Marthe Cosnard, baptised in Sées on 14 April 1614 and died after 1659,'' Fille de Thomas Cosnard et de Catherine du Frische. La Tragédie des Chastes Martyrs par mademoiselle Cosnard'', preceded by an introduction by L. de La Sicotière, Rouen : Imprimerie de Espérance Cagniard, 1888 Text online What little is known of Martha Cosnard comes mostly from this notice by Léon de La Sicotière. was a 17th-century French playwright. She wrote a Christian tragedy entitled ''les Chastes Martyrs''. She was a member of the "Cercle des femmes savantes" of Jean de la Forge who nicknamed her
Kandake
Kandake, kadake or kentake ( Meroitic: 𐦲𐦷𐦲𐦡 ''kdke''),Kirsty
Rowan"Revising the Sound Value of Meroitic D: A Phonological Approach,"''Beitrage zur Sudanforschung'' 10 (2009). often ''Latinised'' as Candace (, ''Kandakē''), was the Mer ...
. Her choice to remain a virgin earned also her the title of "Our Lady of Sees" in her lifetime.
Coming from a family whose members exercised various professions - lawyers, goldsmiths, apothecaries, doctors - from the 15th century, she was raised in an environment where the theater was particularly honored. In 1650, aged 36,
she brought out her tragedy under the patronage of
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine.
As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage ...
whom she probably frequented. The playwright paid her a tribute ending with the lines:
:Ne te lasse donc point d’enfanter des merveilles,
:De prêter ton exemple à conduire nos veilles,
:Et d’aplanir à ceux qui l’auront imité,
:Les illustres chemins à l’immortalité.
Cosnard's play was dedicated to
Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...
, the wife of King
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
. The subject was borrowed from a Christian novel by
Jean-Pierre Camus
Jean-Pierre Camus (November 3, 1584 – April 26, 1652) was a French bishop, preacher, and author of works of fiction and spirituality.
Biography
Jean-Pierre Camus was born in Paris in 1584, the son of Jean Camus, seigneur de Saint Bonnet, who w ...
, the ''Agatonphile'', which would also inspire the first play by Françoise Pascal in 1655. According to , the influence of ''
Polyeucte
''Polyeucte'' is a drama in five acts by French writer Pierre Corneille. It was finished in December 1642 and debuted in October 1643. It is based on the life of the martyr Saint Polyeuctus (Polyeucte). The play, which probably wasn't presented, was repeatedly printed or counterfeit, indicating a "very successful reading and selling".
Other plays have been attributed to Marthe Cosnard but without convincing evidence: ''Les filles généreuses'' - undated, ''le martyre de Saint Eustache'' - 1643 and ''le martyre de Sainte Catherine'' - 1649. On the other side, it would be proved that she is the author of the collection of short pieces ''La grande Bible renouvelée'', wrongly attributed to Françoise Pascal.Hannah Fournier, ''Marthe Cosnard : Les Chastes Martyrs'' Brève présentation suivie de l’édition de 1651. /ref>