In Les Femmes Illustres (1642), Conversations Sur Divers Sujets (1680), and Conversations Nouvelles sur Divers Sujets, Dediees Au Roy (1684), Madeleine de Scudéry adapted classical rhetorical theory from Cicero, Quintilian, Aristotle, and the sophists to a theory of salon conversation and letter writing. It uses women speakers as models for the speeches, including Cleopatra of Egypt.
This text was a means to justify women's participation in rhetoric and literary culture. Les Femmes Illustres (1642) addresses itself to women and defends education, rather than the beauty or cosmetic, as a means of social mobility for women.
In fact, Scudéry created the roman à clef to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures. These figures were often disguised as Persian, Greek, and Roman warriors and maidens. Contemporary readers also enjoyed these novels because they gave a glimpse into the life of important society figures. Her novels derive their length from endless conversations and, as far as incidents go, successive abductions of the heroines, conceived and told decorously. Artamène, which contains about 2.1 million words, ranks as the longest novel ever published. Her lengthy novels, such as Artamène, ou le Grand Cyrus (10 vols., 1648–53), Clélie (10 vols., 1654–61), Ibrahim, ou l'illustre Bassa (4 vols., 1641), Almahide, ou l'esclave reine (8 vols., 1661-3) were the delight of Europe, commended by other literary figures such as Madame de Sévigné. She formed a close friendship with Paul Pellisson which was only ended by his death in 1693. For the last half of the 17th century, under the pseudonym of Sapho or her own name, she was acknowledged as the first bluestocking of France and of the world. She was at once admitted to the Hôtel de Rambouillet coterie, and afterwards established a salon of her own under the title of the Société du samedi ( Saturday Society). Madeleine often used her brother's name to publish her works.
In 1637, following the death of her uncle, Scudéry established herself at Paris with her brother. Her works also demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of ancient history that it is suspected she had received instruction in Greek and Latin. In addition, on her own, Madeleine studied agriculture, medicine, cooking, Spanish, and Italian. He gave Madeleine an abnormally well-rounded education: she studied writing, spelling, drawing, dancing, painting, and needlework. Madeleine and her brother Georges de Scudéry were placed in the care of an uncle who cared for them very well. Her father, captain of the port in Le Havre, died in 1613 with her mother following shortly after. Born at Le Havre, Normandy, in northern France, she is said to have been very plain as well as without fortune, but she was exceedingly well-educated.
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