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by Isabelle De Charriere (Author), Caroline Warman (Introduction by), Caroline Warman (Translator)
The only available English translation 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 aPersuasion-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," is a thinly veiled critique of Marie Antoinette, cleverly disguised as a fairy tale. The Nobleman and Other Romances will delight fans of Jane Austen and Enlightenment-era French literature.
Author Biography
Isabelle de Charrière , nèe Isabella Agneta Elisabeth van Tuyll van Serooskerken (1740-1805) wrote novels, essays, plays, and operas- both music and libretti.
Caroline Warman is a lecturer in French at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Jesus College. This collection developed after she translated "Letters from Neuchâtel," one of the stories included here, as a birthday present for her aunt.
