The civil wars of Julia Ward Howe : a biography

The first full biography of Julia Ward Howe—the author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic and an early and powerful feminist pioneer—a groundbreaking figure in the abolitionist and suffrage movements. Julia Ward (1819–1910) was an heiress who married a handsome accomplished doctor named Samuel Howe who made great strides working with the blind and deaf. However he wasted her inheritance, mistreated and belittled her, and tried to stifle her intellect and freedom. Nevertheless Julia persisted and through six children and a troubled private life she wrote poetry and a mildly shocking sexual novel that was published to good reviews. She also was acquainted with Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman and other writers and wrote the words to probably the most famous anthem in the country's history—the Civil War hymn. The war was an important time in the Howes' lives, both of whom were abolitionists. Moreover the Civil War challenged... A "lively biography" ( The New Yorker ) of Julia Ward Howe, the powerful feminist pioneer and author of the Civil War anthem, "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Julia Ward (1819–1910) was an heiress who married a handsome accomplished doctor who worked with the blind and deaf. But Samuel Howe wasted her inheritance, mistreated and belittled her, and tried to stifle her intellect and freedom. Nevertheless Julia persisted and wrote poetry and a mildly shocking sexual novel that was published to good reviews. She also wrote the words to probably the most famous anthem in the country's history—the Civil War anthem, "Battle Hymn of the Republic." After Samuel died when she was fifty-one, Julia lived another forty years as a dynamic, tireless, and successful activist for women's rights, pacifism, and social reform. She became a groundbreaking figure in the abolitionist and suffrage movements, and a successful author and lecturer who fought her own battle for creative freedom and independence. In the "riveting" ( The New York Times Book Review ), "unfailingly vivid" ( The Atlantic ) and "invigorating" ( O, The Oprah Magazine ) The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe , esteemed author Elaine Showalter tells the story of Howe's determined self-creation and brings to life the society she inhabited and the obstacles she overcame. The Civil War challenged nineteenth-century ideas of separate spheres for men and women. In Howe's case, this transformation led to a rebellion against her marriage. She fought a second Civil War at home and discovered ways to combine domestic chores with creativity and politics, and she helped establish Mother's Day to honor women and to recruit them to her causes. "A biography with the verve and pace of a delicious novel...Showalter reveals the entwining of Howe's public and private lives, as she righteously battled her husband and society, and finally saw the glory she always believed she deserved" ( The Boston Globe ). "Julia Howe (1819 -1910) was a beautiful, studious New York heiress and aspiring poet when she married Bostonian Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, a hero of the Greek war of independence against the Turks and an internationally acclaimed pioneer in the education of the blind. Their marriage united two exceptional people. Together the Howes knew many of the key figures of their era, from Charles Dickens and Florence Nightingale in England, to Margaret Fuller, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Horace Mann, Charles Sumner, and John Brown. But despite his philanthropic and abolitionist ideals, Dr. Howe did not support married women's work outside the home. He isolated Julia, opposed her literary ambitions, and wasted her inheritance. She defied him by continuing to publish poems and plays while raising their six children. She also secretly wrote a bold novel about a hermaphrodite, undiscovered until long after her death. And during the Civil War, she wrote the words to the most powerful and enduring anthem in the nation's history. Authorship of the 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' made her famous and revered. But she fought her own civil war at home, battling with her husband over her rights to equality, intellectual freedom, and a public voice. As soon as the war ended, she became a pacifist and suffragist leader. In the second half of her life, she came into her own as a tireless campaigner for women's rights and social reform. In this biography, Elaine Showalter tells the story of Howe's determined self-creation and vividly restores her to the pantheon of feminist intellectuals who changed the world."--Dust jacket Unfailingly vividand fair-minded The Atlantic Riveting The New York Times Book Review A biography with the verve and pace of a delicious novel...a polemic and a pleasure. The Boston Globe The first biography to reveal Julia Ward Howethe author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic as a feminist pioneer who fought her own battle for creative freedom and independence. Julia Ward (18191910) was a heiress and aspiring poet when she married Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, an internationally-acclaimed pioneer in the education of the blind. Together the Howes knew many of the key figures of their era, from Charles Dickens to John Brown. But he also wasted her inheritance, isolated and discouraged her, and opposed her literary ambitions. Julia persisted, and continued to publish poems and plays while raising six children. Authorship of the Battle Hymn of the Republic made her celebrated and revered. But Julia was also continuing to fight a civil war at home; she became a pacifist, suffragist, and world traveler. She came into her own as a tireless campaigner for womens rights and social reform. Esteemed author Elaine Showalter tells the story of Howes determined self-creation and brings to life the society she inhabited and the obstacles she overcame. "Authorship of the Battle Hymn of the Republic made [19th-century aspiring poet and playwright Julia Ward Lowe] celebrated and revered. But Julia was also continuing to fight a civil war at home; she became a pacifist, suffragist, and world traveler. She came into her own as a tireless campaigner for women's rights and social reform ... Elaine Showalter tells the story of Howe's determined self-creation and brings to life the society she inhabited and the obstacles she overcame"--Amazon.com