In De Stael and Constant's novels, women are used as foils to their male counterparts. Corrine and Ellénore as main female characters can be seen as muses, but in different circumstances. Corrine's depiction of the muse is closer to classical mythology while Ellénore's muse seems to be darker and closer to a femme fatale figure. This can be explored in the descriptions of Corrine and Ellénore, their relationships with the male protagonist, and the portrayal of other women. Corrine and Ellénore appear to share similar backgrounds, both having been forced to live far from their home country, lacking parental education, longing for love, and have been seen as unsuitable matches by enlightened society. Despite this, Corrine and Ellénore have different life perspectives and motivations. De Stael creates Corrine as a creative and passionate woman, celebrated for her artistic ability. This can be seen the moment Corrine arrives in the capital to be crowned:Corrine was sitting on the chariot, built in the style of ancient Rome[…] Wherever she went people generously threw perfumes into the air; […] everyone shouted: Long live Corrine! Long live the genius! Long live beauty! […] At the same time she gave the impression of a priestess of Apollo […] and of a completely natural woman in ordinary relationships. This quote illustrates the similarities between Corrine and the classical muse. The reference to the chariot connotes royalty and honor while Apollo is used to compare Corrine to a follower of the Roman god of music and poetry. Furthermore, people's celebrations suggest that she is admired and for being both feminine and intelligent, this is illustrated by the crowd recognizing her beauty and genius. However,… halfway through the document… much of his opposition to others' attempts to remove it; the contract revives his love and his decision, but his will depends for its energy on an external stimulus [...] He denies his own moral responsibility and places all the blame, both for loving Ellénore and for not loving her, to forces stronger than himselfThis source implies that Ellénore is only desirable because she is forbidden by Adolphe's Society. This reinforces the theory that Ellénore is a femme fatale figure as she is shunned by society and turns Adolphe against his own family. Furthermore, Pomfret argues that the muse is only "a male-generated vision of femininity", this suggests that Ellénore is a muse because she is the woman Adolphe chooses to fall in love with and because she is the only female character in Constant's novel; this suggests that Ellénore is Constant's vision of femininity.