The portrayal of women in 17th century French literature

Women in the 17th century faced many challenges. Some challenges for women were education, legal rights, and the cultural demands of high society. Not all women were of the noble class or even bourgeois. Many women were peasants -- the majority of people in France were of this class. Each class had specific concerns. However, the common challenges of the century were represented in female characters in books and plays. The playwrights in France, like Corneille, Moliere, and Racien, showed women in all kinds of situations. These roles were not foreign to the activities and challenges of the 17th century.