Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier
Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon (12 November 1664 – 24 February 1734) was an aristocratic French writer and salonnière of the late 17th century, and a niece of Charles Perrault. In the 1690s, she published three fairy tales, and is credited with the beginning of the fairy tale vogue among the Précieuses. Her work on fairy tales preceded that of her uncle by a year.
Also recorded as Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon · L'Heritier · Marie-Jeanne L’Héritier de Villandon · Mary Jane l' Heritier de Villandon
Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier

Étienne-Jehandier Desrochers · National Library of France · Public domain
- Born
- 1664.
- Died
- 1734.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of France.
- Occupation
- writer, poet, salonnière, children's writer and translator.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon (12 November 1664 – 24 February 1734) was an aristocratic French writer and salonnière of the late 17th century, and a niece of Charles Perrault. In the 1690s, she published three fairy tales, and is credited with the beginning of the fairy tale vogue among the Précieuses. Her work on fairy tales preceded that of her uncle by a year.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q33083 · wikipedia · Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier
In this article
Biography
Biography
Like several other women writers of her era, she was a member of les conteuses.
She published three fairy tales early in her career. Although she wrote few thereafter, she marked the beginning of the fairy tale vogue among the Précieuses, publishing her first tale a year before her uncle, the famed author of Les Contes de ma Mère l’Oye (Tales of Mother Goose) in 1696. A great friend and protégé of Madeleine de Scudéry, L'Héritier's participation in the fairy tale genre reflected her involvement in the salon scene, as she and so many of her friends and fellow salonnières, such as Madame d'Aulnoy and Henriette-Julie de Murat, were members of les conteuses. These women were monumental in the inception of the fairy tale genre, along with her esteemed uncle. She inherited Scudéry's salon upon her death in 1701.
Fairy tales
Fairy tales
L'Adroite princesse, ou, Les aventures de Finette - as above. Marmoisan - a literary tale classified in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as ATU 884A, "The Forsaken Fiancée: Service as Menial". Ricdin-Ricdon - a literary predecessor to tale type ATU 500, "The Name of the Helper", akin to Rumplestiltskin.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1664
Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier was born on 12 November 1664.
1734
Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier died on 24 February 1734.
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q33083: Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
scholarly index
- OpenAlex author record A5086907719 for Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon.
Unverified · OpenAlex
reference work
- “Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Jack Zipes, The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm, p 833,
- 2.Jack Zipes, The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm, p 834,
- 3.L'Adroite princesse, ou, Les aventures de Finette, Paris, Marie-Jeanne, 1664-1734
- 4.French History and Civilization. Volume 7. The George Rudé Society. 2017-09-25.
- 5.Contes, Éd. Raymonde Robert, Paris, Champion, 2005
- 6.The Discreet Princess, or the Adventures of Finette discussed in The Valor of Mars and the Charms of Venus, Sarah N. Lawson, 2015
- 7.Trinquet, Charlotte. Le conte de fées français (1690-1700): Traditions italiennes et origines aristocratiques. Narr Verlag. 2012. p. 217.
- 8.Delarue, Paul. Le conte populaire français; catalogue raisonné des versions de France et des pays de langue française d'outre-mer: Canada, Louisiane, îlots français des États-Unis, Antilles françaises, Haïti, Ile Maurice, La Réunion. Érasme. 214. 1957. 978-2-7068-0623-0.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q33083: Marie-Jeanne L'HéritierWikimedia Foundation
Verifiedscholarly index
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,624 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Marie-Claire BlaisAuthor
- Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-GouffierAuthor
- Marie-Hélène LafonAuthor
- Marie-Jean-Léon d'Hervey de Saint DenysAuthor
- Marie-Jo BonnetAuthor
- Marie-Joseph ChénierAuthor
- Marie-Joseph LagrangeAuthor
- Marie-Louise GagneurAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.