At the time of its publication, her book was considered to have been written in a political spirit, but her motive was far from that; it was the action of a generous heart, a book as true and loyal to the French as was ever a book written by a Frenchman.  In her work Considerations sur la Revolution Francaise she expressed the most advanced ideas on politics and government.  The Revolution freed France and made it prosper; “every absolute monarch enslaves his country, and freedom reigns not in politics nor in the arts and sciences.  Local and provincial liberties have formed nations, but royalty has deformed the nation by turning it to profit.”  Mme. de Stael found nothing to admire in Louis XIV., and to Richelieu she attributed the destruction of the originality of the French character, of its loyalty, candor, and independence.  In that work she advocated education, which she considered a duty of the government to the people.  “Schools must be established for the education of the poor, universities for the study of all languages, literatures, and sciences;” these ideas took root after her death.

Mme. de Stael was a finished writer; because of its force, openness, and seriousness, her style might be termed a masculine one; she wrote to persuade and, as a rule, succeeded.  Her grave defect seemed to be in her inspirations, which were always superior to her ideas, and in her sentiments, which she invariably turned to passions.

Few French writers have exercised such a great influence in so many directions, and it became specially marked after her death; while living, the gossip against her salon prevented her opinions from being accepted or taking root.  Her political influence was great at her time and lasted some twenty years.  Directly influenced by her were Narbonne, De Montmorency, Benjamin Constant, and the Duc Victor de Broglie, her son-in-law.  By her and her father, the Globe, the orators of the Academy and the tribune, and the politicians of the day, were inspired.  The greatest was Guizot, who interpreted and preached in the spirit of Mme. de Stael.  In history her influence was equally felt, especially in Guizot’s Essays on the History of France, and in his History of Civilization, wherein civilization was considered as the constant progress in justice, in society, and in the state.  To her Guizot owed his idea of Amour dans le Mariage. The Historical Essays on England, by Remusat, an ardent admirer of hers, was largely influenced by her Considerations, while Tocqueville’s Ancien Regime contains many of her ideas.

Literature owes even more to her works, which encouraged the study of foreign literatures; almost all translations were due to her works.  Michelet, Quinet, Nodier, Victor Hugo, so much influenced by German literature, owe their knowledge of it mainly to her.  Too much credit may be given her when it is stated that all Mignons, Marguerites, Mephistopheles, etc., proceeded indirectly from her work, as well as nearly all descriptions of travels.  Lamartine undoubtedly used her De l’Allemagne and her Des Passions freely.  The heroine of Jocelyn is called but a daughter of Delphine, and the same author’s terrible invective against Napoleon was inspired by her.