DelphineGermaine de Sta\u00ebl's first major novel, Delphine, published in 1802, is a profound commentary on the status of women during a critical period of French political history. Delphine's eighteenth century conventional form as an epistolary novel masks its unconventional questioning of accepted values and norms. From the start, the Napoleonic government understood that Delphine was more than just a tale of tragic love. Though Sta\u00ebl disclaimed any