Madame de Stael
1
9.6
- proper noun
- Many scholars regard Madame de Stael as a pioneering figure in the development of European Romanticism.
Examples
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The literary salons hosted by Madame de Stael attracted leading intellectuals of the era.
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In her writings, Madame de Stael advocated for political liberty and the importance of individual expression.
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Many consider Madame de Stael one of the most influential writers of her time.
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Did you know that Madame de Stael wrote extensively about politics?
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In her writings, Madame de Stael advocated for political liberty and the importance of individual expression.
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Many scholars regard Madame de Stael as a pioneering figure in the development of European Romanticism.
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The literary salons hosted by Madame de Stael attracted leading intellectuals of the era.
Surface Forms
Morphology
madame + de + Stael
This is a proper name: knowing 'madame' lets a learner infer a female/formal French title and perhaps that the phrase names a woman, but the specific identity and biographical meaning (an 18th–19th‑century French writer and intellectual) cannot be derived from the constituents. Recognizing her as a particular historical figure requires world knowledge rather than compositional understanding, so the expression is not transparently interpretable from its parts.
Etymology
Madame de Stael was a famous French writer who held lively 'salons', rooms where writers and thinkers met to talk about books and politics. Because so many important people came to her meetings, her name now reminds readers of new ideas and the start of Romantic literature.