Delphine

by Madame de (Anne-Louise-Germaine) Staël

"Delphine" by Madame de Staël is a novel published in 1802. Written in epistolary form, it explores the constraints on women's freedom in aristocratic society during the French Revolution. The story follows Delphine d'Albémar, a young widow who arranges a marriage between her cousin Matilde and Léonce de Mondoville—only to fall tragically in love with Léonce herself. The controversial novel, which addresses divorce, emigration, and political liberalism, prompted Napoleon to exile the author from Paris.