The Art of Private Life. The Age of Louis XIV

There is no indisputable evidence that Louis XIV ever uttered the well-known phrase "L'État, c'est moi". However, everything we know about the reign and personality of the "Sun King" inevitably makes us perceive these words as a motto truly worthy of that brilliant and stern era of the most absolute of absolute monarchies.
The book by cultural historian Professor Maria Neklyudova is dedicated to an astonishing phenomenon: in those days when all of France lived under the will of the king, the concept of private life, not subject to the influence of the sovereign and state interests, emerged in French society. And this was primarily reflected in secular literature.
This book is not about how people lived during the time of Louis XIV, although it is true that the works of 17th-century authors can be viewed as sources on the culture of everyday life. The main focus of the book is how the subjects of the "Sun King" came to conceive the idea of private space for feelings and thoughts, as well as how the notion of the artist's and thinker’s right to express them publicly began to take shape.
This engagingly written study is a true treasure trove of information not only about the worldview of the era but also about 17th-century literature, so it is not surprising that, first published in 2008, the book "The Art of Private Life. The Age of Louis XIV" has become a bibliographic rarity.