Memoirs of the Empress Josephine

by Madame de Rémusat

2018 · BoD – Books on Demand

Reproduction of the original: Memoirs of the Empress Josephine by Madame de Rémusat

Memoirs of the Empress Josephine (Summarized Edition)

by Madame de Rémusat

2026 · Quickie Classics

Memoirs of the Empress Josephine offers an intimate, meticulously observed chronicle of the Consulate and early Empire, charting the textures of court life at the Tuileries and Malmaison while sketching flexible, psychologically acute portraits of Josephine and Napoleon. Madame de Rémusat writes in a lucid, restrained prose that blends moral reflection with understated irony, attentive to etiquette, sentiment, and the mechanics of power. Composed after the fall of the Empire and situated within Restoration debates, the memoir refracts public mythology through private experience and measured hindsight. A lady-in-waiting to Josephine, Madame de Rémusat occupied a vantage point both affectionate and critical, shaped by proximity, education, and a cultured participation in Parisian salons. Her husband served in the imperial household, sharpening her access to policy and personality alike. Writing to preserve a truthful record for family and posterity, she organizes recollection with a moralist's discipline; published posthumously by descendants in the nineteenth century, the text immediately stirred debate for its candor. This edition will reward readers of Napoleonic history, women's writing, and the study of political theater. Balanced, humane, and exacting, Rémusat's testimony complements diplomatic archives and military narratives, restoring the intimate scales of ambition and vulnerability that shaped an epoch. Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable—distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.

Memoirs of the Empress Josephine Bonaparte

by Madame de Rémusat

2021 · e-artnow

Memoirs of the Empress Josephine in two volumes, is a biographical account of Madame de Rémusat, lady-in-waiting, of Josephine Bonaparte, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Madame de Rémusat, born Clair de Vergennes, lost her father and grandfather in Revolution. Her mother was friend with Josephine, and when Josephine became Empress, she took Clair with her to be her lady-in-waiting. Madame de Rémusat was with Josephine to the end. She followed her into retirement and then took up her pen to write of court affairs and prominent people. Her memoirs present a vivid portrait not only of Josephine and Napoleon, but of surrounding Court life, seen through her eyes. Also, the memoirs can be useful as a survey of the first years of the nineteenth century. They illustrate what changes the institution of the Empire caused at Court, and how the life continuously modified to reflect the shifting fortunes of its master. The figure of the Napoleon stands out even though he is presented unsympathetically, since the memoirist was loyal to her mistress in struggles against the Bonaparte family.