As I was very ill Monday, I thought I'd post about my experience with Lady Montagu's first round of letters. I really enjoyed reading them, as they were not only very informative, but very conversational in their tone. It was like talking to an old girlfriend over coffee, and I really liked that feeling. It's interesting to see how she goes from an observer to a semi-active participant in the culture. She describes her Turkish clothing very well, and it was easy to conjure up a picture in my head.
One thing I noticed that was different from the other authors is the kind of descriptions and information she gives. We see the female side of life, as well as an overall deeper sense of intimacy with the culture at large. We see that, from her perspective, the lavish coverings of the women actually allow the women more freedom to do what they please, since they are unrecognizable and ignored in the streets by their very husbands. She also sees the women as having a lot of power, though it isn't necessarily political. It seems that, from this perspective, the entire culture takes on a different meaning and takes us all to a different level of understanding that we have not seen before. The personal nature of the letters also make it much easier to read than her male counterparts (to this point anyway) and more exciting to understand. I am really enjoying this section of our reading.
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3 comments:
I would have to agree. The letters are so intimate - no sexual connotation meant - that it's easy to feel like Lady Montagu was truly writing these letters with individual recipients in mind and not a wider audience. Yet, at the same time, it's also very hard to dismiss the fact that these letters may have been "tweaked" after she returned to England. It definitely makes me look at with a more critical eye.
I agree. Many of your observations were shared by class members. Definitely be in class on Monday for the wrap-up of Montagu. Since you liked the letters, it's a pity that you missed two nights of discussion. We focused on her different attitudes toward Muslim women and her more open and curious approach to Islam. Many thought that her own deism (hinted at in the letter about her visits with Achmed Bey) gave her a means to search for commonality with Muslim beliefs. She claims that Achmed Bey, too, who is a religious/legal scholar claims that the more learned are deists. We are finishing the letters and reading an article on Montagu by Teresa Heffernan, "Feminism Against the East/West Divide" for Monday.
I agree with you that she shows the "female side of life" which was largely unknown to those in the "west" until that point. Female travellers like Montagu are really the only ones who can provide this insight since they have special privilages that the male travellers don't have. Much of history is based off of what the top leaders in particular countries do but so much of the story is unknown if the world of women during any particular time period is left in the dark.
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