Two centuries of sexism have hidden Staël's place in international history. Straddling the divides of the French Revolution, Napoleonic Europe, emergent nationalism, and European Romanticism, and playing pivotal roles in those movements, she was also a friend of Byron, Jefferson, and Tsar Alexander. Extensive archival research, and a complete contextual overview of Staël's writings, here restore Staël's canonical status as political philosopher, historian, European Romantic theorist, and Revolutionary. While the term stateswoman is not commonly used, it describes Staël aptly, acting as she necessarily did through men around her. The brilliant game of masks and proxies imposed on her by patriarchy is detailed here, alongside her unending fight for the oppressed, from the nations of Napoleon's subjugated Europe to the victims of the Atlantic slave trade. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

Winner, 2024 Choice Awards

‘Beautifully written and impeccably researched, [this book] is a satisfyingly thorough examination of a popular author’s work, and it becomes an indispensable addition to the understanding of Staël’s literary career in the panorama of nineteenth-century Europe by confidently demonstrating the long-lasting repercussions of her oeuvre.’

Carmen Casaliggi Source: European Romantic Review

‘Isbell's book will be an instructive and insightful read for anyone who wants to study de Staël and the beginnings of Romanticism in France or Europe.’

Stefan Knödler Source: Gestern | Romantik | Heute