Leaving the castle

Abstract:

Having left the castle of Zuylen, Isabelle de Charrière explored many avenues and possible worlds through her creative writing, and set her fiction not only in Switzerland, but also in England, and in Germany. Taking as its point of departure the obstacles overcome by Julie, Belle de Zuylen’s first heroine, as she runs from her ancestors' castle in Le Noble (1763), this study examines the comparable difficulties encountered in Lettres neuchâteloises (1784), Caliste (1787), and Trois femmes (1795) by some remarkable characters who dare to stand up against the customs, ideas, and preconceptions of their society in hopes of modernizing an antiquated social contract.

SvD, July 2008

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• Publications > Volumes WomenWriters > Isabelle de Charrière > Monique Moser-Verrey