Schlegel, Dorothea von, 1764-1839

Dorothea Mendelssohn Schlegel, the eldest daughter of Moses Mendelssohn, born Brendel, was an author and editor whose work received little recognition during her lifetime. While married to Simon Veit, she became active in Berlin’s dynamic salon subculture. In 1799 she fell in love with the controversial writer Friedrich Schlegel and divorced Veit that same year. Her relationship with Friedrich alienated Dorothea from her family; the couple settled in Vienna, where they married and converted to Catholicism in 1808. Under Friedrich’s name, Dorothea published her only novel Florentin in 1799, and her edited volumes of medieval French texts in 1802.