<DIV><p><b> The only available English translation of writings by an Enlightenment-era Dutch aristocrat, writer, composer-and woman. </b></p><p>Born Dutch, noble, and free-spirited, Isabelle de Charrière (also known as Belle de Zuylen) was an enlightened woman whose writings-not unlike Jane Austen's-tackled the intricacies of high society, particularly in matters of love. Published when she was only twenty- two, "The Nobleman" is a <i>Persuasion</i>-like tale whose heroine challenges her stodgy father in order to marry a man of unassuming ancestry. But Charrière did not confine herself to simple marriage plots and country courtships. Another story, "Eagonlette and Suggestina," is a thinly veiled critique of Marie Antoinette, cleverly disguised as a fairy tale. <i>The Nobleman and Other Romances</i> will delight fans of Jane Austen and Enlightenment-era French literature.</p></div>