“On ne parle plus ainsi” Marie de Gournay and the Future of the French Language

Various members of the Académie française are at the centre of several satirical texts published in the second half of the 17th Century. Among the main targets of these attacks there was Marie de Gournay whose convictions about the development of the French language had found a place in her literary work throughout the years, building up a structural theory. This contribution focus on different issues of this complex framework in order to highlight the leading role played by this woman.