Julie Cornelius (Grand-maman)
Basic
Aktualizováno: 2025-12-07
Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Book 00 (1884 preface)
Identity
Marie's maternal grandmother. Born Julie Cornelius (also spelled Cornélius), married Marie's grandfather (the Byronic poet and military officer) at age 15.
Life
Marriage:
- Married at 15 years old to Marie's grandfather
- Described as "très douce et jolie" (very sweet and pretty) as a young woman
- Had nine children ("excusez du peu" - pardon the expression/quite a lot)
Transformation:
- Became "énorme et criarde en vieillissant" (enormous and shrill with age)
- "Absolument sacrifiée, écrasée par la supériorité de son mari" (absolutely sacrificed, crushed by her husband's superiority)
- Her husband was "un joli despote et qui s'en vantait" (a pretty despot who boasted about it)
Character:
- Originally sweet and gentle
- Crushed by her domineering husband's personality
- Her loud, shrill behavior in old age perhaps a response to years of domination
- Marie's description is sympathetic - she sees her grandmother as a victim
Historical Context
Julie Cornelius's life exemplifies the situation of many 19th-century Russian noblewomen:
- Married very young (15) to older, established men
- Expected to bear many children (Julie had nine)
- No recourse against despotic husbands
- Even cultured, "Byronic" men could be domestic tyrants
- Physical and personality changes reflecting years of submission
- The "sweet girl" transformed into something harder by life's pressures
Family Name
The name Cornelius (Cornélius in French spelling) suggests possible German or Western European ancestry, common in Russian noble families who often had international connections.
Marie's Perspective
Marie's description is notable for its psychological insight:
- She sees the cause-and-effect: sweet young girl → crushed wife → shrill old woman
- She understands her grandmother was "sacrificed" to male dominance
- She notes the husband's pride in his despotism
- This awareness of women's oppression likely influenced Marie's own fierce independence
- Marie refuses to repeat her grandmother's fate
Related Entries
- #Grand_papa - Her despotic husband
- #Grand_maman - Alternative reference
- #Maman - Her daughter, one of the nine children
- #Babanine - The family name
%% 2025-12-07T12:30:00 RSR: Created entry for Marie's maternal grandmother, showing family dynamics and women's position %%