Delphine Gay, Mme de Girardin, le Vicomte de Launay

Delphine Gay de Girardin exercised considerable influence within the literary society of her day. She was a successful novelist, poet, journalist, historiographer, and playwright, who wrote in both the popular and learned arenas. Her literary salon was reputed for its brilliance. She was friend and collaborator to Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, Théophile Gautier, Alfred de Vigny, Alphonse de Lamartine, and so many others; yet today, her works have all but disappeared from cultural memory. The importance of figures such as Delphine Gay de Girardin ought not to be underestimated. The contribution that this one author, who wrote under three different names, offers to our understanding of cultural history is immeasurable. This monograph of the muse is but one attempt made toward a recognition of so worthy a figure: Delphine Gay de Girardin, muse of the July Monarchy.