Angelica Goodden Knihy

The life of Madame de Staël is marked by her status as a prominent novelist and critic, rivaling even Napoleon in fame. Her most notable works emerged during periods of exile, a consequence of her bold political views. Angelica Goodden delves into the contradictions of de Staël's life, examining how her experiences of exile shaped her literary contributions and public persona, highlighting the complexities of a woman who navigated the turbulent political landscape of her time.

The papers collected in this volume are selected from the proceedings of a conference held at St Hilda's College, Oxford, in 2001. The eighteenth century - an age of empiricism - saw understanding the body as central to the science of man. In medicine, literature and the arts the theme of corporeality focused debates about correct human responses, expressing emotion, representing beauty and cultivating relationships. These papers set out to examine how the body came to the fore as communicative medium, hygienic complex and object of artistic as well as scientific investigation and literary presentation.