Abstract: Seen as a Christian philosopher or an enemy of philosophes, Leprince de Beaumont is a puzzling case of the relationship between religion, and enlightenment. This paper examines her use of the word philosophy, and the paradoxal autonomy that she wishes for women. Wise acceptation of providence or mere trick, it has to be compared with the “raison des femmes” as defined by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose internal criticism of Enlightenment and wish for reform is well-known.
