A biography of Émilie du Châtelet Shedding (En)light(enment) on a woman of science and literature

With Deux Femmes célèbres, Louise Colet takes her place in the literary lineage of the Enlightenment. In barely veiled mimicry, she revisits the stages of Madame du Châtelet’s life and underlines the intertwining of her enjoyment of study and her links with the spiritual sphere. Retracing some of her intellectual, sentimental, and sensual experiences, she acts as a sensitive biographer in order to understand how this exceptional woman tried to find happiness on earth.