Le charme sans la beauté, vie de Sophie Cottin by Silvia Lorusso (review)

Setting the stage for a forthcoming edition of Mme Cottin's complete works, this biography draws heavily on her correspondence, much of which also remains un-published. Raised in a well-to-do Protestant family, Cottin came of age at a time of sociopolitical upheaval, married the same month that the Revolution began, and so led a public life that was necessarily discreet. It is primarily through her letters, then, that Lorusso depicts her, "dans ses relations familiales, amoureuses, amicales; dans ses lectures et dans ses rencontres; dans sa résonance avec les événements de son époque" (15). Youthful exchanges with a cousin, Julie, her closest friend and lifelong correspon-dent, reveal an avid reader who found in Rousseau her "maître à penser" (23). In contrast to her cousin's marriage to a much older man, Cottin's was a happy union, though it would be cut short after just four years by the sudden death of her husband. For the rest of her own relatively brief life (she died at the age of thirty-seven), she devoted much of her time and energy to helping Julie raise her children, and to writing. Claire d'Albe, the first of the five novels to appear in her lifetime, and by far the best-known today, was published anonymously in 1799. Lorusso's basic approach as biographer, as one might expect, is to retrace the course of Cottin's life, pausing from time to time to treat more general topics, such as "Les grands maîtres de Sophie" (99–108) or "Sophie et Julie" (199–203). Because the letters often lack a precise date, and in some instances even a clear indication of the intended recipient, Lorusso furnishes numerous footnotes, which at times are substantial enough to be a distraction. Unsurprisingly, the correspondence frequently touches on topics that play out in Cottin's novels, and extracts from her letters read at times very much like sentimental literature of the period. Lorusso documents both the undeniable popularity of the novels, which continued into the first third of the nineteenth century, and the "polémique littéraire posthume contre Sophie Cottin" (272) orchestrated by critics and by rival authors such as Mme de Genlis. In due course, it would be the harsh assessment of Sainte-Beuve, she notes, "qui jette le discrédit définitif sur l'œuvre de Mme Cottin" (287). One of the curious features of this biography, implicit in its title, is the preoccupation with Cottin's physical appearance: while she was not considered attractive by conven-tional standards, men clearly found her charming. Lorusso eventually devotes a substantial chapter to the issue—"Une femme fatale sans être belle" (109–30)—and interested readers will be able to form their own impressions, since reproductions of two portraits are included. This is a biography that is solidly researched, clearly written, and enjoyable to read. The end material is very substantial, with family trees, catalogs of existing manuscripts and editions, an extensive critical bibliography, and helpful indices. We can look forward now to the promised volume of Cottin's complete works.