Benjamin Constant and the Birth of French Liberalism (Palgrave Studies in Cultural and Intellectual History)

Traditional scholarship on French liberalism has frequently proceeded by defining the core issues and telling a story of their emergence and development. This book takes a different approach: rather than beginning with an a priori definition of liberalism, it focuses on the political thought of Benjamin Constant and Germaine de Sta?l, the first figures in France to call their thought “liberal.” In so doing, it advances a new interpretation of the timing and character of French (and more broadly European) liberalism, and contributes to the ongoing debate concerning the place of morality, sociability, and conceptions of the “self” in modern liberal thought. Coverpage......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 Benjamin Constant and Germaine de Staël......Page 14 The Revolutionary Context......Page 15 Thermidor and the Directory......Page 19 Organization of the Book......Page 23 1 Benjamin Constant: The Early Years (1767–95)......Page 26 Constant’s Family and Education: The Making of a Cosmopolitan......Page 27 Early Infatuations and the Issue of Constant’s “Character”......Page 29 Isabelle de Charrière, Minna von Cramm, and the Court of Brunswick......Page 35 Early Political Ruminations......Page 39 Reactions to the French Revolution......Page 41 Liberal Opposition to Revenge and Exclusion......Page 45 Constant and Staël in Paris......Page 48 “Ending the Revolution” and the Constitution of 1795......Page 54 Constant’s Political Writings, 1796–97......Page 61 Moeurs: Between Vengeance and Fatigue/Between Rebelliousness and Resignation......Page 66 Germaine de Staël’s Politics......Page 76 Salons......Page 80 Liberalism......Page 85 The Coup of 18 Fructidor, an V (4 September 1797)......Page 90 The Consequences of Counter-Revolution......Page 99 Liberalism Confronts Anarchism: William Godwin......Page 104 The Possibility of a Republic in a Large Country......Page 114 Between Immanuel Kant and Edmund Burke......Page 129 Constant in the Tribunat......Page 133 Constant, Staël, and Charlotte von Hardenberg......Page 138 Delphine, Corinne, and Adolphe......Page 140 Sensibilité......Page 149 Religion......Page 156 Sociability......Page 164 5 Liberal Pluralism and the Napoleonic Empire (1802–15)......Page 172 Pluralism......Page 176 Political Sovereignty......Page 187 Religious Toleration......Page 199 The Danger of Fanaticism......Page 201 Ancient versus Modern Liberty......Page 203 Constant and the Liberal Opposition......Page 206 Commentaire sur l’ouvrage de Filangieri......Page 210 Liberal Pluralism......Page 214 Notes......Page 226 Index......Page 282 "Benjamin Constant (1767-1830) has come to be recognized, not only as an important novelist, but also as a major theorist of early liberalism. This book provides a densely contextualized intellectual biography of Constant that imbeds his thought in French political developments during the revolutionary era. Vincent argues that Constant's distinctive liberal political stance emerged during the Directory and Consulate, earlier than other scholars have claimed. He also demonstrates that Constant's thought was deeply influenced by traditions of sensibility and pluralism. While political issues are privileged, the personal dimension of Constant's trajectory is not overlooked ; indeed, the reader also learns much about Constant's tormented love life and in particular about his important and long relationship with Germaine de Staël"-- Provided by publisher Benjamin Constant: the early years (1767-95) The emergence of liberalism (1795-97) Liberal dilemmas (1797-1802) Liberal culture: sensibilité and sociability Liberal pluralism and the Napoleonic empire (1802-15) Conclusion: "Une philosophie engagée".