Her last books were published in the 1940s, making the scope of her work extend far beyond turn-of-the-century decadence. Although much of it is hastily written, occasionally trite or repetitive, and frequently uneven in accomplishment, much of it is innovative and entertaining, registering important social and literary currents in ways that have all too often been overlooked.
Born on 11 February 1860 at the family home of Le Cros, just outside Périgueux in provincial France, Marguerite Eymery was the first and only child of Joseph Eymery, the illegitimate son of a marquis and a career army officer, and Gabrielle Feytaud Eymery, the daughter of a newspaper editor of old Périgourdin stock. Many details surrounding Rachilde's background remain obscure, but what is known suggests an emotionally troubled household. Joseph, whom Rachilde described as a Don Juan, had originally been paying court to Gabrielle's mother before transferring his attentions to the daughter. Gabrielle's parents had hoped for something better for her--after all, she had been presented at the court of Emperor Napoleon III, while Joseph was illegitimate. The marriage was supposedly a love match, but Gabrielle was quickly disillusioned, refusing further conjugal relations with her husband after the birth of their daughter some fifteen months after their marriage.
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