Monsieur d'Eon Is a Woman: A Tale of Political Intrigue and Sexual Masquerade

By Gary Kates

Book Overview

"A fascinating book. Monsieur d'Eon Is a Woman is instructive and a delight to read all at the same time."--Quentin Crisp

Born in 1728, French aristocrat Charles d'Eon de Beaumont had served his country as a diplomat, soldier, and spy for fifteen years when rumors that he was a woman began to circulate in the courts of Europe. D'Eon denied nothing and was finally compelled by Louis XVI to give up male attire and live as a woman, something d'Eon did without complaint for the next three decades. Although celebrated as one of the century's most remarkable women, d'Eon was revealed, after his death in 1810, to have been unambiguously male. Gary Kates's acclaimed biography of d'Eon recreates eighteenth-century European society in brilliant detail and offers a compelling portrait of an individual who challenged its conventions about gender and identity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801867312
• ISBN13: 9780801867316
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A bit mixed up-but good nevertheless

At first this book was intresting,but it soon got confusing.One page he was flirting with Ben Franklin(as Chevaliere d'Eon,of course),the next page he was crying in his room to Madamoiselle Bertin.After he 'became' a woman,the book concentrated on the books in his library(Extremly boring).All in all,it's good,because it helped me realize that d'Eon wasn't this crazy politian,but he was 'pretending' so that he would get a second chance.But I still think it was a stupid move,but at least he'll be remembered for it.

a multifaceted book

D'eon was more interesting than I'd ever realized. It appears that she adopted womanhood out of faith and feminism as much as personal needs, yet her motives remain mixed and mysterious. This book does a good job of showing her own complexity and that of her era.