Corinne or Italy — Madame De Stael

Germaine de Staël s Corinne Or Italy was published in French in 1807 and was quickly translated into English It became a touchstone for nineteenth century conceptions of women s creativity and the life of the woman writer as well as an important formulation of analogies between models of artistic creation and political systems The novel s portrayal of Italian improvisers also helped produce the modern usage of improvisation and related terms in English