«Passer les bornes usitées dans une lettre circulaire». The Feminine Writing of Marie Tranchepain

Abstract

In 1727, twelve French Ursuline nuns arrive in Louisiana after a perilous five-month journey in order to establish a settlement in New Orleans. Three éloges funèbres –two circular letters and a death notice– written by the Mother Superior Marie Tranchepain (1680? –1733), shed light on the rise of this new overseas community. These texts announcing the passing of a nun to the other houses of the Order aim to edify the recipient through the narrative of exemplary lives. However, in the two circular letters, the highlighting of the deceased’s virtues and good conduct does not only respond to a moral intention. Mother Tranchepain forges an original apologetical discourse which exalts the singularity of the missionary experience, while appropriating the themes and the forms codified by the tradition. The narrative, focused on the emotional and physical trials that the nuns had to overcome during their lifetime, demonstrates the community’s providential election. At the same time, it denounces the opposition of ecclesiastical and colonial authorities to the divine plan. The author finally celebrates the success of the apostolic action within the local society to persuade the recipient to ensure the survival of the mission.