Jacqueline Pascal as a Letter Writer: The Art of Pleasing in the Service of Salvation

Abstract

This article explores the spiritual correspondence of Jacqueline Pascal (1625-1661), sister of Blaise Pascal and a nun at Port-Royal. Although limited and fragmentary, this epistolary corpus bears witness to her role as a spiritual and moral guide within her family during the last years of her life. The rhetorical and discursive analysis of the letters to her brother and nieces highlights the characteristics of a discourse that is both engaging and persuasive, combining charm and edification. Her writing employs codified linguistic devices, such as raillery, irony and pathetic rhetoric, which aim to reinforce her audience’s adherence to the religious principles she conveys. Far from being merely a didactic tool, these exchanges establish Jacqueline Pascal as an authorial figure endowed with literary, moral and spiritual authority, worthy of recognition.