Abstract

In her extensive correspondence, Liselotte von der Pfalz provided vivid and blunt descriptions of the court of Louis XIV. The article investigates how Liselotte employs "illness" and "health" as metaphors both of resistance to the court's exploitation of the royal consort and the development of an identity apart from the French court. On the one hand, health allowed Liselotte to define herself as different from the French court, i.e., healthy and German. On the other hand, illness, in the shape of melancholy, became the very reason for Liselotte's literary creativity. Through writing about her melancholy, Liselotte was able to create an analysis of her role at the French court. (KB)

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