| Chapter 2: | Dupin’s Background and Family |
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bladders for lanterns’5 (DRB; PJ 7). It will be seen that the father was often irritated by Charles. In fact, he called him ‘mathematicomaniac’, and in a letter to his eldest son in 1813, he complained, ‘When we speak of family matters, this maniac replies mathematics, Institut and Monge’ (DRB).
Charles wrote affectionately to his father, who rarely replied; if he did, his tone was quite the opposite of affectionate, as will be seen in future chapters. However, as his father was approaching the end of his life, he seemed to wish to be reconciled with his second son:
2.4. The Influence on Charles Dupin of His Father and Mother
In 1782, Charles-André Dupin had married a third cousin, Catherine-Agnès Dupin, who was five years his junior. She brought a dowry of her house in Varzy and the fief de Coeurs, an ancient property. She was the daughter of Jean-Jacques Dupin, a lawyer, and Anne-Vincente Robin. According to Baron (1978, 64), the marriage was hardly a success. Agnès Dupin had her charms and had studied the finest literature, which was unusual for a woman in her day. She was of strong character, with an independent and original mind. To her eldest son, she communicated a ready wit, which became one of his special qualities. She was hugely ambitious for her sons and took charge of their teaching when her husband was in prison. Her pride was to be in motherhood of the trois Dupin (the three Dupin boys).
However, Madame Dupin was a very dominant woman and distinguished herself during the Revolution by the violence of her denunciations. Her husband found that patience was the only answer to her. There was