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Title: Mistress to an Age: A Life of Madame de Stael by J. Christopher Herold ISBN: 0-8021-3837-3 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: 09 February, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Female Unique
Comment: I've always loved reading about European history, and several times over the years I've read about the famous salon of Madame de Stael. However, none of the books ever said anything except that it was a meeting place for the great intellects of the time and that Madame de Stael was a brilliant conversationalist. I wanted to know more about this woman, and was very happy to come across this biography by J. Christopher Herold. I just finished the book, and can say without hesitation that it's one of the best biographies I've ever read. It reads like a novel; indeed, Mr. Herold has the insight into character of a great novelist. Additionally, he writes well and is extremely witty. He is not blind to the faults of his subject. Actually, her faults probably outweighed her positive traits. She was remarkably selfish. Her needs were the only thing that mattered. Everyone had to be at her beck and call. She was also extremely manipulative. When one of her numerous lovers would threaten to break off with her she would threaten to kill herself or find some other way to make them so guilty that they would come back. She was fickle. She would write to one man and tell him that her life revolved around his love. Of course, at the same time she might be writing to two or three other men, telling them the same thing! Despite her reputation as a staunch foe of Napoleon, she could sometimes put her self-interest ahead of principle. She was willing to turn her head the other way and stop criticizing Napoleon when she thought that Bonaparte, as a quid pro quo, would be willing to repay some money that the government had owed her father. One of the difficulties in remaining open-minded concerning Madame de Stael's intellectual achievements is that her rather unruly and pathetic personal life tends to color one's judgement. At her home in Switzerland she surrounded herself with various intellectuals who were either past lovers, current lovers, or those hoping to be future lovers. The scenario played out like a Marx Brothers movie, with Madame de Stael as the Margaret Dumont character. Everyone lived in the same house, yet when it came to dealing with feelings rather than with intellectual topics everyone communicated by letter rather than by discussion. Everyone engaged in histrionics- there was much swooning and talk of suicide. One man, August Schlegel, in a letter which is reproduced in the book, promised to be Madame de Stael's willing slave. Some lovers, such as Benjamin Constant, would break free but when summoned by Germaine would crawl back like a whipped dog. The home of Madame de Stael was a bouillabaisse of the debased. One thing that Mr. Herold can never satisfactorily explain is how Germaine was able to exert this gravitational grip on the men in her orbit. Despite having flashing eyes and an ample bosom, she was not attractive. Mr. Herold tells us that she had superhuman energy and was a brilliant conversationalist. Perhaps that is where the problem lies......we can't be present at the conversations, and Madame de Stael lived in the days before radio and newsreels. But, somehow, she attracted the "best and the brightest" of her day, and that was enough to worry Napoleon and cause Germaine's exile from Paris. One amusing thing about Madame de Stael is that she was always tongue tied in Napoleon's presence. Mr. Herold relates a story concerning one time when Germaine was invited to attend a function where Napoleon would be present. She vowed she would be ready for the occasion and prepared answers for every possible question. Unfortunately, on the big night Napoleon took one look at her low-cut dress and merely remarked that is was obvious she must have "fed" her own children when they were babies. Alas, Germaine once again didn't know what to say. She did get her revenge years later when Napoleon's second wife gave birth to a male heir, the King of Rome. When asked to say something "nice", Germaine thought a moment and said, "I hope they find a good wetnurse!" Score one for Madame de Stael....
Rating: 5
Summary: The dazzling life of Germaine de Stael
Comment: Madame Germaine de Stael's epic life- from her precocious involvement with the eminent salon of her mother and her subsequent development as one of the most formidable intellectuals and dazzling conversationalists of her day, to her influential literary career, and her operatic relationships with fellow intellectuals including Benjamin Constant- all are covered with infectious enthusiasm and elan in this wonderful biography.
The historical importance of this vivid personality is explored in ways that often provide a unique perspective on the most important historical happenings and trends of Germaine de Stael's time. As a child, she was the pet of her mother's circle of friends, which included the likes of Gibbon and Diderot. As an adult, when she cultivated an even more brilliant circle of her own, she associated with many of the most important people of her day, including Talleyrand, the Schlegel brothers, and Goethe. Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun painted her portrait, and Julie Recamier, the aloof beauty known from the famous David painting, was one of her closest friends. As for her intellectual contributions, her ideas were widely influential in the development of German Romanticism, her impact on the development of Romantic literature cannot be denied, and she may very well be the first woman to be widely recognized for her contributions to political philosophy. She played a pivotal role in the French Revolution. Napoleon, perhaps a little intimidated by her powerhouse personality and unconventional ideas, despised her and persecuted her with obsessive zeal.
J. Christopher Herold may not be insensible to the force of Madame de Stael's personality, but he is not simply a devoted admirer of Madame de Stael. He gently pokes fun at the wild melodrama of her tumultuous personal life and some of her literary works, while expressing admiration for the sheer passion Germaine de Stael brought to every aspect of her life. J. Christopher Herold's effervescent and lively style complements the flamboyant, witty Madame de Stael- it's the perfect match of author and subject. Here is a rare thing- a biography that you'll actually want to re-read. Rare for me, anyway. Mistress to an Age is funny, thrilling, and as dazzling as Germaine de Stael herself was.
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Title: Corinne: Or Italy (Oxford World's Classics) by Madame De Stael, Sylvia Raphael, Stael, John Isbell ISBN: 0192825054 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution by Simon Schama ISBN: 0679726101 Publisher: Vintage Books USA Pub. Date: 01 March, 1990 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: Louis Xiii, the Just by A. Lloyd Moote ISBN: 0520075463 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1991 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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