wednesday books under a male name

[landofnowhere]

Ariadne in Mantua, Vernon Lee (1903). Readaloud. This play sets itself up as being in the Extended Shakespeare Universe: "The action takes place in the Palace of Mantua through a period of a year, during the reign of Prospero I, of Milan, and shortly before the Venetian expedition to Cyprus under Othello." However it's an odd, sad play, and not one that Shakespeare would have told. One of the laws of the Shakespeare Universe, as I interpret it, is that nobody dies of unrequited love; you can't die of a broken heart unless somebody else dies first to break your heart. (Ophelia is arguably an exception, but still her father dies first.)

Mona Maclean, Medical Student, Graham Travers (a pseudonym for Margaret Todd). I enjoyed this, though the romantic happy ending dragged out a bit. I feel that the title does it a disservice, as it is not a school story; there are a few scenes in the medical school setting, but that's not the main focus of the story. It is however enjoyable as a late Victorian novel with an introspective and intellectual protagonist, feminist themes, and strong female friendships. Also, the love interest recites the poem Stradivarius by George Eliot, which I was glad to be introduced to.

The Life of Sophia Jex-Blake, Margaret Todd (writing under her own name this time, even though Gutenberg uses the name Graham Travers). Sophia Jex-Blake was one of the first women doctors in Great Britain, and founded the medical school that Margaret Todd attended; the two of them became life partners. So far I've only covered Sophia's youth and education; she was a gifted child who chafed at the Victorian education system that wanted to shape her into a well-behaved young lady, but fortunately manages to get onto a path to a real education. The biography has just covered her brief romantic relationship and unhappy breakup with Octavia Hill, who went on to be equally awesome.

The Strength of the Few, James Islington. Sequel to The Will of the Many, and a change of pace from all these old books by and about women. Not as good as the first book, mostly for structural reasons, but still very readable. I'm about 80% in and it's getting to be a bloodbath, but hopefully there will be interesting plots twists in what's left.

Comments

[oursin]

Margaret Todd and Sophia Jex-Blake: I suspect Todd did the classic Victorian surviving relative/partner thing of writing bio and then destroying/expurgating the papers to preserve the memory*, but this does survive.

*Or maybe conceal snarking at fellow pioneers - I have also had contact with Florence Fenwick Miller's autobiography which was a bit scathing about Elizabeth Garrett with her rich papa who could hire tutors and send her to Paris to study medicine (unlike FFM who had to struggle).

[landofnowhere]

This article from the National Archives has a page from Jex-Blake's will, where she stipulates that all her papers should be burned if Todd predeceases her. So I appreciate Todd giving us what she does, even if I wish we could look at Jex-Blake's papers directly.

[oracne]

Now I want a Victorian medical school novel.

[landofnowhere]

There was a subgenre of Victorian novels about lady doctors (on both sides of the Atlantic), but mostly they don't seem like school stories. Helen Brent, M.D, written by the founder of Barnard College, looks like the most promising of the ones listed at that link.

[oracne]

I think I've heard of that one!

[lunabee34]

Vernon Lee is really interesting. She and Ouida were expats in Italy at the same time.

[landofnowhere]

It seems like the whole English expat community in Italy in the late 19th/early 20th century was super fascinating!

[lokifan]

Oh wow, love that poem! Thanks for linking.