The subject of my book is a Portuguese Cistercian nun, Joana de Jesus (1617–1681),whowroteanautobiographicalmysticaltext.However,themostfamousPortuguesenun is still Mariana Alcoforado (1640–1723),probably the fictional author of theLet-tresPortugaises.1Thisbook–anardentcorrespondencebetweenacloisterednunanda French aristocrat – had wide appeal in the European literary scene of its time.…
The seventeenth-century French architect, physician, anatomist and inven-tor Claude Perrault (1613–1688) is best known for designing the front of the Louvre Museum in Paris. But he left another legacy. Eleven years after his death, a small book was published entitled Recueil de plusieurs machines, de nouvelle invention (Collected Notes of a N…