Esther A. Renfrew Paddock Madame de Staël Collection

Collection

Identifier: MSS029

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection includes materials compiled by Butler University professor Esther A. Renfrew Paddock related to her research on Madame de Staël of France. There are also magazines and other works related to the Bonaparte family and their time in power, as well as research on and manuscripts by French historian and woman of letters Countess Pauline (de Broglie) de Pange. Many of the materials are in French.

This collection also includes books related to French history, as well as a box with 32 playbills from plays around the world, most of which relate to France in some way.

Dates

Creation: 1907 - 1980

Creator

Paddock, Esther A. Renfrew, 1897-1985 (Person)

Language of Materials

While some materials are in English, many items are in French.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Biographical Note

Esther A. Renfrew Paddock graduated from Butler University in 1921. She was a professor of modern foreign languages at Butler University for 39 years, retiring in 1962. Professor Paddock focused much of her research on Madame Germaine de Staël, a French socialite who ran in the same circles as famous intellectuals such as Thomas Paine, the Marquise de Lafayette, and Thomas Jefferson. Her status as a political centrist endangered her during the more radical phase of the French Revolution. Madame de Staël wrote numerous political and autobiographical pieces that garnered extensive attention.

Extent

1.88 Linear Feet (6 boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection consists of the research notes, findings, and collected materials on Madame de Staël and French revolutionaries by Butler University professor Esther A. Renfrew Paddock.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one series.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Esther A. Renfrew Paddock donated this collection to Butler University Libraries in 1978 (Accession Number 1978.001).

Bibliography

The Library of Congress. “Research Guides: Women in the French Revolution: A Resource Guide: Germaine de Staël,” 2023. https://guides.loc.gov/women-in-the-french-revolution/germaine-de-stael.