Review
"[An] admirable study of Staël as a political thinker."---Robert Darnton, New York Review of Books
"This austere and serious study provides a fine, straightforward, anti-sensational discussion of political writings in which Staël appears as far more than the usually depicted adjunct of famous men."---Janet Todd, Times Literary Supplement
"This meticulously researched book provides an excellent examination of de Staël's thoughts and leanings. . . . This volume will attract academic readers interested in political theory and French revolutionary history."---Erica Swenson Danowitz, Library Journal
"[Fontana] outlines the progression of Staël's ideas with considerable scholarship."---Lucy Moore, Literary Review
"[An] excellent survey."---Angelica Goodden, Standpoint
"I wish I could meet brilliant Madame de Staël, the woman bold enough to stand up to Napoleon Bonaparte and brave enough to keep going back to revolutionary Paris, but Biancamaria Fontana's intriguing new book, Germaine de Staël: A Political Portrait . . . will have to do."---Elizabeth Cobbs, Times Higher Education
"[Germaine de Staël] makes for compelling reading in our current moment. And under any circumstances, Biancamaria Fontana's lively and learned new book is a long-overdue testimony to the enduring political significance of Germaine de Staël as a founding figure of the French liberal tradition."---Carla Hesse, Times Higher Education
"[A] distinguishing facet of this title is its exquisite writing; the organization, clarity, and energy of Fantana's research are thoroughly commendable, as is the brief concluding chapter, which connects Staël to the 21st century." ― Choice
"An absorbing, elegant study."---Frederick Brown, Hudson Review
"Convincingly demonstrates why Staël deserves a prominent place in the history of modern political thought. . . . Let' s hope that this thoughtful book will be followed by other interpretations that will consolidate Staël' s reputation as a first-rate political thinker."---Aurelian Craiutu, Review of Politics
"[A] precise and illuminating study."---Richard Whatmore, French History Journal
"A scholarly and intelligent book."---Edward Andrew, European Legacy
"Concise and elegant. . . . Fontana’s book grants [Germaine de Staël] the place she deserves in the intellectual history of her time."---Atoine Lilti, Journal of Modern History
"Fontana’s laser-sharp focus on Staël’s political writings enriches our understanding of her significance to political theory."---Lesley H. Walker, Historical Review
Review
"A captivating portrait of a fascinating figure caught up in the whirlwind of events."―Richard Bourke, author of Empire and Revolution: The Political Life of Edmund Burke
"An important and original book about a prominent female intellectual who took the measure of the French Revolution in both theoretical and practical terms. Fontana argues convincingly that Staël's political ideas have been overlooked or underrated in previous treatments of her life and work."―Ruth Scurr, author of Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution
From the Back Cover
"A captivating portrait of a fascinating figure caught up in the whirlwind of events."--Richard Bourke, author of Empire and Revolution: The Political Life of Edmund Burke
"An important and original book about a prominent female intellectual who took the measure of the French Revolution in both theoretical and practical terms. Fontana argues convincingly that Staël's political ideas have been overlooked or underrated in previous treatments of her life and work."--Ruth Scurr, author of Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution
About the Author
Biancamaria Fontana is professor of the history of political ideas at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Her books include Montaigne's Politics (Princeton), Benjamin Constant and the Post-Revolutionary Mind, and Rethinking the Politics of Commercial Society.
