Bettina Brentano von Arnim (1785–1859)

Abstract Bettina Brentano von Arnim is one of the most fascinating writers of German Romanticism—after a late, but spectacular start of her career as an author with the biographically inspired Goethe’s Letters with a Child (1835) that boldly claims the legacy of Germany’s most admired poet, Bettina continues to explore the realm of biography (Günderode, Spring Wreath), but also widens the perspective to the pressing social questions of her time. This chapter aims to present the versatility, social conscience paired with playful innocence, and ingenuity that marks Bettina’s work and personality, with a particular focus on her redefinition of the role of a female intellectual.