Madame de Pompadour: Sex, Culture and the Power Game [Paperback]

Margaret Crosland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2001

Mistress of Louis XIV and Louis XV, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, known as Madame de Pompadour, was a woman of remarkable grace, beauty, and wit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crosland (Simone de Beauvoir) is intrigued by strong women, yet her positioning of Madame de Pompadour as an early feminist as well as influential royal mistress ("Her long 'reign' illustrates perfectly how far feminism, in its guise of super-femininity, was a hidden power in the male-dominated world of the French 18th century") is not entirely convincing. According to legend, the career of Madame de Pompadour (n?e Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, 1721-1764) as mistress to King Louis XV of France was predicted by a fortune-teller when she was only a girl. She entered an arranged marriage with Charles-Guillaume Le Normant d'Etiolles, with whom she had a daughter, but the ambitious, coquettish and accomplished actress Jeanne-Antoinette was determined to realize the fortune-teller's prophecy, and in 1745, she did indeed become the king's "Favourite," for which she was given the title of Marquise de Pompadour as well as an apartment at Versailles. With Louis XV's permission, she formed an amateur theatrical group and was a great patron of the arts. Crosland recounts the tricky political maneuvering Pompadour had to master in order to retain her positionAparticularly because her physical relationship with Louis XV waned as a result of her lack of interest in sex and general poor healthAbut she devoted her remaining 19 years to pleasing the king, even forging a relationship with Louis XV's wife. Additionally, Pompadour, much to the chagrin of her male enemies at court, served as a diplomatic adviser to the king and, as a result, was blamed for military defeats during the Seven Years' War. Unfortunately, even readers interested in the lives of the French aristocracy will be disappointed, for, fascinating though she may have been, Pompadour's character never entirely springs to life here. Illus. not seen by PW. Agent, Jeffrey Simmons. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

As the long-term mistress of King Louis XV, the infamous Madame de Pompadour occupied a unique social and political position in eighteenth-century France. Rather than concentrating exclusively on the admittedly fascinating life and times of the former Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Crossland also analyzes her subject in terms of the traditional role played by the courtesan in the French aristocracy. More than mere sex or love objects, many mistresses were intelligent and creative career women, shrewdly ambitious, highly capable, and well aware of both the inherent advantages and the dangers of their profession. This innovative biography is strengthened by the characterization of the divine Madame de Pompadour in terms of the sociological and cultural context of both her era and her distinct social station. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing (March 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750923385
• ISBN-13: 978-0750923385
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,305,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good overview but lack of real historical value, July 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Madame de Pompadour: Sex, Culture and the Power Game (Paperback)

The book is good starting point of learning what Pompadour has done and her impacts on Louis XV's regent. The inserts, e.g. on Voltaire, Pac de Cerf etc are especially interesting and informative.

However, overall, the book lacks depth on the social, political and historical insights. Also, the author quoted lots of other sources, which make it sounds like she herself does not do too much research other than reading other books on Pompadour and quote them. Secondly, the author does not handle the time and paralle events too well and resulting in a very confusing reading and does not really present a very clear big picture. Lastly, like many other books on 18th century european aritstocracies (esp female), the author kept on mentioning Pompadour, tho spent a lot on renovating her various houses, tasteful art collections etc, also spent a lot on charity, thus should not be criticized too harshly. Yet, there is never a real prove that she spent more on charity than on her own luxury taste. Only than, can the author (or anyone) rightfully say Pompadour should not be critized hashly. Especially for aristorcrats, they use tax-payer's money, they do not even work to earn their own money, thus giving to charity should be a given.

The photo inserts are not very rich either, there is only one Pompadour painting, and it is not even by Boucher.

Overall the book is a light read and gives a quick idea of the Pompadour phase of Louis XV regent.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacks detail and analytical depth, July 1, 2003

By 

Lindsay (Elk Grove, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madame de Pompadour: Sex, Culture and the Power Game (Paperback)

I was very disapointed in this book. It barely scratches the surface. The author refers to her "research" a couple of times in the text, however, it seems shallow. A true understanding and explination of the life and times of this controversial woman is seriously lacking. Not only did it lack analytical depth but it took a very biased (pro-Pompadour) approach. Therefore failing to convey the "Big Picture." There was no flow to the verse and it seemed disorganized. The author herself must have known this because she makes reference to the difficulty of organizing the life of Pompadour into an easily followed timeline. The pictures chosen do not help to glimpse into the world of Pompadour. While the author describes many portraits of her there is only one or 2 pics of her. None of which the author stated was the best likeness of her. For those wanting an understanding of the life of Pompadour and her world I would not recomend this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Madame Pompadour - need I say more, November 5, 2007

By 

Super Shopping Sherrill "Global Glam Ma" (Silicon Valley, Calif) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madame de Pompadour: Sex, Culture and the Power Game (Paperback)

The most sylish woman of all time-just to inventory and sell her possessions took two years!! I adore Sevres french porcelain and have traveled the world collecting it and she funded the royal factory which you can still visit today on the outskirts of Paris. Every time I need a pick me up I read about the Pompadour. I even have a room upstairs in her favorite color hung with her portrait.