ABSTRACT
What makes a person a philosopher? This chapter takes Marie de Gournay (1565–1645) as a case study, articulating how Gournay fashions a position for herself as a philosopher, and in doing so challenges and critiques traditional norms for women and scholars. Gournay’s status in the early modern intellectual world was precarious because of her gender and class, despite her prolific writings and position as Michel de Montaigne’s protégé and later editor of his Essays. In her writings, Gournay constructs precise self-portraits to claim her place as a philosopher. Her discussions of beauty and weakness function to mitigate ways others might use her gender to undermine her. Most important is her ethical self-portrait, outlining the importance of the quality of the soul as determined by wisdom, reason, and judgment. This emphasis on the quality of the soul forms the basis of Gournay’s social critique: social position should be based on the quality of the soul rather than gender or class. The powers of reason and judgment are also the basis of her criteria for scholarly merit. In making these criteria explicit, Gournay asks her readers to assess her place and legacy as a philosopher.
