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What happens in Denis Diderot’s novel The Nun?
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Denis Diderot
Portrait of Denis Diderot, oil on canvas by Dimitry Levitzky, 18th century.
In Denis Diderot’s novel La Religieuse (published posthumously in 1796), the narrative follows the distressing and ultimately tragic experiences of a young woman who is forced to become a nun against her will.1
The story serves as a critique of the forced confinement and the institutional pressures placed upon individuals within the religious orders of that era.1