Eminent Victorian Women

by Elizabeth Longford

Elizabeth Longford has chosen a group of Victorian women who, in their actions or writing, challenged the repressive rules of established society. They include Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, whose cloistered lives were illuminated by the vividness of their creative genius; Josephine Butler, who brought about the end of the infamous Contagious Diseases Acts; Annie Besant, who campaigned vigorously for the rights of women subject to unreasonable husbands or harsh employers; Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose novel Uncle Tomâ s Cabin brought the cruelties of slavery to the worldâ s attention; and James Barry, born Margaret Bulkley, medical reformer and arguably the first British female to qualify as a suregon. This is a fascinating account of a crucial period of struggle for womenâ s rights and of some of the remarkable personalities who took part.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Womens, Biography, British Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 1981

About the author

Elizabeth (Harman) Pakenham, Countess of Longford, CBE was born on 30 August 1906. She was the daughter of Nathaniel Bishop Harman. She married Sir Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, KG, PC, son of Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford and Lady Mary Julia Child-Villiers, on 3 November 1931. She died on 23 October 2002.
Her married name became Pakenham.

The Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography was established in 2003 in memory of Elizabeth Longford (1906-2002), the British author, biographer and historian. The £5,000 prize is awarded annually for a historical biography published in the preceding year. The Elizabeth Longford Prize is sponsored by Flora Fraser and Peter Soros and administered by the Society of Authors.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This idiosyncratic book was published in 1981, which means it was written in the 70s--and it shows. It is undoubtedly the product of two factors, the renewed interest in the Victorians that had really gathered some pace by the 1970s, and second-wave feminism. Not that it's in any way an overtly feminist or academic book, being more the sort of pre-Wikipedia work that was popular with the general reading population looking for an overview rather than depth.

It consists of a 20-page introduction to the drawbacks of being female in the Victorian era, focusing inevitably on the middle classes and up--uneducated working class females apparently had no voices at all until recently. It is reverent with regard to the literary greats--the Brontë sisters and George Eliot--but the reverence flags as we advance through social reformers Florence Nightingale and Josephine Butler, all-round activist Annie Besant, and the actress Ellen Terry. By the time we arrive at Harriet Beecher Stowe the tone has become breezier (and apologetic about including an American in a book about Victorians, as if the years 1837-1901 had only happened in England), and the sections on explorer Mary Kingsley and doctor James Barry are written almost with irreverence, as if we've left the serious talk behind and arrived at the amusing anecdotes of the finale.

As a 21st-century reader I found the recurring emphasis on these Victorian personalities' sexual and romantic relationships a little irritating (biographies of men, by contrast, tend to focus on achievements) but my big dislike was saved till the last with the biography of Dr Barry, who is referred to as "she" despite having lived his life as a man and having never been conclusively proven to be female. "This chapter must be something of a postscript," says Longford; but why include it at all?

I've been going back and forth between two and three stars but have settled on three because I was often entertained and liked the selection of photos and illustrations, some of which I hadn't seen before. My favorite is an endearingly chubby, unfinished portrait by G.F. Watts of Florence Nightingale in her later years, looking far more like the formidable administrator she was than the idealized Lady of the Lamp. Despite its flaws, I still think this book is worth picking up.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

All in all, Eminent Victorian Women isn't a bad read. It provides short biographies on a number of "eminent" women worth discussing and serves as good introductions to each of these individuals. It was worth the read for the simple fact that it provided basic information and just enough detail to give me an idea of who I would like to learn more about.

There are some sections I thought were presented better than others, or at least that I liked more. For instance, I was very interested in the sections on Florence Nightingale and Josephine Butler. However, the Ellen Terry and Annie Besant sections seemed to be a bit convoluted at times. And the James Barry section has some issues that are probably due to how long ago the book was written.

James Barry is thought to possibly have been born a woman, disguised her/himself and lived as a man in order to be a military doctor. Another theory presented is that Dr. Barry was intersex. Considering the time in which it was written and the age of the author, the approach and discussion
of gender and intersex individuals is rather positive. If it had been written today, it would be considered heteronormative and offensive - which is how I was feeling about it until I reminded myself of when it was written.

If I had read this book closer to when it had originally been published, I might have rated it higher. However, it was first published in 1981 and it is quite apparent that the author is an older woman. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that of course, but it means that the writing style, presentation method and approach to research seems quite dated when read today.

[Baron Olshevri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me in two minds. While the research is excellent, the language is rather cumbersome, yet witty and educated. I found myself having to concentrate hard on each sentence that I was reading. If I can compare this to anything, it will be to dense and spicy Austrian cookie, which, while tasting delicious is hard to digest.
Language aside, the stories are very interesting. They are of, in that order, The Brontë sisters (a very moving chapter especially when dealing with often overlooked Branwell), George Elliot, Florence Nightingale (perhaps the weakest chapter of the book), the admirable Josephine Butler and her selfless work with the often dying prostitutes, Annie Besant, Ellen Terry, Harriet Beecher Stowe, the fearless and modern minded explorer Mary Kingsley, and of course, the mystery of Dr James Barry.