Rachel: Her Stage Life and Her Real Life

Francis Henry Gribble (1862-1946) wrote several biographies. Elisabeth Élisa" Rachel Félix (1821-1858), better known only as Mademoiselle Rachel, was a French actress. Renowned throughout Europe and particularly associated with Racine and Voltaire, her acting style was characterized by clear diction and economy of gesture, and represented a major change from the exaggerated style of those days. The character Vashti in Charlotte Brontë's novel Villette was based on Rachel, whom Brontë had seen perform in London.