clear with whom Emilie du Châtelet shared her “Discourse on Happiness.” All that is known for certain is that Saint-Lambert preserved a copy, waiting until after the deaths of both the Marquis de Châtelet and Voltaire to publish it. The marquis died in the same year as Lili’s fictional visit to him, but Voltaire lived until 1778. The essay wasn’t published until 1779, a year after the epilogue of the book is set.

  ANOVEL BASED around the life of Emilie du Châtelet would probably have remained just one of a number of ideas in my head if it weren’t for two authors who discovered her long before I did. My sincerest gratitude goes to David Bodanis and Judith Zinsser, whose biographies of Emilie became the bedrock of my own research. Roger Pearson’s biography of Voltaire also helped greatly to get the facts right about that part of the story.

  A number of people gave of their time and expertise to help me bring this book to life. Madame de Salignac-Fenélon opened the du Châtelet estate out of season to give me a special, lengthy tour of the château and grounds at Cirey. Madame Filliette-Neuville allowed me to interrupt her busy day as owner and host at the Chateau d’Étoges to clarify the lineage of her family and the history of the château. Ambroise Clément de Feuillet is not a fictional character but was indeed the heir and soon-to-be Comte d’Étoges when Delphine marries him, a fact I would not have known without Madame Filliette-Neuville’s help. Mahdjer Bhat Charilla gave me an extensive private tour of Voltaire’s home at Ferney, and her knowledge brought a new depth and accuracy to the details about Lili’s stay there.

  Jane Birkenstock, whose website www.visitvoltaire.com is a great resource for those interested in Voltaire and his life, provided background knowledge and gave me advice that helped me make the most of my research time in France.

  Natalia Denisenko helped me steer the last chapter in the right direction, and Severiani Salvagno explained points of math and physics that this science-avoiding English major might otherwise have misrepresented.

  And let me proclaim this to the stars (Meadowlark, are you there?): I have the best possible agent in the best of all possible authorial worlds. Meg Ruley of the Jane Rotrosen Agency supports me and my writing with enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and integrity. All the people at the Jane Rotrosen Agency are a joy to work with and give me a feeling of a home away from home when I am in New York.

  My editor at Gallery Books, Kathy Sagan, worked with tenacity and good humor to help me improve the manuscript, and her assistant, Jessica Webb, has been an enthusiastic supporter throughout.

  As always, I want to single out the three people who know me best and support me day in and day out. My “bossy big sister” Lynn is still proving a half century after our childhood that bossiness can be a good thing—at least when her little sister needs a thorough critique of her writing. My partner and dearest love, James Fee, has spent countless hours and untold energy to help me endure the rough patches of being an author. And finally, the enthusiastic support of my son, Ivan Corona, always makes me feel on top of the world.

  And, to all of this, I must add my gratitude to Emilie du Châtelet herself, and to François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire, for walking the walk. Their lives gave added joy to my own as I wrote.

  NOTE: TYPICALLY, French words ending in one or more consonants leave those consonants almost but not entirely unsounded, one of a number of subtleties it is not possible to convey in this guide. These pronunciations approximate the French but are not exact. Real-life characters are shown in bold.

  Barras, Robert de (bah-RAHS, Row-BAIR de): Widowed suitor of Lili.

  Bar-sur-Aube (bar-soor-OBE): Coach stop between Paris and Geneva.

  Bercy, Delphine (bare-SEE, del-FEEN): Lili’s adoptive sister.

  Bercy, Julie (bare-SEE, zhoo-LEE): Emilie’s friend and Lili’s adoptive mother.

  Breteuil (bray-TOY): Emilie du Châtelet’s last name at birth.

  Buffon, Georges-Louis, Comte de (boo-FOH, ZHORJ-loo-EE, KOMT de): Naturalist and philosophe, creator of a comprehensive illustrated work of natural history using up-to-date scientific principles, and an early advocate of the concept of evolution and an ancient date for the creation of the world.

  Châtelet, Emilie du (SHA-te-lay, Eh-mee-lee): Aristocratic mathematician and physicist, most widely known for being Voltaire’s longtime lover.

  Châtelet, Florent (floh-RAHN): Name of Emilie’s husband and son.

  Châtelet, Stanislas-Adélaïde du (stahn-ee-SLAHS-ah-deh-lye-EED): Emilie du Châtelet’s daughter.

  chéri(e)(s) (shay-REE): Dear one(s).

  Cirey (see-HRAY): Village in Lorraine where the Marquis du Châtelet’s ancestral home is located.

  Comète (koh-MET): Meadowlark’s horse.

  Courville, Jacques-Mars (koor-VEEL, jahk-MAHRS): Friend of Anne-Mathilde.

  Crassy, Berthe and Lucien (kras-SEE, BAIRT and loo-see-YEN): Servants at Cirey.

  Danican Philidor, François André (dahn-ee-KAHN fee-leeDOHR, frahn-SWAH ahn-DRAY): French composer and famous chess genius.

  Denis, Madame (de-NEE): Voltaire’s niece, a widow who lived with him for many years at Cirey and elsewhere.

  Diderot, Denis (dee-de-ROH, de-NEE): Philosophe and author/editor of the first comprehensive encyclopedia.

  Encyclopédie (anh-see-klo-pay-DEE): Compilation of all scientific, philosophical, practical, and vocational knowledge considered important to the philosophes.

  Étoges (eh-TOWJ): Village and château of the Clément de Feuillet family.

  Germond (zhair-MOHN): Voltaire’s valet at Ferney.

  Graffigny, Françoise de (grah-fee-NYEE, frahn-SWAHZ de): Frequent houseguest at Cirey, whose letters are a significant source of knowledge about Emilie and Voltaire’s activities and relationship. Later in life she wrote several highly successful novels and is now acknowledged as one of the significant writers of her era.

  hôtel (oh-TELL): The name by which Parisian town houses were known.

  Île de la Cité (EEL de lah see-TAY): Island on the Seine where the cathedral of Notre-Dame is located.

  Jardin de Roi (jahr-DAH de RWAH
): The King’s Garden, known today as the Jardin des Plantes.

  La Harpe, Jean-François de (lah ARP, Zhan-Frahn-SWAH de): Minor playwright who was a frequent guest at Ferney and styled himself as a consultant to Voltaire.

  Leclerc, Jean-Étienne (luh-KLAIR, ZAHN-eh-TYEN): Nephew and protégé of the Comte de Buffon.

  Leszczynska, Marie (leh-ZIN-skah): Polish-born wife of King Louis XV and sister of the Duc de Lorraine.

  Lomont, Baronne (loh-MOHN, bah-RONE): Widowed sister-in- law of the Marquis du Châtelet.

  Longchamp, Sébastien (lohn-SHOM, say-bas-tee-YEH): Voltaire’s manservant, whose diary provides intimate information about Voltaire’s life and habits.

  Lorraine, Duc de (loh-REHN, Dook de): Formerly King Stanislas of Poland, who, after being deposed, was granted by King Louis XV the semi-independent Duchy of Lorraine to rule for life. Marie Leszczynska, the Queen of France, was his daughter.

  Lunéville (loo-nay-VEEL): City in Lorraine and site of Duke Stanislas’s palace, where Emilie du Châtelet died and is buried.

  Maman (mah-MAH): Mother.

  Maupertuis, Pierre-Louis (moh-per-TWEE, pee-YAIR loo-EE): Famous French mathematician and physicist. His work in Lapland established that the earth is flattened at its poles, and his other works confirmed or refined many of Newton’s ideas.

  Maurepas, Joséphine de (moh-re-PAH, zho-say-FEEN de): Young noblewoman from Lili and Delphine’s days at the convent.

  pannier (pan-EER or pan-YAY): Frame attached to each hip to create skirts extended to the sides.

  Panthémont, Abbaye de (pahn-thay-MON, ah-BAY de): Convent where Lili and Delphine boarded as children.

  philosophe (feel-oh-SOHF): General term for French Enlightenment thinkers.

  Place Royale (PLAHS roy-AHL): Square in Paris where Lili lives. Now called the Place de Vosges.

  pont (POHN): Bridge.

  population flottante (poh-poo-las-SYO floh-TANT): “Floating” people of France, i.e., the homeless and dispossessed.

  Praslin, Anne-Mathilde de (prah-LEHN, AHN-mah-TILD de): Young noblewoman from Lili’s and Delphine’s days at the convent.

  Praslin, Paul-Vincent (POHL vahn-SAWN): Son and heir of the Duc de Praslin, owner of Vaux-le-Vicomte.

  Richelieu, Duc de (rish-LYOU, Dook de): Powerful noble and friend of Emilie du Châtelet.

  Rousseau, Jean-Jacques (hroo-SOW, zhan-ZHAK): Philosopher and author, precursor to the Romantic Era in his ideas about personal liberty and the need to raise children without societal interference.

  Saint-Lambert, Jean-François (sahn-lam-BARE, zhan-frahn-SWAH): Emilie’s lover and father of Lili. He was a contributor to the Encyclopédie and a well-known poet later in his life.

  Thérèse, Jeanne-Bertrand (tay-REHZ, zhan-behr-TRAHN): Nun at the convent.

  Thibaudet, Francine (tee-bow-DAY): Jean-Étienne Leclerc’s fiancée.

  Thil, Marie-Victoire du (TEEL, mah-REE veek-TWAHR doo): Close friend of Emilie du Châtelet, possibly the one who introduced her to Voltaire.

  Tintin (tan-TAH): Lili and Delphine’s dog.

  Turgot, Abbé (toor-GOH, ah-BAY): Philosophe and economist famous for his support of free market capitalism.

  Vaux-le-Vicomte (VOH-le-vee-COMT): Large country estate near Paris owned by the Duc de Praslin.

  Voltaire, François-Marie Arouet de (vol-TAIR, frahn-SWAH-mah-REE ah-row-EH de): Renowned Frenchman of letters and Emilie du Châtelet’s lover and confidant.

  FINDING

  EMILIE

  Laurel Corona

  DISCUSSION GUIDE

  1. What does the reader learn about the two great influences on Lili’s life, Baronne Lomont and Julie de Bercy, from the letters in the prologue? About the Marquis du Châtelet and his relationship with Emilie?

  2. Early in the book, Delphine is victimized by her social environment, but also masterful at triumphing over it. What in her personality and behavior accounts for this? How does Lili’s temperament make her also a victim and victor?

  3. Why is the Jardin de Roi so important to Lili? Have you ever had a place of refuge? What effect did it have on your life?

  4. Do the political and scientific views discussed in Julie’s salon and elsewhere in the novel resonate in our world today?

  5. “The truth is all that matters, all that is really permanent.” Do you agree? Did Emilie apply her philosophy well in real life? Can anyone?

  6. What do you think of Rousseau’s idea that our upbringing is deliberately intended to deform us to fit the society we live in? Is this the source of much of our own unease and discomfort?

  7. Emilie du Châtelet says in her “Discourse on Happiness” that it would be better to figure out how to be happy in the situation we face than try to change it, and that the happiest people are those who desire the least change in their lot. What does she mean? Is it good advice?

  8. Toward the end of the book Lili realizes, “I’d have to matter to myself first, before I could expect anything good to happen.” Is this true?

  9. When Lili sees Delphine’s and her own daughter standing in the doorway in the closing scene of the novel, she understands how much Julie must have loved them both. If you are a parent yourself, how did having your own children affect how you saw your own parents?

  10. Have you ever had the feeling you were helped by departed loved ones? If so, how?

  11. Lili’s Meadowlark stories reflect her fears and dilemmas. What are some of these, and how do they shape what she writes?

  ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB

  1. View Marianne Loir’s portrait of Emilie du Châtelet, which she gifted to Voltaire, at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Le_Tonnelier_de_Breteuil,_Emilie.jpg.

  2. Go to www.visitvoltaire.com for information about Voltaire, Emilie du Châtelet, and the Château de Cirey. There are also links to hotels and restaurants in the area if you feel like taking your book club on an adventure to France!

  3. Set the scene by meeting with your book club at a French restaurant, or make your own fête françois with recipes at www.francethisway.com/frenchfood and www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/global/french/recipes.

  4. Visit the author’s website, www.laurelcorona.com, to read about her adventures in France researching Finding Emilie and to find out more about her other historical novels.

  A CONVERSATION WITH LAUREL CORONA

  Julie de Bercy is a fascinating character who created a balance between adhering to conventions of society and advancing modern thinking in the novel. Did you base her character on a historical figure? Julie de Bercy is entirely my creation. One of the main outlets for aristocratic women of great intellect in this era was to host a salon, and many of the most renowned women in their day were salonnières. Madame de l’Espinasse and Madame Geoffrin, who attend Julie’s funeral, are real people, as is Madame de Graffigny, the houseguest at Cirey whom Emilie found so tedious. It’s a challenge for historical novelists to set up a plot that has their protagonists, especially the female ones, interacting plausibly with a wide range of interesting and important real-life figures, and Julie’s salon seemed a good way to accomplish this.

  While Lili is the main character in Finding Emilie, It is also Emilie du Châtelet’s story. Did you originally intend to intersperse scenes from the past and the present, depicting both Emilie and Lili, or is this dual narrative something that developed during the writing process?

  I knew from the outset that I needed to find a way to bring in Emilie’s biography, because her mother is what makes Lili’s story singular. The challenge was that the reader has to be far more informed about Emilie than her daughter is. I decided the only way to do this was to intersperse vignettes about Emilie with the main narrative of Lili’s story. This way, the reader is finding Emilie before Lili does, realizing how important that knowledge is to Lili, and cheering her on to find Emilie herself.

  What was it about Emilie that first captured your interest? What can modern-day women learn from her?

  I first heard of Emilie du Châtelet only
as a footnote to Voltaire, but when I learned she had played a significant role in introducing Newtonian science to the French intelligentsia, I wanted to know more about her. I assumed she would fit the stereotype of the corseted-and-bewigged snob I imagine from portraits of aristocratic women of her time, but instead I found a flawed and fabulous woman surging with life, intellect, and passions of all sorts, blazing through life prepared to regret some of her decisions but making them anyway.

  The main thing I think modern women can learn from her is gratitude. We inhabit not only a much more open, tolerant, and inclusive world, but the tools we have for exploring that world are so much more advanced. Every time I hear about a breakthrough in physics, I wonder what Emilie would make of it. Today she might be a Nobel Prize winner in a state-of-the-art laboratory, instead of having to do her work in near-secret and watch others take credit for it because her interests were not considered proper for a woman. I particularly enjoyed adapting from Voltaire’s servant Longchamp’s memoir the incident of the broken axle and the night spent looking up at the winter sky. In it Emilie and Voltaire talk about the ignorance their era had surmounted, and what the future would make of their own errors. That’s always a good vantage point to have—that we too must be prepared for our most cherished views to be proven wrong.

  Tell us about your research trip to France. What did you find most striking about the Château de Cirey, where Voltaire and Emilie lived together for so many years?

  The immediately striking thing about Cirey is how remote it is. I’d traveled in France before, mostly to heavily visited areas, but I’d never been to the Champagne region in northeastern France, and I was surprised at how tiny and scattered the villages were. Many of them are little more than a few buildings on both sides of a road passing through, but even these roads are not going to towns of appreciable size. It must initially have been very difficult for the highly sociable and urbane Emilie and Voltaire to adjust to life there, but eventually they found it suitable for their work and they kept it full of lively company.