Author, political activist and salonnière, Germaine de Staël has become the focal point of groundbreaking research in women’s studies, in performing arts, and in language/translation theory. In this multidisciplinary volume, a team of scholars concentrates on the vast range of her political and cultural engagements, both during and after the French Revolution. In this collection of studies, which examine issues as diverse as citizenship, immigration, abolition or constitutional liberalism, Staël’s stance as a champion of moderation against the perils of extremism and polarization...

Roman et théâtre ont toujours échangé leurs personnages, leurs intrigues, et même leurs univers respectifs. Au XVIIIe siècle leurs relations prennent un tour nouveau: le dialogue de théâtre envahit le roman et les œuvres hybrides se multiplient au point de rendre floues, voire inexistantes, leurs frontières génériques. Selon une perspective à la fois historique et théorique, Catherine Ramond présente ici la première étude d’ensemble des échanges entre roman et théâtre au XVIIIe siècle. Des romans-mémoires de Marivaux ou de Crébillon au ‘roman-théâtral’ de...

Out of public sight for over a hundred years, the Livre de caricatures tant bonnes que mauvaises is a remarkable work. This collection of comic and satirical drawings was created by a Parisian luxury embroiderer, Charles-Germain de Saint-Aubin, at a time of rigid press censorship to entertain a small group of family and friends. For today’s reader the Livreprovides not only a series of richly imaginative and varied drawings, but also a fascinating and intriguing commentary on pre-Revolutionary Paris. In this first comprehensive study of the Livre de caricatures, which includes over 190...

Trees and tree products have long been central to human life and culture, taking on intensified significance during the long eighteenth century. As basic raw material they were vital economic resources, objects of international diplomatic and commercial exchange, and key features in local economies. In an age of ongoing deforestation, both individuals and public entities grappled with the complex issues of how and why trees mattered. In this interdisciplinary volume, contributors build on recent research in environmental history, literary and material culture, and postcolonial studies to...

Le XVIIIe siècle, quel que soit l’angle sous lequel on le considère, n’a cessé de penser l’ordre naturel. Comment les philosophes et les écrivains s’en emparent-ils? Malléable à souhait, le concept oscille en permanence entre une réalité postulée, mais inaccessible, et les représentations qui tentent d’en fixer la cohérence. Postuler l’existence d’un ordre naturel met toujours en place une expérience de pensée. Dans ce recueil d’articles situé à la croisée des sciences naturelles, de la littérature et de la réflexion esthétique, les contributeurs saisissent...