ABSTRACT
“In France, more than elsewhere, an imaginary thing becomes real as soon as it is established…, and a real thing… becomes imaginary as soon as it no longer exists.” In her yet-to-be-published Work on Women (ca. 1748–1752), Louise Dupin skewers the vanity and greed that lead male jurists and historians to deform the historical record. Thus the Salic Law that supposedly bars women from the throne of France, despite being recognized as a fabrication, has become foundational to the French state, with dire consequences for ordinary women’s property rights. And conversely, the once-real political and property rights of noblewomen have been so diminished that they no longer even seem possible. We bring to light Dupin’s efforts to excavate a past that need not have led to the “modern” subjection of women and apply her analysis of sexist bias to explain the neglect that enveloped her Work.
