Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-214) and index.
Contents
Introduction: salon philosophy -- Madame de Sablé: a Jansenist code of moderation -- Madame Deshouliéres: a naturalist creed -- Madame de la Sabliére: the ethics of the desert -- Mademoiselle de la Valliére: the logic of mercy -- Madame de Maintenon: a moral pragmatism -- Conclusion: unmasking virtue.