Gary Kates

I have no idea how long I’ve had this book. I sort of found it a couple of weeks ago and decided to read it. (Um, according to my database, I bought it cheap on eBay in 2005.) Anyway, I found it in a pile of books while I was doing a little light tidying in the study. I’d heard of the Chevalier d’Eon, of course, and thought I knew the basic details of his story… But apparently not. Kates bases his biography chiefly on d’Eon’s own writings – which, he is careful to point out, often contained fabricated and/or embroidered details (and in some cases, Kates provides historical evidence that d’Eon had lied in his autobiographical writings). The popular story has it that d’Eon was a spy for Louis XV, and he infiltrated the Imperial Russian court purporting to be a woman. After a period in England, he returned to France, adopted a female identity, and lived out the rest of his days as the Chevalière d’Eon. He claimed to have been born female, but brought up male because his father needed a son or they’d lose the family holdings. But on d’Eon’s death, it turned out d’Eon was male. Much of this history was fabricated by d’Eon himself. Kates maintains that d’Eon got himself in such bad favour with Louis XV, and yet was privy to so many embarrassing secrets, that the only way to neutralise d’Eon was to make him a woman – by royal decree. The book explains the historical and political background to d’Eon’s life and adventures, but it’s never quite clear why everyone thought a gender-change was suitable. Or what triggered the rumours he was really female. What is clear, however, is that d’Eon was an astonishing person, widely-read, learned, a gifted diplomat, a prolific author, and a minor war hero. He led a peculiar life – the first half as male, and a spy/diplomat for the French king; the second half in exile as a woman. Some of the details on d’Eon on his Wikipedia page are contradicted in Monsier d’Eon is a Woman – especially the bit about the Russian court. Kates maintains d’Eon invented the cross-dressing element years later (although he was indeed sent to the Russian court by Louis XV). A fascinating book about a fascinating person.… (plus d'informations)

The Chevalier d'Eon is one of the most fascinating figures of the 18th century: he lived the first 49 years of his life as a man and the last 33 as a woman, and his story is a remarkable testament to the power of self-fashioning in ancien regime France. But that story has been muddied by the Chevalier's own reinventions over time, and nowadays it can be difficult to get at the fact behind the legend. This book is the place to start. I agree, the title looks a bit sensationalist on first glance, but give the book a chance. Gary Kates is an academic historian who's published several books about France at the turn of the 19th century and, most importantly, he's probably the greatest expert on the Chevalier's life. He edited the Chevalier's memoirs for their first publication in 2001 and he has thought extensively and seriously about the social, political and gender contexts of the time. There is a lot of tosh out there about the Chevalier, but Kates goes back to original documents and carefully sifts fact from fiction. This means he can dismiss certain cherished notions - there's no evidence at all that he wore women's clothing before October 1777, when forced to do so by Louis XVI, so you can kiss goodbye to the stories about 'Lia de Beaumont' taking the Russian or English courts by storm. They're just that: stories. But the truth, in many ways, is even more amazing.

There's so much fascinating information here. Kates puts the Chevalier in context in every way: he discusses his library, his thoughts on Rousseau's philosophies, his deep Christian faith and the way that he gradually reinvented his own history to back up the female gender role he chose to fill. He makes good use of visual material, which is plentiful and, most importantly, he shows great sensitivity in allowing the Chevalier to exist as he was, without imposing any particular reading on him. He doesn't label him with modern definitions that would risk pigeonholing a figure whose main achievement was in carving out a defiantly individual identity. He isn't seeking to prove a point or to claim the Chevalier as a standard-bearer for any particular group. He just presents the evidence, from printed portraits to private letters to scandal-sheets, and lets it speak for itself. That's immensely refreshing. Incidentally, talking of the evidence, it turns out that the vast majority of the Chevalier's papers are nowadays in the Brotherton Library in Leeds. Leeds of all places! Who'd have thought it?

My only criticism of the book is that its structure is sometimes confusing, because Kates starts his biography with the Chevalier's death, which is when he was discovered to be a biological male, and then takes up the story halfway through the Chevalier's life, before going back to the start. It can make it difficult to remember where you saw something. But that's a minor quibble. The chapters are short and punchy; the writing very accessible; and the whole thing admirably researched. In short, this is the sanest book you're likely to find on the Chevalier d'Eon and the most reliable.

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/02/16/monsieur-deon-is-a-woman-gary-kates/… (plus d'informations)