Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim
Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised.
Speaker 2: Hi, this is Danish Schwartz and just one quick personal
Speaker 2: note before we begin. If you are listening to this
Speaker 2: episode on its release day, next Tuesday, May nineteenth is
Speaker 2: the release of my newest book, The Arcane Arts. It's
Speaker 2: called The Arcane Arts. It's by pseudonym nom de plume
Speaker 2: SD coverly because I co wrote this book with my
Speaker 2: friend Dan Frye. We alternated perspectives. I wrote the female
Speaker 2: point of view, he wrote the male point of view.
Speaker 2: We went back and forth. It's a very fun novel.
Speaker 2: It is about a elite graduate school, a murder mystery,
Speaker 2: a secret society, sexy forbidden magic. It is slightly sexier.
Speaker 2: So if you are a younger reader, this is not
Speaker 2: the book for you. But adult readers, I really think
Speaker 2: you will enjoy The Arcane Arts. I definitely enjoyed writing it.
Speaker 2: And after today's episode there will be a preview of
Speaker 2: the audiobook of The Arcane Arts, so you can just
Speaker 2: listen see if you think it's something you like. Thank
Speaker 2: you so much for your support and letting me be
Speaker 2: a writer for a Living which means the world to me.
Speaker 2: Let's jump into today's episode. One evening, sweating in the
Speaker 2: early summer heat of the French countryside, Emily du Chatlas
Speaker 2: was observing the fire in the estate's massive iron furnace.
Speaker 2: By her side was Voltaire, her lover, collaborator and full
Speaker 2: time HouseGuest. This was not a romantic outing for the
Speaker 2: couple while they gazed into the fire. Instead, they were
Speaker 2: attempting to recreate the experiments of the Dutch scientist Peter
Speaker 2: von Muschen to discern the nature of fire. Although perhaps
Speaker 2: that was their idea of a date night, The two
Speaker 2: had instructed the iron Master to melt various metals. They
Speaker 2: took notes as hundreds of pounds of lead and iron transformed.
Speaker 3: Before their eyes. For Voltaire, their.
Speaker 2: Experiment clearly proved Newton's theory that fire was matter and
Speaker 2: therefore subject to gravity. Emilee, however, was shocked that they
Speaker 2: could look at the same results and reach such different conclusions.
Speaker 2: She noted the experiment produced disparate outcomes. While melted iron
Speaker 2: maintained its essential nature and weight, when cooled lead became
Speaker 2: a powder and gained weight. We now understand this process
Speaker 2: as calcination, the lead was converted to an oxide at
Speaker 2: the temperature of the furnace, but such a concept had
Speaker 2: not yet entered the eighteenth century lexicon. The shifts in weight,
Speaker 2: Emily argued, were not due to fire possessing its own
Speaker 2: weight and being added to the metals, but rather due
Speaker 2: to the inherent qualities of the materials being burnt. To her,
Speaker 2: it was clear that fire did not share the same
Speaker 2: defining characteristics of other forms of matter. Today, we understand
Speaker 2: fire as a chemical reaction rather than a distinct state
Speaker 2: of matter. While Emily did not actually reach that conclusion,
Speaker 2: she was correct in rebutting Newton and Voltaire's assessment. She
Speaker 2: must have tried to convince Voltaire of her perspective, but
Speaker 2: he was stubborn in his belief and continued to attempt
Speaker 2: various experiments that he believed would prove him right. He
Speaker 2: needed to be correct because his results would form the
Speaker 2: basis of his entry to the Royal Academy of Sciences
Speaker 2: seventeen thirty eight essay competition. Voltaire had been long snubbed
Speaker 2: by the Royal Literary Society and was perhaps turning to
Speaker 2: these sciences for more recognition that he felt he deserved.
Speaker 3: The topic that year for the.
Speaker 2: Competition was the Nature and Propagation of Fire, and the
Speaker 2: competition was the reason the pair began their experiments in
Speaker 2: the first place. Originally intending to act solely as Voltaire's assistant,
Speaker 2: Emilie was so determined to communicate the true results that
Speaker 2: she decided to write her own entry. She later confessed
Speaker 2: to a friend that she only began writing her paper
Speaker 2: to two weeks before the deadline, and included a modest
Speaker 2: disclaimer at the end of the entry quote, I hope
Speaker 2: that my love for the truth will stand for me
Speaker 2: in place of eloquence, and that the sincere desire that
Speaker 2: I have to contribute to knowledge will gain forgiveness for
Speaker 2: my faults end quote. She submitted her entry anonymously and
Speaker 2: only told Voltaire that she submitted at all after the
Speaker 2: winner was announced.
Speaker 3: They both lost.
Speaker 2: Though she feared he might react negatively, he was seemingly
Speaker 2: quite pleased, campaigning for both of their papers to be
Speaker 2: published despite losing. Born for the arts of pleasing, he
Speaker 2: once wrote of her, she prefers the truth. Emily's paper,
Speaker 2: Dissertation on the Nature and Propagation of Fire, was published
Speaker 2: in seventeen thirty nine for its intellectual merit. It became
Speaker 2: the first work the Academy published by a woman. Emilie
Speaker 2: still insisted on anonymity, although the author would have been
Speaker 2: clear to those in the right circles. The essay was
Speaker 2: ultimately attributed to quote a young lady of high rank.
Speaker 2: By the time her essay was published, Emily was already
Speaker 2: finishing work on what is now considered her magnum opus,
Speaker 2: Institutions de Physique. While part one of this two part
Speaker 2: series introduced you to Emily, part two will explore in
Speaker 2: more depth her short but impactful intellectual career before she
Speaker 2: tragically passed away in seventeen forty nine. Famous during her
Speaker 2: time lost behind Voltaire's shadow and history, and now honored
Speaker 2: once again, Emilie's legacy ultimately belongs to her achievements. As
Speaker 2: described by the Academy, she was quote a young woman
Speaker 2: of the first condition, who honors our sciences by the
Speaker 2: taste she has for them. I'm Danish warts and this
Speaker 2: is noble blood. When we last left Emily, it was
Speaker 2: the summer of seventeen thirty five, and she had made
Speaker 2: the decision to leave Paris to join Voltaire at Sirae
Speaker 2: the du Chalet estate in Champagne, outside of the city. Voltaire,
Speaker 2: if you recall, had gotten into trouble with the government
Speaker 2: yet again, and Emily and her husband were given the
Speaker 2: right to sequester him outside of the city in sort
Speaker 2: of a glamorous house arrest. Emily was known to follow
Speaker 2: her own path, but she still worried about both public
Speaker 2: opinion and the opinion of her husband in making such
Speaker 2: an unorthodox choice in joining her lover. While her husband,
Speaker 2: the Marquis, was not known to be jealous and had
Speaker 2: just recently used his status to advocate for Voltaire, Emily
Speaker 2: was moving in with another man. Writing to a mutual friend,
Speaker 2: she asked him to assuage her husband's potential doubts. Quote,
Speaker 2: just speak to him of Voltaire, but with interest and affection,
Speaker 2: and above all, try to insinuate that it would be
Speaker 2: crazy to be jealous of a wife with whom one
Speaker 2: is content, that one esteems, and who conducts herself well.
Speaker 2: Emily du chatelas pioneering woman in philosophy, and considering that
Speaker 2: Voltaire was in fact her lover gaslighting her husband agreed
Speaker 2: with her assessment. When he began to deliver his wife's
Speaker 2: manuscripts from Siree to Parisian publishers. He did the same
Speaker 2: for Voltaires. On leave from a campaign. Her husband spent
Speaker 2: the winter of seventeen thirty eight in Siree, cohabitating with
Speaker 2: his wife and her famous lover. Despite his lack of showmanship,
Speaker 2: he participated in the plays and operas the couple frequently
Speaker 2: staged for friends. As for the public's opinion, newspapers painted
Speaker 2: the pair as artist and muse, which was a more
Speaker 2: acceptable arrangement than extramarital paramours. Gossip, of course, still persisted.
Speaker 2: A year after Emily arrived at the estate, she wrote
Speaker 2: to the Italian philosopher Francesco Agarat, saying, quote, my kingdom
Speaker 2: of Siree is not of this world. This was true
Speaker 2: in multiple ways. Siree, for better and for worse, isolated
Speaker 2: her from socie society. Voltaire acknowledged that she made a
Speaker 2: sacrifice when she chose to live by his side, writing
Speaker 2: that she was quote someone who had done everything for me,
Speaker 2: who for me left Paris, all her friends and all
Speaker 2: of the charms of life end quote. While Emily no
Speaker 2: longer had access to the pleasures of society, she also
Speaker 2: was free from many of society's restrictions. There were inevitable
Speaker 2: trade offs. Emily had more time to devote herself to
Speaker 2: her studies than she would have in Paris, but she
Speaker 2: was now also responsible for overseeing a country estate and
Speaker 2: its tenants siree. As a home was in disrepair, needing constant,
Speaker 2: expensive upkeep. She bemoaned the sort of housework that had
Speaker 2: been designated to women, in this case, specifically wealthy women
Speaker 2: who owned estates of quote the pointlessness of life She
Speaker 2: could have avoided quote if I had been a man.
Speaker 2: That was in a letter to her tutor Montpertuis.
Speaker 3: At least at sirey.
Speaker 2: She no longer had to wait for him outside of
Speaker 2: male only cafes for philosophical discussion at the estate. He
Speaker 2: would come to her siree. The estate became Emily's intellectual haven.
Speaker 2: In her words moun academie. She meant that semi literally,
Speaker 2: sire began to host fellow intellectuals, such as Montpertuis, who
Speaker 2: stayed for extended periods of time to work on his
Speaker 2: own projects. As a hostess, Emily did not play the
Speaker 2: role of the traditional noble woman. Guests were expected to
Speaker 2: fall into her and Voltaire's established routine. For less intellectually
Speaker 2: inclined visitors, such as the Marquis's cousin, Madame Graffigner, this
Speaker 2: could be intimidating. Graffignier noted she studied Locke in preparation
Speaker 2: for her stay. According to her, guests were summoned in
Speaker 2: the morning to Voltaire's rooms, where he or Emily would
Speaker 2: read aloud for an hour and a half. One morning,
Speaker 2: Emily read a book that proposed the inhabitants of Jupiter
Speaker 2: must be as large as King Ogg of the Old
Speaker 2: Testament based on distance and light. Graffignyi was quote astonished
Speaker 2: when she noticed the book Emily was reading from was
Speaker 2: in Latin. Emily had been translating the text out loud
Speaker 2: into French on the spot and was making her own
Speaker 2: calculations in real time to describe the size of the
Speaker 2: mythical giant. Thanks to visiting friends making deliveries, Emily and
Speaker 2: Voltail began to build their library. For Emily, this was
Speaker 2: an opportunity to pursue studies in new fields, to discover
Speaker 2: the knowledge that had been denied to her through a
Speaker 2: lack of secondary education. Quote, I have a very pretty library,
Speaker 2: she wrote to Algarotti quote Voltaire's is all anecdotes and
Speaker 2: mine is all philosophy. In this letter, she was enticing
Speaker 2: the Italian philosopher to quote spend the winter philosophizing with us,
Speaker 2: and he accepted the invitation. It was during his six
Speaker 2: weeks stay that he worked on his quote Newton for
Speaker 2: the Ladies, an introduction to Newton's work portrayed as a
Speaker 2: conversation between the author and a woman who took some
Speaker 2: inspiration from Emilie herself. More on this Italian philosopher later.
Speaker 2: Sire's growing library, its collection of Locke and Newton in particular,
Speaker 2: was responsible for Emily's growing interest in natural philosophy. While
Speaker 2: it was surely Voltaire who acquired Mandeville's Fable of the Bees,
Speaker 2: it was Emily who devoured the text. She finished her
Speaker 2: translation in October seventeen thirty six, transforming the book through
Speaker 2: in her own words, quote my own reflections on the
Speaker 2: material I was working on, including her thoughts on women's education,
Speaker 2: quoted in the first part of the series. While Emily
Speaker 2: thought Mandeville's work was brilliant, she was not as cynical
Speaker 2: as he was, and she added her own nuance to
Speaker 2: his perception of a vice and virtue. Emily's commentary was
Speaker 2: made distinct from the original text through quotation marks. In
Speaker 2: the book's preface, she told readers she found literal translations
Speaker 2: dry and preferred quote lively, turns of phrase and animated
Speaker 2: expressions that render the force and grace of the original.
Speaker 2: At the same time, Emily collaborated with Voltaire on his work.
Speaker 2: His unpublished Treatise on Metaphysics, which took on little topics
Speaker 2: like God, society and human nature, was believed to have
Speaker 2: been written at Emili's request and with her assistance. She
Speaker 2: would be more involved in his next project, Elements of
Speaker 2: the Philosophy of Newton, for which she is credited as
Speaker 2: a co author. In its introduction, inspired by Agarato's translation
Speaker 2: of Newton for an Italian audience, it was the first
Speaker 2: published introduction to Newton in French. It was also Voltaire's
Speaker 2: first foray into the world of science. While he believed
Speaker 2: in Newtonian theory, he was not as mathematically minded as
Speaker 2: Emily was, and he sometimes struggled with even basic calculations. Emily,
Speaker 2: by contrast, found herself thriving in the scientific work. It
Speaker 2: was she who filled pages of notes with commentary on
Speaker 2: the movement of the planets, the relativity of motion, and
Speaker 2: the weight of air and water. It is clear which
Speaker 2: sections of the publication were written by Emily, because the
Speaker 2: same ideas show up later in her own works. Her
Speaker 2: writing style was also distinct from Voltaire's neat and full
Speaker 2: of real world applications. In the book's dedication, addressed to Emily,
Speaker 2: Voltaire writes, quote, your solid study of many new truths,
Speaker 2: and the fruits of so meritorious an application, are what
Speaker 2: I now offer the public for your own and the
Speaker 2: glory of your sex. In the front piece of one edition,
Speaker 2: Voltaire sits at his desk, dressed as an ancient philosopher.
Speaker 2: Two figures are depicted as gods above him. Newton on
Speaker 2: the left, sits atop a cloud and gazes at a
Speaker 2: ray of light descending from the heavens. Emily, on the right,
Speaker 2: holds a mirror to reflect the light down upon the
Speaker 2: page Voltaire is writing. While the engraving acknowledges her presence
Speaker 2: in the work, it's also somewhat demeaning. She is portrayed
Speaker 2: with one breast bear and she simply reflects the light
Speaker 2: rather than creating something of her own the Muse. Voltaire,
Speaker 2: while ultimately supportive of Emily's work both publicly and privately,
Speaker 2: was still a man in the eighteenth century. In letters
Speaker 2: to male friends, we see Muse subtly mocking nicknames such
Speaker 2: as my Lady Emily Newton that were thus passed around
Speaker 2: in the intellectual circles of Parisian men that Emily was
Speaker 2: excluded from. While seemingly pleased with their collaborations, Emily had
Speaker 2: a greater drive for scientific discovery than Voltaire did. Following
Speaker 2: their experiments for the Royal Academy's essay competition, Emily became
Speaker 2: obsessed with learning through experimentation, working day and night. Her
Speaker 2: preferred strategy for staying awake was to put her hands
Speaker 2: in ice water, walk around the room, slapping them on
Speaker 2: her arms, and then return to her writing rip, Emily,
Speaker 2: you would have loved a lemon Lime Celsius. Physics became
Speaker 2: a focal point for her. While she waited on the
Speaker 2: results of the essay competition, she asked Voltaire's bookseller in
Speaker 2: Paris to procure for her her own copy of Newton's Principia,
Speaker 2: to be covered in Russian leather with gold tooling, as
Speaker 2: well as quote all the books of physique that you
Speaker 2: will find come your way. Another book Emily was particularly
Speaker 2: excited about was the new release of Algarotti's Newton for
Speaker 2: the Ladies, which she had promised to dedicate to her,
Speaker 2: which we had mentioned earlier. Emily had even been learning
Speaker 2: more Italian and quote training myself in the art of translation,
Speaker 2: with the idea of writing a French version of the book.
Speaker 2: When she got her hands on a copy in May
Speaker 2: of seventeen thirty eight, however, she was shocked at what
Speaker 2: she saw. For one, it was not actually dedicated to her.
Speaker 2: Then there was the matter of the character allegedly inspired
Speaker 2: by her. Algarotti littled her intelligence and wrote their conversations
Speaker 2: about Newtonian principles as often devolving into sexual jokes and metaphors.
Speaker 2: One particular joke about a famous calculation annoyed Emily so
Speaker 2: much that she mentioned it in letters to friends on
Speaker 2: three separate occasions. Voltaire rose to her defense, declaring that
Speaker 2: she knew more than Algarati, despite the fact that he
Speaker 2: Voltaire likely contributed to the way that people perceived Emily
Speaker 2: as frivolous thanks to his little nicknames. It was not long, however,
Speaker 2: before Emily's own work was recognized and published by the Academy.
Speaker 2: She was evidently quite proud of that particular accomplishment. Amongst
Speaker 2: her papers cataloged following her death was the notarized receipt
Speaker 2: of submission signed by the secretary of the Academie Fontanelle,
Speaker 2: whom she had known and childhood. He likely had no
Speaker 2: idea whose entry he was signing off on at the time,
Speaker 2: given that she had submitted it anonymously, wanted it evaluated
Speaker 2: for its intellectual merit with formal recognition from the scientific community.
Speaker 2: Amili's next step was to write her own treatise on
Speaker 2: natural philosophy. The publication of her work on Fire had
Speaker 2: given her great confidence. It was her first step towards
Speaker 2: her quote glory, as described in her posthumously published discourse Unhappiness.
Speaker 2: Her seventeen forty work Institutions da Physique, was originally intended
Speaker 2: as foundational teaching material for her then ten year old son,
Speaker 2: Florent Louis. The text would contain, in her words, truths
Speaker 2: which I want to engrave on his soul, the work
Speaker 2: of all. However, to cover what she called a quote
Speaker 2: vast terrain far beyond her lessons for her son or
Speaker 2: even her previous work with Voltaire. The text introduced readers
Speaker 2: to the foundations of Newton, but also combined philosophy and
Speaker 2: physics to attempt a quote unified theory which would describe
Speaker 2: not only how things happen in the universe, but why
Speaker 2: they happen in the particular way they do. She presented
Speaker 2: Newtonian ideas, yes, but also the ideas of Descartes and
Speaker 2: those of the German philosophers Wolf and Leibnantz. At this time,
Speaker 2: all students of philosophy would have been familiar with the
Speaker 2: seventeen seventeen correspondence between Leibnitz and the Newtonian Samuel Clark,
Speaker 2: which popularized the belief that their calculations were fundamentally opposed.
Speaker 2: Emily looked beyond this binary to see the value in
Speaker 2: both perspectives. Some scholars believe her viewpoint paved the way
Speaker 2: for the one developed by Emmanuel Kant later in the century.
Speaker 2: A great source of her inspiration came from time she
Speaker 2: spent in Brussels, where in seventeen thirty nine she, her husband,
Speaker 2: and Voltaire all briefly moved to claim a Duchalis property
Speaker 2: there that was being contested. It was in Brussels she
Speaker 2: took lessons from a tutor who had studied under the
Speaker 2: German philosopher Wolf. In her opinion quote when it concerns
Speaker 2: a book of physique, one must ask if it is good,
Speaker 2: not if the author is English, German or French. Emily
Speaker 2: was not afraid to question, even sometimes reject the conclusion
Speaker 2: of the quote, great men Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, descartes, you
Speaker 2: name them. Her criticism of these figures, combined with her
Speaker 2: reverence for them, is what makes her work so unique.
Speaker 2: It would be another year and a half before her
Speaker 2: book was published, notably under her own name. She sent
Speaker 2: the first copies to Frederick of Prussia, to her tutor Montpertut,
Speaker 2: and her other intellectual correspondence. The prominent journal De Savant
Speaker 2: published a positive review, which was likely an enormous confidence boost.
Speaker 2: One recipient of an early copy, The new secretary of
Speaker 2: the Academy following Fontanelle's retirement, was not as pleased. If
Speaker 2: you recall the introduction to part one of the series,
Speaker 2: Emily's book featured an accurate disavowal of the calculation that
Speaker 2: force is proportional to velocity. In his first public act,
Speaker 2: the new secretary of the Academy published a pamphlet attacking
Speaker 2: her argument. Far from his intention, the publication only further
Speaker 2: established Emily's legitimacy. What other woman had the Academy deigned
Speaker 2: to acknowledge, let alone engage in public academic debate with
Speaker 2: the secretary. Moraine was shocked when Emily fought back with
Speaker 2: a thirty seven page response of her own. She picked
Speaker 2: apart his letter, paragraph by paragraph, and matched his condescending,
Speaker 2: sarcastic tone. However the public decides, She wrote, I hold
Speaker 2: myself honored always to dispute against a person of your merit.
Speaker 2: It seems this was not just polite posturing. She wrote
Speaker 2: in private letters to friends that she was excited to
Speaker 2: have such an adversary. Still, she quote wanted to pierce
Speaker 2: him to the soul. Quote the conclusions that you have
Speaker 2: drawn were always false, because that which implies contradiction can
Speaker 2: never become true. She notes that she could break down
Speaker 2: exactly why his claims were false again, but only quote
Speaker 2: if I had wanted to bore my readers. The secretary
Speaker 2: did not issue another response. In Parisian circles, it was
Speaker 2: decided that Emily won the debate handedly quote. His has
Speaker 2: succeeded very badly, she wrote to her tutor. It has
Speaker 2: had three quarters of the success of mine. Her book
Speaker 2: was a great success, partly fueled by the publicity of
Speaker 2: the debate, and it received much public praise from academics.
Speaker 2: As Emily found new success, her relationship with Voltaire became strained.
Speaker 2: For one, he deemed himself no longer capable of sex
Speaker 2: due to his various chronic illnesses. Voltaire never had a
Speaker 2: large sexual appetite, which Emily accepted, but abstinence altogether was
Speaker 2: difficult for her. At the same time, he became increasingly
Speaker 2: upset over her diverging views, so dedicated to Newton. He
Speaker 2: deemed Emily's book a Leibnitzian work, despite its fusion of
Speaker 2: multiple viewpoints. Voltaire began to mock Emily more frequently in
Speaker 2: his letters, and even published a critical review of her work.
Speaker 2: To be fair, This was something Emily had also done
Speaker 2: in earlier years, though in better spirits, most pettily. In
Speaker 2: his revised seventeen forty one edition of Elements, he cut
Speaker 2: down his dedication, erasing his praise and diminishing Emily's contributions.
Speaker 2: It is perhaps worth noting that Emily's book was better
Speaker 2: received than elements. Over the past few years, Emily's book
Speaker 2: Institutions was translated into both Italian and German. Emily was
Speaker 2: elected to the Bologna Academy of Sciences, where she chose
Speaker 2: the name Urini, the poetic name Voltaire had once given
Speaker 2: her as her honorific She was especially excited to not
Speaker 2: be the only woman in the room. The Newtonian Laura Bassi,
Speaker 2: a lecturer at the University of Bologna, was another member,
Speaker 2: and she used Emili's book as material in her classes.
Speaker 2: It was quote an encouragement for persons of my sex,
Speaker 2: Emily wrote, to engage in and cultivate the sciences from
Speaker 2: which prejudice had up to the present appeared to exclude them.
Speaker 2: In Germany, it was likely that it was the philosopher
Speaker 2: Wolfe himself who arranged for the translation. Despite his initial
Speaker 2: disbelief that the work was actually written by a woman,
Speaker 2: he came to accept Emily as a quote phenomenon, appreciating
Speaker 2: quote the clarity with which she can talk about the
Speaker 2: subtlest things. In the summer of seventeen forty four, Emily
Speaker 2: had the idea for her largest project yet, a translation
Speaker 2: and commentary on Newton's notoriously difficult Principia. She embarked on
Speaker 2: this project during the busiest time of her life. Quote,
Speaker 2: I lead the life of the world's most disordered. I
Speaker 2: pass my days in the ante chamber of the Minister
Speaker 2: of War to obtain a regiment for my son. I
Speaker 2: go to bed at four in the morning, and I
Speaker 2: work when I have the time. Spoken like a real
Speaker 2: woman trying to have it all. She had recently relocated
Speaker 2: from Siri to Louis Court in favor of the advancement
Speaker 2: of her son, as well as to support Voltaire's ambitions
Speaker 2: to join the Academy, and Emily struggled to balance the
Speaker 2: lifestyle of the intellectual with the lifestyle of the courtier.
Speaker 2: In her day, no other physicist or philosopher had undertaken
Speaker 2: even a partial translation of Newton's Principia, but Emily intended
Speaker 2: to translate all three volumes. The work was so complicated
Speaker 2: that many contemporaries, including her tutor Morpetu, acknowledged that they
Speaker 2: found it hard to follow. It was not just a
Speaker 2: simple translation, either. She had to choose which mathematicians in
Speaker 2: interpretations of the work to include and add her own calculations,
Speaker 2: even if they contradicted Newton's. While she was on course
Speaker 2: to have the translation published in seventeen forty six, she
Speaker 2: had to pause in seventeen forty five following a revelation Voltaire,
Speaker 2: it appeared, had regained his sexual appetite, only not for Emilie.
Speaker 2: She had discovered a collection of letters between Voltaire and
Speaker 2: Marie Louise Deni, a thirty three year old widow and
Speaker 2: Voltaire's own niece. Though rumors circulated, Emilie did not go
Speaker 2: public with the scandalous betrayal, and details were only uncovered
Speaker 2: after the letters were sold at auction in the nineteen fifties.
Speaker 2: She wrote about her reaction to the discovery, with holding
Speaker 2: specific details in her posthumously published book. In their years
Speaker 2: without a sexual relationship, Emily believed quote I was loving
Speaker 2: for two I spent all my time with him and
Speaker 2: my heart free from suspicion, delighted in the pleasure of
Speaker 2: loving and in the illusion of believing myself loved.
Speaker 3: But now quote I have lost this.
Speaker 1: Happy state, and this cost me many tears. They eventually
Speaker 1: rekindled their friendship, Voltaire's place in her life as a
Speaker 1: collaborator and friend was ultimately more important to Emily than
Speaker 1: his place as a lover, despite their ten years spent together.
Speaker 1: She wrote, quote, terrible shocks are needed to break such chains.
Speaker 1: The wound to my heart bled for a long time.
Speaker 1: I had grounds to complain, and I have pardoned all end.
Speaker 3: Quote.
Speaker 2: Once recovered from heartbreak, Emily returned to Newton. She transported
Speaker 2: her books, her notes, and her drafts to the court
Speaker 2: at Loonville, where she joined her family and settled in
Speaker 2: to work. It was during this time, however, that a
Speaker 2: new lover entered her life. Jean Francois de Saint Lambert
Speaker 2: was ten years younger than she was, an officer of
Speaker 2: the King's Guard and a novice poet. He was no
Speaker 2: intellectual match for Emily, or Voltaire for that matter, but
Speaker 2: that wasn't important to her at the time.
Speaker 3: Their courtship was swift.
Speaker 2: She wrote to him, you are the only one who
Speaker 2: has made me feel that my heart is still capable
Speaker 2: of loving. Over the next few years, they built a relationship,
Speaker 2: but her lover was fickle, sometimes accusing Emily of loving
Speaker 2: him too much, sometimes accusing her of not paying enough
Speaker 2: attention to him. She in turn accused him of not
Speaker 2: understanding the importance of her work. She wrote to him,
Speaker 2: this book is awaited, promised begun two years ago. My
Speaker 2: reputation depends on it. But Emily was not only due
Speaker 2: a book, but also a baby. In January or February
Speaker 2: of seventeen forty nine, Emily realized she was pregnant. At
Speaker 2: forty one, she was considered long past child bearing years.
Speaker 2: It's very likely she and Saint Lambert didn't believe pregnancy
Speaker 2: was a possibility. We don't know how her husband or
Speaker 2: Sant Lambert reacted to this news, but court gossip obviously
Speaker 2: had a field day. There had been long whispers of
Speaker 2: the affair between Emily and her young lover. No one
Speaker 2: believed the baby was her husband's. Despite this, in another
Speaker 2: demonstration of his character, the Marquis claimed eternity to protect
Speaker 2: his wife and excitedly told courtiers of his hopes for
Speaker 2: another boy. Despite his poor performances in Voltaire's little plays,
Speaker 2: apparently the man had convincing enough acting prowess. From February
Speaker 2: to June of seventeen forty nine, despite her state, Emelie
Speaker 2: recommitted herself to quote my Newton. She moved back to Paris,
Speaker 2: isolating herself in her apartments, and she was determined to
Speaker 2: stay in Paris until her work was finished. Part of
Speaker 2: her determination to finish the project stemmed from fears surrounding
Speaker 2: her pregnancy. In a letter to sin Lambert, she explained
Speaker 2: that she must see to her affairs before the birth, quote,
Speaker 2: I want to leave them in order and take measures
Speaker 2: about my papers. She followed through on this desire, neatly
Speaker 2: binding important docum and leaving a letter for her husband,
Speaker 2: only to be opened in the event of her death.
Speaker 2: Emily spent the last three weeks of her life devoted
Speaker 2: to translating Newton. She was often joined by Voltaire, who
Speaker 2: had returned to Paris, and by a mathematical correspondent who
Speaker 2: checked her calculations. Her routine was once again grueling. She
Speaker 2: rose at eight or nine and worked straight through to three.
Speaker 2: In the afternoon, she took an hour break for coffee,
Speaker 2: and then began again at four. She took dinner at ten,
Speaker 2: followed by conversation with Voltaire or her mathematical correspondent. She
Speaker 2: then worked through the night and into the early morning hours.
Speaker 2: From midnight until five a m. She acknowledged to her
Speaker 2: lover that this required quote a mind and body of iron,
Speaker 2: but that finishing the book was a frightening need. Before
Speaker 2: the birth, she returned to court, where she was joined
Speaker 2: by a number of female friends, as well as by
Speaker 2: San Simon and Voltaire, her current and previous lover. At
Speaker 2: four in the morning on September fourth, seventeen forty nine,
Speaker 2: Emily gave birth to a daughter. Over the next few days,
Speaker 2: she was expected to remain in bed, where she likely
Speaker 2: continued to finish work on Principia's translation. In that time,
Speaker 2: she finished correcting the printer's proofs, packaged up all the
Speaker 2: papers of her commentary, and sent them to the Royal librarian.
Speaker 3: A day or two.
Speaker 2: Later, she developed a fever than a violent headache. She
Speaker 2: had developed a blood clot that had cut off her breathing.
Speaker 2: The Royal physician was called, but within ten minutes, as
Speaker 2: her lover cried out, Emily was no more. She was
Speaker 2: forty two. The Gazette de Holand in her obituary, called
Speaker 2: her the Sappho Moderne, and noted her various scientific writings,
Speaker 2: including her then yet to be published translation of and
Speaker 2: commentary on Newton's Principia It was a decade after her
Speaker 2: death when the return of Haley's comments sparked a public
Speaker 2: excitement for scientific phenomena that Principia was published. It became
Speaker 2: an integral text for French physicists of the era and
Speaker 2: remains the only French translation of the work to this day.
Speaker 2: But we know how the story goes. Voltaire became Voltaire
Speaker 2: the idol of the Revolution, and Emily was reduced to
Speaker 2: a footnote in his story, overshadowed by proximity to his
Speaker 2: famous greatness. Her work gradually disappeared from shelves, but in
Speaker 2: recent years scholar surrounding Emily has increased, and her individual
Speaker 2: accomplishments are recognized by many. A crater on Venus is
Speaker 2: named after her. An opera depicts her final moments. Duke
Speaker 2: University present an annual Duchatelay Prize in Philosophy of Physics.
Speaker 2: Their twenty twenty five topic was physics in the Writings
Speaker 2: of Women seventeen hundred to nineteen hundred. Hopefully the winner
Speaker 2: brought another forgotten woman to light. That's the second part
Speaker 2: of our two part series on Emily Duchatelas.
Speaker 3: But keep listening.
Speaker 2: After a brief sponsor break, to hear a little bit
Speaker 2: more about Emily's legacy in popular media. In twenty twenty three,
Speaker 2: a new play received its New York premiere off Broadway.
Speaker 2: Emily la Marquis de Chatelais defends her life Tonight. In
Speaker 2: the play, Emily finds herself having slipped through the space
Speaker 2: time continuum, lingering between life and death. Her unfinished business
Speaker 2: is quantifying her legacy, did her work matter?
Speaker 3: And how?
Speaker 2: Emily watches her own life play out before her eyes,
Speaker 2: all while trying to determine what it meant. The playwright,
Speaker 2: Lauren Gunderson shared, She's a scientist, so she needs proof
Speaker 2: even though it's impossible to quantify a life's meaning. In
Speaker 2: the end, she is met by two realizations her science
Speaker 2: did matter to the world, she was right about squaring speed,
Speaker 2: and that the only person who needs to believe that she.
Speaker 3: Mattered is herself.
Speaker 1: And now keep listening for a sneak peak of the
Speaker 1: audiobook of my newest book, The Rcane.
Speaker 4: Arts from storer dot Elspeth two Rollins DAA subject your
Speaker 4: Arcane Mechanicals course. Hi, Professor, First, let me apologize for
Speaker 4: writing an email to you at all, given that I'm
Speaker 4: sure with classes just starting. You're incredibly busy, and I'm
Speaker 4: also sorry for beginning said email with high when you
Speaker 4: might find that incredibly overly familiar and unprofessional. Please be
Speaker 4: assured that I went through several drafts of initial salutations,
Speaker 4: deer felt informal and strained two robotic to the point
Speaker 4: of rudeness, and so I'm left with high.
Speaker 3: HI.
Speaker 4: A bit about me. I graduated from Saint Andrew's first
Speaker 4: Class Honors with an independent study in Augury under Professor
Speaker 4: Arthur Binder that received the Flint Marksie Prize for undergraduate Achievement.
Speaker 4: I spent the fall of last year living in London
Speaker 4: while studying for the Arcanas, planning on applying to graduate
Speaker 4: programs in the spring. Unfortunately, my plans were derailed by
Speaker 4: life circumstances that I would be happy to discuss more
Speaker 4: in person, but suffice it to say, with an incomplete
Speaker 4: Arcanis score, I was well aware that I would not
Speaker 4: have merited any significant consideration had I sent in a
Speaker 4: formal application to the graduate program for admission this term,
Speaker 4: which is why I am writing to you now in
Speaker 4: the hope that a personal appeal might be the best
Speaker 4: way forward. Please be sure I am well aware of
Speaker 4: how competitive the DAA program at Newland is with only
Speaker 4: a small group of hand selected students each year. But
Speaker 4: I know I would be an asset to the department,
Speaker 4: and as I said, I would be happy to offer
Speaker 4: an explanation of the extenuating circum stances around my arcanis
Speaker 4: and convince you why that result is not at all
Speaker 4: reflective of my passion or my natural predisposition for mechanicals.
Speaker 4: Here is where I should offer another apology. I snuck
Speaker 4: into your introductory lecture yesterday morning and borrowed your email
Speaker 4: address off the syllabus. If you happened to notice a
Speaker 4: twenty something girl in a red sweater a few sizes
Speaker 4: too big, looking like a child on Christmas morning, that
Speaker 4: was me. I've never seen anyone talk about arcane mechanicals
Speaker 4: the way you did in the past. When I heard
Speaker 4: teachers discuss conservation of matter and the rudimentary mechanicals, they
Speaker 4: made it sound so sterile. You made it sound like
Speaker 4: we were conductors in a symphony, like the strings of
Speaker 4: reality are our is to be teased out at will
Speaker 4: and played in harmony. That is not to say I
Speaker 4: don't appreciate the incredibly rigorous mathematics required to study arcane mechanicals.
Speaker 4: Because I do. I'm attaching my transcript below in case
Speaker 4: you're curious, and in case this email hasn't already wasted
Speaker 4: enough of your time, And if you find yourself curious,
Speaker 4: please be sure to check my undergraduate coursework in differential
Speaker 4: equations and multivariables, top of the class in both. I
Speaker 4: know traditionally you wouldn't accept students into your program once
Speaker 4: the semester has already begun, and I realize this is
Speaker 4: an incredibly unorthodox request, But seeing as I don't have
Speaker 4: access to a genie time travel or a fortune notist
Speaker 4: FAVORI ritual, there's only one course of action left to me. You.
Speaker 4: If there were ever a chance you could make an exception,
Speaker 4: I can promise you will never teach a student more
Speaker 4: willing to work hard than me. I've already taken up
Speaker 4: too much of your time, and so I'm sorry again.
Speaker 3: Best.
Speaker 4: How is that Elsbeth.
Speaker 5: Store from Rowlin's DA two STORER do Elsbeth subject read
Speaker 5: your RK Mechanicals course, Miss Staller. Many a young applicant
Speaker 5: has felt improperly represented by her Arcanis' score, but often
Speaker 5: that indignation arises from a misunderstanding of the test itself.
Speaker 5: The exam does not seek only to measure intellectual capability,
Speaker 5: but is an instrument intended to assess holistic fitness for
Speaker 5: the rigors of this study and the responsibilities of its practice.
Speaker 5: If the face I vaguely recall connected to that unfortunate
Speaker 5: red sweater is any indication you are quite young, and
Speaker 5: as such she may lack the self awareness to soberly
Speaker 5: judge your own shortcomings, Evidently I am in a procrastinatory
Speaker 5: mood and avoiding the quizzes piled upon my desktop because
Speaker 5: many words have now been written PHPs. One would suffice
Speaker 5: no best of luck with your studies. T. M rawlins DAA.
Speaker 1: Noble Blood is a production of iHeart Radio and Grim
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Speaker 1: me Dana Schwartz. Writers for Noble Blood are Hannah Johnston,
Speaker 1: Hannah Zwick, Paul Jaffey, Natasha Laski, and me Dana Schwartz.
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