Writer<\/a>, republican, literary theoretician and philosopher,\u00a0Madame<\/a>\u00a0de Sta\u00ebl<\/a>\u00a0contributed to the diffusion of ideas in Europe through her travels and her\u00a0Salon<\/a>, where she received many European intellectuals.<\/p>\n Anne-Louise Germaine Necker was born into the\u00a0Swiss bourgeoisie<\/a>\u00a0in 1766 and received an education steeped in the spirit of the Enlightenment. From her childhood, she rubbed shoulders with politicians, talked with the\u00a0Encyclopaedists<\/a>\u00a0and developed an enthusiasm for\u00a0Rousseau<\/a>‘s ideas. After her marriage to\u00a0Baron Sta\u00ebl von Holstein<\/a>, Germaine de Sta\u00ebl opened a\u00a0Salon<\/a> where new ideas, brought by participants in the American Revolutionary War, could circulate. She developed a passion for writing at an early age and some of her first compositions survive in ‘La Correspondance litt\u00e9raire<\/a>‘. Published in 1788, Madame de Sta\u00ebl’s ‘Lettres sur le caract\u00e8re et les ouvrages de Jean-Jacques Rousseau<\/a>‘ marked her first literary success.<\/p>\n At the start of the French Revolution, Germaine de Sta\u00ebl was in favour of what she felt was progress and a step towards a constitutional monarchy. But after the fall of the monarchy, she left France and took refuge at\u00a0Coppet<\/a>\u00a0in Switzerland and later in England. During this period she wrote many novels,\u00a0plays<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0essays<\/a>. After her return to Paris in May 1795, Madame de Sta\u00ebl reopened her\u00a0Salon<\/a>\u00a0and spoke in favour of a moderate and rational Republic with roots in the Enlightenment. In\u00a01800<\/a>, she presented a new view of literature in ‘De la litt\u00e9rature consid\u00e9r\u00e9e dans ses rapports avec les institutions sociales<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n Between 1795 and 1802, Germaine de Sta\u00ebl watched the rise of\u00a0Napoleon Bonaparte<\/a>. Once she realised he wouldn\u2019t promote the ideals of the Revolution, she fought him on the ideological level. Napoleon exiled her after she wrote ‘Delphine<\/a>‘ (1802). Unable to publish,\u00a0she travelled throughout Europe<\/a>\u00a0and received many people who were opposed to Napoleon at Coppet, including:<\/p>\n Coppet was a new sort of gathering place, in transition from the Salons of the Enlightenment to the\u00a0C\u00e9nacle<\/a> of the Romantic movement. It was a place to exchange opinions and ideas, and drew intellectuals across three generations, of different nationalities, religious views and political opinions. United by the values of liberty, the individual and his rights, respect for others, and equality before the law, they all spread their ideas through their writings and their travels across Europe. ‘Corinne, ou l’Italie<\/a>‘, written during Germaine de Sta\u00ebl’s exile, shows her ideas on aesthetics, the arts and literature. ‘De l’Allemagne’ was an important essay in developing the Romantic doctrine, and was\u00a0published clandestinely in London in 1813<\/a>, after its\u00a0censure in 1810<\/a>. Germaine de Sta\u00ebl returned to France after the fall of\u00a0Napoleon<\/a>\u00a0and was at the pinnacle of her glory during the First Restoration (1814-1815). She died in Paris on 14 July 1817, the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison and the beginning of the French Revolution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Woman of Letters and a Philosopher<\/h4>\n
Towards an Enlightened Republic<\/h4>\n
A European Salon<\/h4>\n
\n