ADAPTATION FÉERIQUE D'UN CONTE «GOTHIQUE»: L'ENCHANTEUR DE MADEMOISELLE DE LA FORCE.

L'Enchanteur by Charlotte-Rose Caumont de La Force (1654-1724) stands out against other French fairy tales written at the end of the 17th century both because of its treatment of eroticism, and because of its inspiration having been identified as "a gothic book Perceval" by the author herself. The aim of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of L'Enchanteur and its medieval source in the context of women's writing in 17th-century France. By adapting the tale of Carados that appears in the first continuation to Chrétien de Troyes's Perceval, La Force makes use of the attractive archaic language and setting, while at the same providing a streamlined, woman-centred retelling, in which Carados's mother and lover both seek (and find) love and pleasure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]