Stewart, Dugald, 1753-1828

Son of a mathematician, Stewart became a major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, teaching at the University of Edinburgh on mathematics and moral and political philosophy, and through his lectures and writings profoundly influencing many British literary and political figures. He was joint founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Steevens, George, 1736-1800

English Shakespearean commentator best remembered for his collaboration with Samuel Johnson on a 10-volume publication of the complete plays of William Shakespeare. Steevens later produced a 15-volume revision of the work, altering and adding material seemingly for the purpose of proving his superiority to fellow Shakespearian scholar Edmond Malone. Steevens also exposed the poetic forgeries of Thomas Chatterton.

Steele, Richard, Sir, 1672-1729

Poet, dramatist, and satirist, Irish writer Sir Richard Steele is best remembered for his collaboration with Joseph Addison and Jonathan Swift in essay periodicals such as the Spectator, the Tatler, and the Guardian, many of which he penned, as did Addison and especially Swift, under the pseudonym "Isaac Bickerstaff."

Staël, Madame de (Anne-Louise-Germaine), 1766-1817

Staël's Delphine (1803) was popular among British women, but her Corinne, ou l'Italie (1807) exerted a crucial influence on Romantic women's conceptions of the female artist. Her career as a critic, literary philosopher, and analyst of national character began with Lettres sur les ouvrages et le caractère de J.-J. Rousseau (1788), translated as Letters on the Works and Character of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1789).