French Enlightenment happened in the 18th-century. During this time, the ideals were liberty, equality, and fraternity. These topics were discussed in the Salons hosted by Geoffrin. Salons were places that women provided for men, the philosophers, to have an intellectual discussion. Even though both men and women played a part in the salons, the roles were unequal. Geoffrin was a French Enlightenment salonnière who impacted Western Civilization with her home of philosophers, writers, and artists whom she sponsored by giving them a setting where they could discuss political and philosophical concepts regarding their country.
Geoffrin was viewed as an important …show more content…
Never overawed by the prominent and powerful [...]” (Commire 161). Geoffrin was never intimidated by other powerful figures. She stood by her beliefs and opinions no matter to who she was talking. Geoffrin was reserved when engaging in the conversation. Even though she was strong willed, Geoffrin was still open minded to other perspectives. Her mentality is what helped her become a great salonnière, if she did not have a strong mindset she would not have achieved as much. Geoffrin was viewed as a great listener. Many people enjoyed her company because she often listened to the ambitions of poor or unknown authors. Geoffrin also knew when it was the correct time to ask a question or make a comment without interrupting the speaker. She was an open-handed salonnière who was willing to share her wealth with the less fortunate. Instead of opening her salon on Sundays, Geoffrin would accumulate large amounts of money and would hand it out to the poor that were trying to succeed as writers or …show more content…
In Women In World History, it was written that, “politics were rarely the topic under discussion under her salon. If other talk became too heated, she might halt the conversation [...] Religious, even somewhat devout, she was also open minded[...]” (Commire 161). Ideas that were discussed at the salon impacted the French Enlightenment. The salon allowed people to discuss topics that were opinionated without the fear of speaking their minds. If the members began to show temper, she would halt the conversation to allow the members to calm down. Social reforms was a central topic that was always being talked about, including the defence of civil liberties, free trade, and freedom of religion. France 's monarchical absolutism was criticized. The Catholic Church was also disparaged. Thinkers in the salons would challenge the church. For example, they would try to come up with logical explanations on why there are sea shells Mt Cenis in the Alps. The church would say that it is because of the Great Flood described in the Old Testament. The participants in the salons encouraged thinking for yourself rather than letting the church influence your beliefs.The ways that Geoffrin used to drive a conversation were successful. Geoffrin had an organized schedule for the artists and philosophers that did not get along well. The unknown author of the chapter from the unknown book stated, “When she found that artists and philosophers did not mix particularly well (the