The XVIIIth century; its institutions, customs, and costumes France, 1700-1789 . e de Tencins salons passed over toMadame Geoffrin, who was more remarkable for her intelligence,taste, and polish, than for her cleverness. According to Marmontel,whose Memoirs contain the subjoined portraiture of this lady, herchief quality was her savoir-vivre. Her temperament, he says, is difficult of pourtrayal, for it was made up of semi-tones, and hadfew broadly marked characteristics. . Her mind, thoughcultivated only by her mixture in society, is refined, just, and dis-cerning. Her native intuition always
The XVIIIth century; its institutions, customs, and costumes France, 1700-1789 . e de Tencins salons passed over toMadame Geoffrin, who was more remarkable for her intelligence,taste, and polish, than for her cleverness. According to Marmontel,whose Memoirs contain the subjoined portraiture of this lady, herchief quality was her savoir-vivre. Her temperament, he says, is difficult of pourtrayal, for it was made up of semi-tones, and hadfew broadly marked characteristics. . Her mind, thoughcultivated only by her mixture in society, is refined, just, and dis-cerning. Her native intuition always enables her to find the rightwords to express her thoughts. The master-mind in this celebratedsalon was her intimate friend dAlembert, around whom weregrouped Mairan the astronomer, Marivaux the dramatic writer, the poet, the Marquis de Chastellux, who was a humble SOCIETY. 42s disciple of the philosophers, Abbe JNIorellet, a very caustic con-versationalist, the pompous Thomas and the talented all these eminent men, there was one woman who was. 1 ig. ^70.—A Moniiiig \iait; after Eiseii. looked upon as at least their equal, viz., JNIdlle. Lespinasse, who wasa recruit from the salons of Madame du Deftand. The Comte deGuibert, who also belonged to the coterie of Madame Geoffrin, saysof Mdlle. de Lespinasse : She had the talent of adapting herconversation to the intellects of her listeners, and she seemed to forman instinctive judgment of characteristics of those in whose 426 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. society sle miyht be thrown. . She talked for the most\yM\. o\\ plain subjects, ])ut she did not express herself in acommon way, and this art, which seemed to be a second naturewith her, never obtruded itself upon notice, and never led herinto affectation. Madame Geoffrins salon was frequented too by a number ofcharming women, many of them belonging to the very highest classof society, as for instance the Duchesse dEgmont and Madame deBoufflers, the l
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