La place de La comédie des quatre femmes

Sitting at Les Deux Magots recovering from my recent torments experienced at Cannes--or rather on the way back from Cannes--an actress/co-conspirator sought me out to present me with a copy of La place de La comédie des quatre femmes by Marguerite de Navarre. And while the title refers to four women, it does not contemplate the old math problem of the seventies (How many times does one go into four?), but rather, it delves into celibacy as the path to happiness as opposed to being an end unto itself.

I have to admit to being nonplussed by her offering. Whether it was given as an intervention, a provocation or, perhaps, because there's a good part in it for her should I decide to adapt it for the screen, I cannot say. All I do know is that, after I accepted the gift, she accepted the card key to my (junior) suite and it is possible that her true intent will become clear as the evening progresses.

In the mean time, I suspect there exists a connection to Gabrielle Suchon's manifesto, Du célibat volontaire, though she most certainly formed her conclusions without the benefit of a Hollywood perspective, the 1700s being what they were.