Description
Why did Napoléon cruelly force Mme de Staël to live in exile outside of France? What were the reasons for his personal persecution of this salonnière, and what does it tell us about the nature of dictatorship? Why did her literary works so infuriate him? It has been said the there were three great powers struggling against Napoléon for the soul of Europe: England, Russia, and Madame de Staël. What did this woman of letters write that so threatened Napoléon? This program will highlight the literary and political realms of the Enlightenment and their clash, conflict, and struggle for the soul of country. As a leader of the Alliance Française de St. Louis, Dr. Morros wrote her dissertation on Mme de Staël for the Ph.D. in 18th century French Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.