These letters have been long considered to be a great work of literature and a source of historical information from the times before newspapers. The author of the letters, Madame de Sevigne, was a member of the French aristocracy whose family was drawn into many political events. In 764 letters addressed to Mme de Griman, she writes of the routines, events, and developments that make the face of the epoch. A reader learns about the arrest of Fouquet, the execution of Brinvilliers, and the death of Queen Henriette.