Marie-Josèphe’s Education in Power

The Moon and the Sun

This thread follows Marie-Josèphe from sheltered colonial newcomer to a self-directed woman who risks royal favor for her convictions.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Return to Court A Return to Court from "The Moon and the Sun". A Colonial Newcomer Arrival Marie-Josèphe returns to public life after years of convent confinement.

A Return to Court from "The Moon and the Sun". A Colonial Newcomer Arrival Marie-Josèphe returns to public life after years of convent confinement.

A Colonial Newcomer Arrival Marie-Josèphe returns to public life after years of convent confinement. Court clothes, etiquette, and rank make her feel both exhilarated and out of place. A first test She reunites with Yves but soon discovers that affection cannot restore their former closeness automatically. Her own desires and knowledge have changed.

The First Approach The First Approach from "The Moon and the Sun". Curiosity Becomes Responsibility Feeding the captive Marie-Josèphe discovers that the sea woman will eat live fish and accepts food from her hand.

The First Approach from "The Moon and the Sun". Curiosity Becomes Responsibility Feeding the captive Marie-Josèphe discovers that the sea woman will eat live fish and accepts food from her hand.

Curiosity Becomes Responsibility Feeding the captive Marie-Josèphe discovers that the sea woman will eat live fish and accepts food from her hand. What begins as curiosity becomes a daily obligation. Growing attachment The creature responds to touch and song, unsettling the assumptions Marie-Josèphe has been taught about animals, intelligence, and obedience.

A Voice Beyond Words A Voice Beyond Words from "The Moon and the Sun". Learning to Listen Images in song Marie-Josèphe gradually understands that the sea woman communicates through musical images and associations, not ordinary…

A Voice Beyond Words from "The Moon and the Sun". Learning to Listen Images in song Marie-Josèphe gradually understands that the sea woman communicates through musical images and associations, not ordinary…

Learning to Listen Images in song Marie-Josèphe gradually understands that the sea woman communicates through musical images and associations, not ordinary speech. She records the stories in drawings and words. A new responsibility Translation gives her influence but also makes her answerable to the sea woman’s trust. She promises to finish the stories even when their truths hurt.

Defiance at the Canal Defiance at the Canal from "The Moon and the Sun". Choosing the Captive A decision As Sherzad faces death, Marie-Josèphe joins Lucien and Yves in an escape attempt.

Defiance at the Canal from "The Moon and the Sun". Choosing the Captive A decision As Sherzad faces death, Marie-Josèphe joins Lucien and Yves in an escape attempt.

Choosing the Captive A decision As Sherzad faces death, Marie-Josèphe joins Lucien and Yves in an escape attempt. Her choice rejects safety, rank, and her brother’s earlier caution. A cost accepted The escape fails to prevent recapture, but it makes her loyalties unmistakable. She no longer treats obedience as the only form of goodness.

A Life Chosen A Life Chosen from "The Moon and the Sun". Beyond the Court Punishment and marriage Louis XIV marries Marie-Josèphe to Lucien and forbids her music.

A Life Chosen from "The Moon and the Sun". Beyond the Court Punishment and marriage Louis XIV marries Marie-Josèphe to Lucien and forbids her music.

Beyond the Court Punishment and marriage Louis XIV marries Marie-Josèphe to Lucien and forbids her music. She accepts neither courtly advancement nor separation from the man she loves as the measure of her future. Continuing inquiry Leaving court, she retains her appetite for discovery and the sea people’s stories. Her independence remains imperfect, but it is now chosen and shared.

The opening procession at Le Havre

The first dawn after the presentation

The nights before Carrousel

The night of the Carrousel escape

The final judgment and departure from court