Look at her she is the image of our beautiful Italy. Corinne or Italy (1807) is both the story of a love affair between Oswald Lord Nelvil & a beautiful poetess & an homage to the landscape literature & art of Italy. On arriving in Italy Oswald immediately falls under Corinnes magical spell as she is crowned a national genius at the Captitol. Yet on returning to England he succumbs to convention & honours his late fathers wish by marrying the dutiful English girl Lucile despite having learned that Corinne is Luciles Italian half-sister. Corinne dies of a broken heart & Lord Nelvil is left with a seared conscience. Stael weaves discreet French Revolutionary political allusion & allegory into her romance & its publication saw her order of exile renewed by Napoleon. Indeed the novel stands as the birth of modern nationalism & introduces to French usage the word nationalitie. It is also one of the first works to put a womans creativity centre stage. Sylvia Raphaels new translation preserves the natural character of the French original & the edition is complemented by notes & and introduction which serve to set an extraordinary work of European Romanticism in its historical & political contexts. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford Worlds Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxfords commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study & much more.