Madame de Staël was a French-Swiss author, political activist, and socialite of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She is best known for her works of literature, which often focused on themes of gender and politics. She is also remembered as a belletrist, or writer of belles-lettres, which is a type of literature that focuses on beauty, emotion, and imagination. Her most famous work is 'Corinne, ou l'Italie, ' which was published in 1807.