One of the most prolific literary genres of the nineteenth century was that of the travel narrative. As travel became more affordable and accessible, Europeans of the Victorian era went forth to discover for themselves the burgeoning republics of the New World, most especially the United States, and record their experiences. However, women travelers of the Victorian era were expected to write familial letters of impression, and not claim the authority to evaluate and discuss the events and objectives of the New World. Therefore, a woman like the Swedish novelist, Fredrika Bremer, who wrote "private" letters to her sister could preserve an image of modesty and respectful indifference to the social and political affairs of her host country and be rewarded with critical and financial success. Conversely, Amelia Murray, who wrote "public" letters to her court friends in England, found herself ostracized by her friends and government and her publication condemned as irresponsible and ignorant. Her views, particularly on slavery, culminated in her resignation as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria in 1856.
Unlike the majority of women who published travel narratives in the nineteenth century, who were authors, actresses, or self-identified wives, Amelia Murray was a single woman of fifty-nine with powerful social standing in Great Britain. Furthermore, as she traveled, she insisted upon being treated as an unofficial representative of England. For that reason, when her letters were published they could not stand alone as the thoughts and experiences of one, albeit quirky, woman from England. In the election year of 1856, Murray's outspoken defense of the institution of slavery forced England make a public stand on an issue it had spent many years carefully avoiding in diplomatic circles. Because Murray claimed a public court audience and the right to speak as a representative of the Crown, she lost the protection granted most female authors of travel narratives in the nineteenth century.
Reprinted in 1969, Letters from the United States, Cuba, and Canada has been dismissed from critical discussion in the twentieth century, despite its significant impact in both the United States and Great Britain at the time of its original publication. The book deserves attention for two key reasons. In the first place, to reduce Murray to her views on slavery fails to account for her provocative arguments on the condition of American women and other issues. Moreover, Murray's work raises questions of gender and intended public/private audiences for publication. Bremer's letters were accepted by the public because she wrote to her family about her private travel experiences, but Murray's letters seek to make an active political statement to a public audience. The harsh reception and personal consequences of her publication served as a lesson for other female authors. When later nineteenth-century women published their views on political issues, they continued to encode their writing by denying authorial intentions, by selecting private audiences, and by judicious use of silences.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and
employer.
© Regents of the University of Minnesota, 1997.