Germaine de Staël
Germaine de Staël | |
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"Madame de Staël" (1813) | |
| Born | Anne-Louise Germaine Necker 22 April 1766 Paris, France |
| Died | 14 July 1817 (aged 51) Paris, France |
| Spouses | Erik Magnus Staël von Holstein
(m. 1786; died 1802)Albert Jean Michel de Rocca
(m. 1816) |
| Parents |
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| Philosophical work | |
| School | Romanticism |
| Main interests |
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| Notable works |
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| Signature | |
Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein (French: [an lwiz ʒɛʁmɛn də stal ɔlstajn]; née Necker; 22 April 1766 – 14 July 1817), commonly known as Madame de Staël (/dəˈstɑːl/ də-STAHL;[3] French: [madam də stal]), was a prominent philosopher, woman of letters, and political theorist in both Parisian and Genevan intellectual circles. She was the daughter of banker and French finance minister Jacques Necker and Suzanne Curchod, a respected salonist and writer. Throughout her life, she held a moderate stance during the tumultuous periods of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, persisting until the time of the French Restoration.[4]
Her presence at critical events such as the Estates General of 1789 and the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen underscored her engagement in the political discourse of her time.[5] However, Madame de Staël faced exile for extended periods: initially during the Reign of Terror and subsequently due to personal persecution by Napoleon. She claimed to have discerned the tyrannical nature and ambitions of his rule ahead of many others.[6][7][8]
During her exile, she fostered the Coppet group, a network that spanned across Europe, positioning herself at its heart. Her literary works, emphasizing individuality and passion, left an enduring imprint on European intellectual thought. De Staël's repeated championing of Romanticism contributed significantly to its widespread recognition.[7]
Within her work, de Staël not only advocates for the necessity of public expression but also sounds cautionary notes about its potential hazards.[9]
- ^ Wilkinson, L. R. (2017). Hibbitt, Richard (ed.). Other Capitals of the Nineteenth Century An Alternative Mapping of Literary and Cultural Space. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 51–67.
- ^ Simon, Sherry (2003). Gender in Translation. Routledge. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-1134820863.
- ^ "Staël, de". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
- ^ Staël, Germaine de, in the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Bordoni, Silvia (2005) Lord Byron and Germaine de Staël, The University of Nottingham
- ^ Madame de Staël (Anne-Louise-Germaine) (1818). Considerations on the Principal Events of the French Revolution: Posthumous Work of the Baroness de Stael. James Eastburn and Company at the literary rooms, Broadway. Clayton & Kingsland, Printers. p. 46.
- ^ a b "Madame de Staël".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Eveline Groot – Public Opinion and Political Passions in the Work of Germaine de Stäel, p. 190