comtesse de Stéphanie Félicité Genlis

Stéphanie Félicité du Crest de Saint-Aubin, known as the comtesse de Genlis, was born on January 25, 1746, in the Saône-et-Loire region of France, and died in Paris on December 31, 1830. She became known as a novelist, playwright, educator, and keen observer of the political and social world around her.

Genlis gained influence through her work educating the children of the Orléans family, an unusual role for a woman of her time. Her ideas emphasized practical learning, moral instruction, languages, science, and the value of education for girls. She later developed these ideas in works such as Théâtre d’éducation, Les Annales de la vertu, and Adèle et Théodore.

A prolific author, she wrote novels, historical romances, educational works, plays, religious texts, and memoirs. The French Revolution forced her into exile in Switzerland, Germany, and Hamburg before she returned to France, where she continued writing and became especially valued for her memoirs and their vivid perspective on the eighteenth century.