Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1789

Urgent Warning, or Reply to My Slanderers

Olympe de Gouges · 1789

A 1789 pamphlet by Olympe de Gouges answering her critics and defending the minister Calonne.

Written by Gouges herself, this pamphlet shows her entering public political argument at the start of the Revolution.

Ask Olympe de Gouges about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Urgent Warning, or Reply to My SlanderersPDF · 8 pages
Olympe de Gouges, Avis pressant, ou, Réponse à mes calomniateurs, 1789. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This is a printed pamphlet written by Olympe de Gouges in 1789, titled Avis pressant, ou, Réponse à mes calomniateurs. It responds to attacks on her and defends the politician Charles Alexandre de Calonne. The scanned copy is held by the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

Gouges was already active in public debate at the start of the French Revolution, defending controversial figures and her own reputation in print. The pamphlet shows how she used pamphleteering as a political weapon, a method she would use throughout her career to speak on major issues of the day.

Look closer

  • Why might Gouges feel the need to answer her critics publicly in print?
  • What does her defence of Calonne suggest about her political views at this time?
  • What tone does the opening paragraph take toward the state of France?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Olympe de Gouges on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Olympe de Gouges sources

Meet the AI Olympe de Gouges →
Printed page of the 1791 Declaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne, with the title in large capitals, a subtitle addressed to the National Assembly, and the opening Preambule paragraphs in French text.Document

Primary source

Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen

Olympe de Gouges · 1791

Painted allegory of the 1789 French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. A title plaque reads 'Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen' above two tablets of text. A seated woman with chains and a standing winged figure with a wand flank the plaque, under a radiant eye in a triangle.Document

Primary source

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

National Constituent Assembly · 1789

Printed broadside titled 'Les Trois Urnes, ou le Salut de la Patrie, par un Voyageur Aérien' in large capitals on an orange-tinted page, with dense multi-column French text below the title.Document

Primary source

Les Trois Urnes, ou le Salut de la Patrie, par un voyageur aérien

Olympe de Gouges · 1793

Pastel-style portrait of a woman with powdered grey hair piled high, wearing a white shawl, against a dark brown and grey background. She has a slight smile and looks toward the viewer.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Olympe de Gouges

Alexander Kucharsky

Title page scan of the 1793 French text 'Testament politique d'Olympe de Gouges', printed in serif type with a decorative rule above and below the title. The opening paragraph begins with 'O divine providence!' and is partly faded and smudged.Document

Primary source

Testament politique d'Olympe de Gouges

Olympe de Gouges · June 1793

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Olympe de Gouges now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions