Madame de Staël - Free!

Good news! Thanks to DailyLit.com, it's now possible to read the biography Madame de Staël, The First Modern Woman, by Francine du Plessix Gray for free through January.  According to Booklist:

"Intelligent, enthusiastic, and eloquent, Madame de Staël was a legendary conversationalist, brilliant writer, and courageous liberal activist. She was also a romantic passionate about politics and women’s rights, a perfect subject for du Plessix Gray, the biographer of the Marquis de Sade, Louise Colet, and Simone Weil. This page-turning brief life begins with vivid tales from de Staël’s privileged if demanding childhood as Germaine Necker, the daughter of Louis XVI’s minister of finance. With art and efficiency, du Plessix Gray then tracks de Staël’s remarkable evolution over the course of a messy marriage of convenience, many conspicuous affairs, motherhood, exile, and a long, terrible battle of wills with Napoléon Bonaparte. Ruthless in her portrayals of de Staël at her most ludicrously theatrical and of de Staël’s colorful lovers and enemies, du Plessix Gray crisply analyzes de Staël’s pioneering books and commends her heroism during the Terror."

DailyLit recently became an all free service through which it's possible to receive installments of a book via email or RSS on a computer or mobile device such as an iPhone or Blackberry. It's possible to adjust settings to receive it daily or on specific days you prefer. You can also choose delivery time, serif or sans serif type, font size and length of installments. If you've been curious about ebook readers like the Kindle, this is a perfect (and free!) opportunity to try out this new ebook venue.

I'm finding that I prefer receiving these short 5 minute excerpts to downloading an entire ebook. They trickle in each day ensuring that I don't download a book, read a little and then forget it's there on my iPhone or computer. It's a form of benevolent pressure conducive to my personality. Many of their titles are in the public domain and more recent titles are provided via support from publishers or sponsors. The fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg is sponsoring Madame de Staël through January 2010, so you should sign up for it now before its free status expires. Or check other titles like The Grammar Devotional: Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl or House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton. For Francophiles, DailyLit has 69 titles in the 'French' category. Happy reading.....

Comments

[Anna]

Thanks for the heads up, Tut. I've just read the first installment! I didn't know about DailyLit. I'm looking forward to an interesting future with them.

[Nancy LoBalbo]

du Plessix Gray is one of my favorite authors these days. After reading her book "Them" a while back (a brilliant and touching story of her parents lives), I went on to her "Simone Weil" and am currently reading "At Home With the Marquis de Sade". She is an amazing writer. I was totally unaware of DailyLit but can't wait to 'sign up'. Thanks for this tip!