Lady Mary Wortley MontaguThis book is the first to look at Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's achievement as a vital figure in the women's literary tradition. Robert Halsband's book on her life, the sixth this century and published in 1956, was the first to apply scholarly techniques to establishing the facts. The inaccurateaccounts given before Halsband testify to Lady Mary's compelling interest as a woman who wrote, travelled, campaigned publicly for medical advance, gossiped, and was involved in high-profile literary quarrels. Knowledge of her life has made considerable gains since Halsband, as understanding of theissues involved in trying to move between the roles of proper lady and woman writer has increased enormously. This life fruitfully exploits the tension between literary history and feminist reading. Isobel Grundy highlights Montagu's adolescent longing for literary fame, her growing understandingof the implications of this for gender and class imperatives, the frustrations and concessions involved in her collaborations with male writers, the punitive responses of society, the gaps at every stage of her life between her ascertainable circumstances and her construction of herself in lettersand other writings. The book situates those writings in relation to her own theorizing and her very wide reading in women's texts as well as men's. Finally, it looks at a range of contemporary and near-contemporary responses. |
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Contents
Roots I | 1 |
Marriage Market | 30 |
Elopement | 45 |
Domesticity | 57 |
Loss of Face | 99 |
Overland | 117 |
Adrianople | 134 |
Constantinople | 152 |
Venice | 395 |
Florence Rome Naples | 415 |
Turin and Elsewhere | 436 |
Avignon | 456 |
Gottolengo Lovere | 477 |
Lone Philosopher | 505 |
Venice and Padua | 556 |
Friends and Foes | 573 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
admired Algarotti already Anne appeared brought called CL ii close copy Corr court daughter death Duke early Edward England English father feelings felt Frances gave give hand Hervey hoped husband included inoculation Italy James John keep knew known Lady Bute Lady Mary Lady Mary's later learned least leave less letters living London look Lord lover marriage married mind Montagu months mother Murray MWM's never offered once perhaps Pierrepont poem political Pope Pope's present printed probably received relations reported says seems sent sister soon stay story things thought told took turned Venice verse Walpole wanted wife woman women Wortley writing written wrote young
Bibliographic information
| Title | Lady Mary Wortley Montagu |
| Authors | Isobel Grundy, Henry Marshall Tory Professor Isobel Grundy |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 1999 |
| ISBN | 0198112890, 9780198112891 |
| Length | 680 pages |
| Subjects | › › Biography & Autobiography / Literary Figures Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Social Science / Women's Studies |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |