Lass, Egon H.E.

The Cultural Salons of Educated Women that Shaped the Politics of Germany over 200 Years (1730-1914): A Study of Their Diaries, Letters, Memoirs, Poetry, and Philosophy

2023 1-4955-1073-5
"Everything in this book is historically true, based on diaries, letters, memoirs, and an occasional biography. All of the original sources were in German. The story unfolds in a slow progression, beginning in the second half of the 18th century, proceeding through the 19th, and finishing in the early years of the 20th century, arranged by date of birth for each figure. The development of the story reveals a pleasant surprise--the interconnectedness of it all, how these contemporaries knew each other, or of each other, influenced each other, admired each other, and in some cases activey visited each other and were close friends for life. All of the women were highly intelligent and literate, meaning that they were either of the privileged nobility or of families that were wealthy enough to allow their daughters a decent education. But even at the beginning of the 20th century there was still a reluctance among men to credit women for their intellectual achievements, as seen in the case of Therese von Bayern, and when they did, it was a source of shame and embarrassment for the woman, because contrary to all indications, she doubted her own legitimacy as a scholar." - Egon Lass (from the author's Introduction)