Baroque Explorations: A tragic legacy

Baroque Explorations

Notes on the Writing Life

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A tragic legacy

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Am I the last to know?

While researching the family life of Pierre Corneille, the great French dramatist, I discovered that one of his descendants was Charlotte Corday, the 25-year-old woman who stabbed Marat to death on July 13, 1793, while Marat was in his bath.

The geaneology goes like this:

1. Pierre Corneille
2. Marie Corneille (Pierre's daughter)
3. Françoise de Farcy (Marie's son)
4. Jacques Adrien de Corday, seigneur de Launay-Cauvigny (Françoise's son)
5. Jacques François de Corday, seigneur d'Armont (Jacque A's son)
6. Charlotte Corday (Jacques F.'s daughter) 


How bizarre that a writer of tragedy should beget a tragedy.


(Painting: La Mort de Murat by Jacques-Louis David,  1793.)


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4 comments:

Erika Robuck said...

Wow, that would make a great novel.

Elizabeth Kerri Mahon said...

Wow, Sandra, I had no idea. How interesting. It's amazing the things that sometime pop up when you are doing research.

Sandra Gulland. said...

Yes, what a story, Erika.

Sandra Gulland. said...

Elizabeth, I'm continually getting sidetracked by fascinating research -- especially now, when so much is on-line.

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