Mme de Sévigné and the old romances

A great reader, Mme de Sévigné was fond of interminable romances and thus showed her attachment to romanesque forms dating back to the Middle Ages. By browsing through her correspondence, one discovers the extent of her readings, which include both the latest fashionable novels and older texts. References to medieval literature itself are rare, but they prove her familiarity with the long history of the French romance.