Abstract

Until the middle of the last century, Olympe de Gouge was almost unanimously remembered as a “courtesanµ. Just in recent years, her figure has undergone a cultural rehabilitation. First in France, and then also in Germany, United States and Japan her work has become the subject of many studies. On the contrary, in Italy de Gouges has not been completely investigated. Therefore, the publication of the recent volume of Annamaria Loche, La liberté ou la mort. The political and legal project of Olympe de Gouges, results to be relevant in this field. The Loche’s essay offers a systematic analysis of the French thinker’s works and focus on her contribution to the human rights theorization. The resulting portrait of de Gouges is that of a passionate interpreter of the illuminist spirit.