Lenclos, Anne, called Ninon de (c.1620-1705). Among the most renowned intellects of her day, she was also her century's most celebrated courtesan—although she was technically not a kept woman, since she had independent means. She moved in literary and salon circles, wrote poetry, and shared the feminism of the précieuses [see Preciosity]—‘Je me fais homme’ is her alleged response to patriarchal privilege. Her open sexuality was as legendary as the free-thinking she had in common with her lifelong friend Saint-Évremond. Nevertheless, she was considered the best representative of Parisian style and her company was sought by men and women, libertines and prudes alike.
[Joan Dejean]
