English 3349F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: The Dial, Lydia Maria Child, Woman In The Nineteenth Century
4 Jan 2021
School
Department
Course
Professor
Part One — Youtube Video
- Marget Fuller was author, journalist, critic
- First full time American female book reviewer in journalism
- Women (1843) considered first major feminist work in US
- Born in Massachusets in 1810 — was not allowed to read any “feminine” readings
- Attended school for young ladies in Massachussets
- At 16, left school — extremely well read, taught reading and writing
- 1836, took a teaching position at a Temple School — made “Conversations”, gatherings for
women
- Discussions on mythology, literature, nature, women’s interest
- Began to stimulate conversations which ask what women would do
- Emerson asked her to become editor of The Dial
- 1845 — Women in the 19C
- Known as one of the first feminists, felt strongly about women’s education
Part Two — MacLean Lecture
- Was passionate about education for women
- Popular in transcendentalist debates because she was such a good debater — not taken as
seriously as her male counterparts
- Men would emphasize that she was not like other girls and might ened to be reigned in
- Transcendentalism and women’s rights — not great
- Fell in love with Italian revolutionary, had a baby out of wedlock
- He was Catholic, she was Protestant — illegal to marry
- Didn’t tell anyone of the pregnancy, waited until she went back to US
- Died in shipwreck off shore of United States in 1850, at the age of 40
- Even in choices of sexual partner, marital/family status — stood apart from norms of
Transcendentalists
- The Cult of True Womanhood
- Four virtues: piety, purity, submissiveness, domesticity
- Barbara Welter: virtues of womanhood
- Womanhood was charming, self-sacrificing, moral centre of household
- Margaret Fuller’s education was different than most women
- Women were expected to remain at home; no schools would accept them
- Would remain in parental family unit or start their own through marriage
- Expected not to compete with men or not to speak in public
- Conversations that Fuller organized in which women could speak together
would have been radical
- Women’s rights movement was growing in the 1840s —
- First women’s rights convention (Seneca Falls convention) was five years after The Great
Lawsuit was published
- Other Transcendentalist women — Lydia Maria Child (novelist, edited Incidents), Elizabeth and
Sofia Peabody
Document Summary
First full time american female book reviewer in journalism. Women (1843) considered first major feminist work in us. Born in massachusets in 1810 was not allowed to read any feminine readings. Attended school for young ladies in massachussets. At 16, left school extremely well read, taught reading and writing. 1836, took a teaching position at a temple school made conversations , gatherings for women. Discussions on mythology, literature, nature, women"s interest. Began to stimulate conversations which ask what women would do. Emerson asked her to become editor of the dial. Known as one of the first feminists, felt strongly about women"s education. Popular in transcendentalist debates because she was such a good debater not taken as seriously as her male counterparts. Men would emphasize that she was not like other girls and might ened to be reigned in. Fell in love with italian revolutionary, had a baby out of wedlock. He was catholic, she was protestant illegal to marry.
