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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
A highly readable and interesting biography of Julia Ward Howe. Also the first biography I can recall where the biographer (Elaine Showalter) injects herself into the story. Showalter, an emeritus professor of English at Princeton (according to the author's blurb on the inside back cover), gives her opinion on some of Julia's writings, and for brief moments it felt as if I was reading a literary critique, though this did not detract from the book as a whole.
Indeed, I found Showalter's approach enjoyable and easy to read, despite occasional moments when it felt like Julia's story was jumping around in time. I was almost curious enough to consider reading some of the other biographies mentioned, and may yet one day do so.
As for Julia Ward Howe's story, it was a vivid reminder of how far women have come in 200 years, and how far we still have to go in terms of true, fair equality. (Think paychecks, control over our own bodies, politics…) Howe is best known for the writing of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
And what attracted me to this book in the first place? My husband borrowed it from the library because his grandmother had told him a story of meeting Julia Ward Howe and getting to ride with her in a carriage. His grandmother would have been a young girl at the time, and Julia would have been somewhere in her 70s, 8s or 90s.
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Post Script December 29, 2016 - My husband has been reading the book (almost finished) and we have been discussing it. The more we discuss it, the more I find myself negating some of what I wrote in this review. My irritation at Showalter's insertion into the book has grown between when I finished the book and now. We did watch the beginning of a book talk that Showalter gave at the Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. and I may eventually watch the entire talk. Showalter was interesting to listen to, but it was later in the evening and I was getting tired.
Indeed, I found Showalter's approach enjoyable and easy to read, despite occasional moments when it felt like Julia's story was jumping around in time. I was almost curious enough to consider reading some of the other biographies mentioned, and may yet one day do so.
As for Julia Ward Howe's story, it was a vivid reminder of how far women have come in 200 years, and how far we still have to go in terms of true, fair equality. (Think paychecks, control over our own bodies, politics…) Howe is best known for the writing of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
And what attracted me to this book in the first place? My husband borrowed it from the library because his grandmother had told him a story of meeting Julia Ward Howe and getting to ride with her in a carriage. His grandmother would have been a young girl at the time, and Julia would have been somewhere in her 70s, 8s or 90s.
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Post Script December 29, 2016 - My husband has been reading the book (almost finished) and we have been discussing it. The more we discuss it, the more I find myself negating some of what I wrote in this review. My irritation at Showalter's insertion into the book has grown between when I finished the book and now. We did watch the beginning of a book talk that Showalter gave at the Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. and I may eventually watch the entire talk. Showalter was interesting to listen to, but it was later in the evening and I was getting tired.
A deep deep dive into the life of a historic American feminist an sufferagist. An excellent portrayal of a woman who tried to live against the grain. Showalter did an excellent job of offering the complexity of character of JWH.
I've gotten more interested in my ancestry, so read this of my great-great-great grandmother--a poet, author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," early suffragette/women's rights advocate, socialite, and wife of Samuel Gridley Howe-the founder of Perkins School for the Blind. Main takeaways: JWH was an extremely hardworking and dedicated poet and activist, but she was limited by her husband, who despite being progressive in terms of abolition and care for disabled people, was a huge sexist. She made a name for herself despite his efforts to silence her. Showalter uses lots of excerpts from letters and diaries, and hearing how Julia (and other women) were so limited by the lack of birth control was heartbreaking and made me glad to live in a time with many tools at my disposal. More cynically, she sounds like a pretty normal rich entitled white person.
Howe was born the same year as Walt Whitman, but their lives could not be more different. Whitman was allowed to roam, write and published as he pleased. Howe very rarely left the house before and after marriage and it was generally in company of a chaperone. Standards for women and men were probably at their widest gulf. The moments of freedom she had she used to fullest and much to her husband's dismay she published over and over again including the Battle Hymn Republic. Howe's downside included alienating everyone, especially fellow poets.
"The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe" is an illuminating picture into the life of a prominent American woman. Her experiences and accomplishments are so vast, it seems that her story could span volumes. However, Elaine Showalter does some justice to her story within the pages of this biography. However, it is not as one might expect. This kind of figure in history, known for her activism and writings, usually has a biography that highlights these positive facets of character and person. However, throughout the text, one finds Julia Ward Howe to be spoiled, narcissistic, problematic, and in many ways, down-right unlikable. Though we do often still feel sorry for her situation, this sympathy does not eclipse the unsavory aspects, though. This is not much a comment on the writing, but rather on the expectations of such a book. Rather, it's refreshing to have a realistic portrayal of such an influential figure in American history.
One final note: Showalter, while an excellent writer, does show her hand as a English professor (I speak as one also in the field). This is not a detriment, but it does narrow her audience a bit, as she often discusses things through a lens of gender and sexuality theories, and also mentions many figures in assumption her readers will know exactly who she speaks of. Of the former, this isn't an issue, but can make it a little odd for someone not familiar with such a reading of both life and text. In regards to the latter, this does cause a bit of a problem, as it becomes annoying to continually have to do extra research to become familiar with some of the figures she mentions and assumes her readers already knows about.
All in all, an excellent, informative read. I'd recommend to anyone interested in American history, women's history, and/or American literature.
One final note: Showalter, while an excellent writer, does show her hand as a English professor (I speak as one also in the field). This is not a detriment, but it does narrow her audience a bit, as she often discusses things through a lens of gender and sexuality theories, and also mentions many figures in assumption her readers will know exactly who she speaks of. Of the former, this isn't an issue, but can make it a little odd for someone not familiar with such a reading of both life and text. In regards to the latter, this does cause a bit of a problem, as it becomes annoying to continually have to do extra research to become familiar with some of the figures she mentions and assumes her readers already knows about.
All in all, an excellent, informative read. I'd recommend to anyone interested in American history, women's history, and/or American literature.
This is the story of two very gifted people that never learned to communicate. While the author is solidly in Julia's camp, it is clear that both Samuel Howe and Julia behaved badly - to the point it almost seems they were doing things to antagonize each other. I thought it odd that the author blames Samuel for his physical ailments and Julia is blameless (even though Samuel wanted a divorce and she refused.)
However, the binds of patriarchy were what destroyed them both. Had they lived in a framework where the man did not always have to be correct, and have few emotions and a woman could explore her gifts they perhaps would have been well suited as both were intellectual powerhouses.
However, the binds of patriarchy were what destroyed them both. Had they lived in a framework where the man did not always have to be correct, and have few emotions and a woman could explore her gifts they perhaps would have been well suited as both were intellectual powerhouses.
I'm always disappointed when a choir sings the Battle Hymn of the Republic as a dirge--it is a crackling, angry song, alive with frustration and violence. Knowing more about its author explains a lot--Julia Ward, chafing under Calvinist paternal strictures, married an 1840s celebrity philanthropist, progressive and abolitionist under the impression that he would support her writing and ambitions. Instead, this man who was a pioneer in educating the disabled, champion of freed slaves and hero of the Greek wars of independence resented her money, stifled her creativity and expected a Victorian clinging vine. Producing the verses that became the anthem of the union's civil war launched Julia into celebrity of her own, and an equal status in the power couple, with enormous personal fallout. Showalter digs into the trove of family papers, reconstructing fragments of Julia's unpublished writing, translate the discreet between-the-lines comments in women's letters and sets the Howes in the context of the couples in their social circle.
Very enjoyable and inspiring. I appreciated that Elaine Showalter didn’t gloss over Julia’s failings and foibles or paint her husband out to be a total monster, showing that there was a failure of understanding on both sides. (Not that he's particularly likeable:) Nevertheless, it was inspiring to see how, despite the social limitations imposed on women, Julia learned to be on her own side and pursue the work that was meaningful to her. Her resilience and capacity to reinvent herself was amazing. And I particularly appreciated her pluck and determination as an older woman who wasn’t going to let age deter her.
2.5/5 stars A bit more academic than I hoped. The blurb on the cover about the book being like a novel was a bit generous.
America could have had its own Bronte.
She was here at the same time, born three days before Queen Victoria. She was born with remarkable resources to care for her needs as she pursued a career in literature--her father was a wealthy Wall Street banker. She certainly had the literary connections, living in Boston as she did and rubbing shoulders with Emerson and Longfellow regularly. She had a drive, if not a talent, that would have made her the equal of any writer, male or female.
So why do we know so little of Julia Ward Howe--outside of her remarkable poem, "Battle Hymn of the Republic"?
That's the question that Elaine Showalter seeks to answer in The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe. Showalter lays out Howe's history, and follows her into the Black Hole of a marriage that consumed 30 years of her life. Howe's husband, Samuel Gridley Howe, was himself a striver, and typical of most husbands of the age, would not countenance a wife with an agenda of her own. Even as JWH relentlessly pursued her interests in poetry and drama, SGH blocked her, browbeat her, chided her for her ambition and single-mindedness.
The book could easily have been drawn into the maelstrom of marriage and never gotten out, but the final act of the book, as JWH becomes a suffragette and beloved elder stateswoman is inspiring and redeeming. Every chapter of this book was better than the previous one, and I was openly cheering for JWH.
Showalter's sense of literature helps the narrative. She takes breaks to compare JWH with contemporarites like Bronte and Walt Whitman. She doesn't try to oversell JWH's poetry--it doesn't really hold up--but she presents it and analyzes it wonderfully.
She could have been a Bronte or a George Sand. In Elaine Showalter's book, somehow JWH becomes something much more: an icon for American women, if not American writers.
She was here at the same time, born three days before Queen Victoria. She was born with remarkable resources to care for her needs as she pursued a career in literature--her father was a wealthy Wall Street banker. She certainly had the literary connections, living in Boston as she did and rubbing shoulders with Emerson and Longfellow regularly. She had a drive, if not a talent, that would have made her the equal of any writer, male or female.
So why do we know so little of Julia Ward Howe--outside of her remarkable poem, "Battle Hymn of the Republic"?
That's the question that Elaine Showalter seeks to answer in The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe. Showalter lays out Howe's history, and follows her into the Black Hole of a marriage that consumed 30 years of her life. Howe's husband, Samuel Gridley Howe, was himself a striver, and typical of most husbands of the age, would not countenance a wife with an agenda of her own. Even as JWH relentlessly pursued her interests in poetry and drama, SGH blocked her, browbeat her, chided her for her ambition and single-mindedness.
The book could easily have been drawn into the maelstrom of marriage and never gotten out, but the final act of the book, as JWH becomes a suffragette and beloved elder stateswoman is inspiring and redeeming. Every chapter of this book was better than the previous one, and I was openly cheering for JWH.
Showalter's sense of literature helps the narrative. She takes breaks to compare JWH with contemporarites like Bronte and Walt Whitman. She doesn't try to oversell JWH's poetry--it doesn't really hold up--but she presents it and analyzes it wonderfully.
She could have been a Bronte or a George Sand. In Elaine Showalter's book, somehow JWH becomes something much more: an icon for American women, if not American writers.