In 1791, Olympe de Gouges defied the French Revolution by declaring women equal to men, leading to her execution.
This episode of *In Our Time* examines the life and work of Olympe de Gouges, a playwright and political activist during the French Revolution. Host Melvyn Bragg is joined by three academic experts: Catriona Seth, Catherine Astabry, and Sanja Perovic. De Gouges is best known for authoring the 1791 *Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen*.
She was born Marie Gouze in Montauban in 1748, the daughter of a butcher, but later claimed to be the illegitimate child of a nobleman. De Gouges moved to Paris as a young widow and established herself as a writer, producing plays and political pamphlets. Her most famous work directly challenged the revolutionary *Declaration of the Rights of Man* by demanding equal rights for women. She argued that if women could be executed by guillotine, they should also be allowed to participate in government.
The episode details her political activism, including her advocacy for divorce rights and her opposition to slavery. De Gouges was a supporter of a constitutional monarchy, a position that became dangerous as the Revolution radicalized. She was executed by guillotine in November 1793, two weeks after Marie Antoinette. Her legacy was largely forgotten for nearly two centuries before a significant revival of interest.
A key insight is how she used the language of the Revolution itself to expose its exclusion of women. Her personal reinvention, from Marie Gouze to Olympe de Gouges, illustrates her self-fashioned identity. The discussion reveals the complexities of her political stance, which combined progressive feminism with monarchist sympathies. Her execution underscores the peril faced by women who publicly entered political debate.
The conversation analyzes her play *Zamore and Mirza*, which critiqued the colonial slave trade. The panel notes that her writing was often dismissed in her time due to her gender and lack of formal education. Her posthumous reputation serves as a case study in how historical figures are recovered and reevaluated.
The tone is academic and conversational, structured as a guided discussion among scholars. It is educational, focusing on historical context and textual analysis.
Listeners interested in feminist history, the French Revolution, or the history of political thought will find this episode compelling. Those seeking a narrative-driven or biographical story might find the analytical discussion less engaging.
