Germaine De Stael, Daughter of the Enlightenment: The Writer and Her Turbulent Era

Her parents bought her a husband. It was not money well spent. She was not pretty, a condition rarely forgiven. But she was brilliant, a prolific and celebrated author, and perfectly placed as a premier observer of her violent and political age. Through the end of the Bourbon monarchy, the rise and fall of Napoleon and the return of the Bourbons Germaine Necker de Stael ran one of the most influential salons of her time. She was close to many of the leading Enlightenment figures of her day, and was also a devout republican, which counted against her as Bonaparte became emperor. Independent scholar Dixon gives equal time to both the public and private life of one of the most fascinating women of her age, tracing the trajectory of her power, which was considerable even in exile, and explaining her motives as well as her significant but often overlooked works. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Sergine Dixon (Dorset, VT) holds a doctorate in education from Columbia University. For many years she taught French language, literature, and civilization in Quebec, Ontario, and Westchester, NY. She is the author of Stars of Two Millennia: Observations on Men and Women of Quality.