Elizabeth Craven and the Marquis d'Argens
What possible connection could there be between Elizabeth Craven, the Georgian feminist writer, and the Marquis d'Argens, the French writer and philosopher? Craven was born in 1750, and d'Argens died in 1771, and as far as is known they never met. Both were writers, both went to Constantinople and both were considered to have misbehaved extensively in the course of their lives. Both loved the theatre, and and both spent part of their lives in a German court, running the theatrical entertainments. King Frederick II of Prussia and the Marquis d'Argens by Johan Christoph Frisch D'Argens worked for many years for King Frederick the Great of Prussia, holding the post of Chamberlain which made him responsible for court entertainments such as theatre and opera. He was expected to organize troupes of professional actors, singers and dancers to put on productions in King Frederick's rather grand opera houses and palaces of Sans-Souci and Charlottenburg. ...