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 strict era of the most absolute of absolute monarchies.
The book by cultural historian Professor Maria Neklyudova is dedicated to a remarkable phenomenon: in those days, when all of France lived in accordance with the will of the king, the notion of private life, independent of the influence of the sovereign and state interests, began to emerge in French society. This found its first reflection in secular literature.
This book is not about how people lived during the time of Louis XIV, although, of course, the works of 17th-century authors can be seen as sources on the culture of everyday life. The book is primarily devoted to how the subjects of the "Sun King" developed an understanding of the private space of feeling and thought, as well as how the idea of the artist and thinker’s right to publicly express them was born.
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" became a bibliographic rarity.