The Woman and the Hour : Harriet Martineau and Victorian Ideologies

Harriet Martineau was a major figure in the Victorian period and a prominent speaker in a number of contemporary cultural debates, including racism, atheism, abolitionism, and the status of women. Her various novels, essays, and articles generated tremendous controversy in their reception as they forced such topics of debate into the public realm. Caroline Roberts's The Woman and the Hour provides an engaging examination of seven of Martineau's most contentious texts: Illustrations of Political Economy (1832-34), Society in America (1837), Deerbrook (1839), The Hour and the Man (1841), Letters on Mesmerism (1844), Eastern Life, Present and Past (1848), and Letters on the Laws of Man's Nature and Development (1851). Building on the premise that these works serve as an important gauge of prevailing beliefs, opinions, and attitudes in Victorian society, Roberts situates Martineau's writing in its historical context and presents a sophisticated scholarly analysis of their predominantly hostile reception. Moreover, Roberts integrates close readings with meticulous archival research of periodical reviews, offering a valuable resource and stimulus for both the literary critic and the cultural historian. Harriet Martineau was a major figure in the Victorian period and a prominent speaker in a number of contemporary cultural debates, including racism, atheism, abolitionism, and the status of women. Her various novels, essays, and articles generated tremendous controversy in their reception as they forced such topics of debate into the public realm. Caroline Roberts's The Woman and the Hour provides an engaging examination of seven of Martineau's most contentious texts: Illustrations of Political Economy (1832-34), Society in America (1837), Deerbrook (1839), The Hour and the Man (1841), Letters on Mesmerism (1844), Eastern Life, Present and Past (1848), and Letters on the Laws of Man's Nature and Development (1851). Building on the premise that these works serve as an important gauge of prevailing beliefs, opinions, and attitudes in Victorian society, Roberts situates Martineau's writing in its historical context and presents a sophisticated scholarly analysis of their predominantly hostile reception. Moreover, Roberts integrates close readings with meticulous archival research of periodical reviews, offering a valuable resource and stimulus for both the literary critic and the cultural historian Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction: Contexts and Controversies 11 1. Gendered Discourses and a Sociology of Texts: Illustrations of Political Economy (1832–4) 20 2. The Linguistic Structure of American Society 36 3. Realism and Feminism: Deerbrook (1839 62 4. History and Romance: The Hour and the Man (1841) 86 5. Invalidism, Mesmerism, and the Medical Profession: Life in the Sick-Room (1844) and Letters on Mesmerism (1844) 117 6. History and Religious Faith: Eastern Life, Present and Past (1848) 149 7. Shaking the Faith: Letters on the Laws of Man's Nature and Development (1851) 179 Conclusion 203 Notes 207 Works Cited 243 Index 257 "Harriet Martineau was a major figure in the Victorian period and a prominent speaker in a number of contemporary cultural debates, including those on racism, atheism, abolitionism, and the status of women. Her various books, novels, essays, and articles generated tremendous controversy in their reception as they forced such topics of debate into the public realm."--Jacket