Jacqueline Pascal (1625–1661)

Jacqueline Pascal was born in Clermont-Ferrand in the French province of Auvergne to a distinguished family. Her father Étienne Pascal, a lawyer, served as president of the provincial tax court. Her older siblings were Blaise Pascal and Gilberte Pascal Périer. Their father educated his children at home, stressing mathematics and philosophy as well as literature and history. In 1631, the family moved to Paris. Jacqueline began to write poetry at an early age and published her first collection of poems at age 12. By then she had also written a complete five-act play. Her reputation as a literary prodigy won her an invitation in 1638 to visit the French court at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. That same year, she contracted smallpox and survived, though scarred from the illness. Her father fell into political disgrace, and she personally intervened with Cardinal Richelieu to obtain a pardon for him and a new post as royal superintendant of tax collection in Normandy. In Rouen, she was encouraged by Pierre Corneille, a close family friend, and won the Prix de la Tour, a prestigious Norman literary award. The family converted together to the controversial Jansenist movement. They returned to Paris in 1647, and she nursed her sickly brother through his many illnesses and served as his amanuensis. She regularly attended Mass at the Port-Royal convent, the center of Jansenism, and decided to become a nun over the objections of both her father and brother. She took the veil in 1653 and assumed the name Soeur Jacqueline de Saint-Euphémie. She continued to write poetry, as well as letters, spiritual and educational treatises, biography, and autobiography. A Rule for Children (1657), based on her experiences as headmistress of the convent school, set out her philosophy of education. Her most famous letter, written in 1661, defended the rights of conscience against political and church authorities. After her death at age 36, her works were copied and circulated by her sister Gilberte, who also wrote her biography. In 1845, Victor Cousin and Armand Prosper Faugère each produced a comprehensive edition of the works of Jacqueline Pascal, stimulating renewed interest in her ideas, especially on the education of girls.