Light and shade of the cloister Madame de Tencin’s imaginary of the convent

Madame de Tencin's novels are filled with convents. Sometimes repressive prisons, sometimes places of meeting and sociability, they are part of a rich and varied imagery, which contributes to the portrayal of the characters’ emotional universe. Under the pen of Madame de Tencin, the literary clichés linked to the convent are invested with an innovative and subversive power.