Dimensions
132 x 198 x 22mm
The only available English translations of writings by an Enlightenment-era Dutch aristocrat, writer, composer-and woman.
Born Dutch, noble, and free-spirited, Isabelle de Charrière (also known as Belle de Zuylen) was an enlightened woman whose writings-not unlike Jane Austen's-tackled the intricacies of high society, particularly in matters of love. Published when she was only twenty- two, 'The Nobleman' is a Persuasion-like tale whose heroine challenges her stodgy father in order to marry a man of unassuming ancestry. But Charrière did not confine herself to simple marriage plots and country courtships. Another story, 'Eagonlette and Suggestina, or, On Pliancy.' is a thinly veiled critique of Marie Antoinette, cleverly disguised as a fairy tale. These compelling new translations finally restore a remarkable writer and thinker to her rightful place in the literary canon.
Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Caroline Warman