Novels are "Charming repositories of love..."

I enjoyed digging around in both the APS and Early American Imprints, Series I for something tantalizing on novels and novel reading. I expected to find a lot of cautions about how bad novel reading is for women and girls, especially novels like Charlotte Temple and The Power of Sympathy. So after skimming over those tiresome pieces, I looked for something pro-novels and found "Defence of Novels" in Weekly Visitor, or Ladies' Miscellany (23 Apr. 1803) a reprint from the Boston Weekly. This article was written by "Betsey Thoughtless" and seems to fit in well with a women's magazine since women were the earliest readers and writers of novels. And it was delightful to read Betsey's "defence" because her obsession with novels mirrors my own. I wrote in my last posting that I was a "voracious" reader as a child, even though I could do other things that women and girls in 1803 couldn't do. So Betsey's descriptions about her books and feelings for them really tickled me and I have to share a few gems here.  She sets herself up as a defender of novels and shares the "pleasurable enjoyment they afford me." 

 "Novels and romances are my greatest delight. They are my constant companions by day, and at night often rest under my pillow. I have novels on my toilet, novels on my table, novels on my chimney-place, novels on my chairs, novels all over my chamber. I would prefer a new novel to a new gown, and had rather loose [sic] my dinner than break off from a tender love-scene. In novels I find all the nourishment of food, all the refreshments of sleep:-- with my novels I am most happy; with out them I should be miserable. For what do I not posses with my novels? Would I have lands and estates?" 

She then cleverly lists all the novels that have had meaning in her life, which is interesting since it shows us what women in 1803 in Boston were reading. I only recognized a few titles, like The Power of Sympathy and Mysteries of Udolpho. She not only defends novel reading as a more important reality and life than the one she lives in but also has more fulfilling. This is her "virtual reality" or her "MySpace" -- she retreats into her "chamber" and enters these other worlds the way people today put on an avatar and enter MyLife and other virtual realities. After reading Starr's first few pages for today (1-46), I can see the connections from early print culture to modern "print" culture that takes place in cyberspace. Betsey's argument or "defence" is her participation in the public sphere, her effort to shape "public discussion, public knowledge, and public opinions" (5). She wants other readers to love novels as she does and to see how they can make one's life more meaningful. She is prescribing a list for readers of the magazine -- if they read her top picks, their lives will be as pleasurable as hers. And since she is writing this article for a periodical, there is an understanding that it would circulate, at least in Boston (with a population close to 25,000) -- but maybe even further out into the countryside.  (I could not find a record of this periodical in Frank Luther Mott's A History of American Magazines, 1741-1930 so I am not really sure on its publication history.)

But most of all, I love Betsey's article because she is a dedicated lover of novels, as I am. Or, in her own words, "And who is not happy in having the heart and the imagination their sources of pleasure?"

First Blogging Assignment

 I grew up in Pleasant Hill, California -- a very pleasant suburb of San Francisco. I lived there from age 5  until my early 20s and since then I have lived in New Zealand, Utah, Oregon, Hawaii, and now Texas. I guess my hometown is Provo, Utah, since that is where my parents grew up and where they live now. It is also where lots of my extended family lives. I come from Mormon pioneers who colonized Utah, so I have a rich heritage tied to that landscape. My maternal grandmother was from Dalhart, Texas, and her father was from Dallas. My coming to TCU has been an interesting return to my roots, so to speak. On my dad's side, his ancestors were some of the first Anglos to colonize east Texas. They came from Georgia in the 1840s, and then migrated to Arizona, where a town is named for them, Greer's Ranch. But I have also lived many years in the Pacific, and identify with those landscapes and people as well. A "hometown" is something I am looking for still. For now, it is Fort Worth.

I don't remember what turned me on to reading, but I do remember being a "voracious" reader. Standing in front of the bookcase in my childhood home, literally starving for something new to read, I would look in dismay at all the books I had read already. My mother was an English major in college so I read many of her college novels before high school. Even now, after reading over 120 texts for my exams, I still find myself thinking, "What am I going to read next?" And I read anything, but especially novels, memoirs, autobiography, scriptures, cookbooks, cereal boxes, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and lots of student writing.

While I have yet to produce any good scholarship, I have been a consistent writer for over 30 years. I started keeping a journal in elementary school and have been going strong ever since. I counted up my journals once and it was close to 50 volumes. Before the Internet and email I used to write a lot of letters, mostly to family and my pen pal in England.  I also used to write a family newsletter and book reviews.  I also dabble in creative writing and have won a few small prizes. I even had a short story published in one of the Chicken Soup books. So writing has always been significant in my life.

My biggest goal this semester is to get going on my dissertation -- finding a topic and just rolling along. My second goal is to survive teaching 2 sections of Major American Writers -- actually, do more than survive. I want to thrive and have a positive impact on my students.

I think the worst teacher I ever had is one I cannot remember. Even the evil Mrs. Galvin who was my third-grade teacher taught me some useful things about writing. But those that I don't remember are the ones who were the worst because they left no mark or impact on my life.

While it is difficult to narrow it down, here's my list of three important books. Besides the Bible and other scriptures, I would say my top three are: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte -- which taught me women can be strong; The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell -- which helps me see the mythic in all stories; and Miriam's Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich -- which taught me that preparing food is a ritual of power.

The years 1770-1830 were great years for the expanding nation. But they were also troubling years with Indian removals and genocide; there were many reform movements that grew up during this time, especially moral reform; and lastly, there were some great novels published during this time, such as Charlotte Temple, The Coquette, and Secret History, that all reflect the changing social mores and tumultuousness of this time.

Three Things

Three things that you ought to know about me: I really love reading cookbooks. I especially like reading old cookbooks put together by church groups or women's organizations for fundraisers. I like reading new cookbooks, especially ones that have close up shots of food (food porn), so I can eat with my eyes. Other cookbooks I like are ones that are multi-genre and include personal narratives or stories. Favorites of mine are Miriam's Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich and Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. Second thing you should know about me is that I like to bake. It is my therapy and helps me relax. My favorite thing to bake is cookies -- especially chocolate chip. Alton Brown has a fabulous recipe called "The Puffy" that makes the best cookies ever. I recently made them with bittersweet chocolate and they were decadently delicious. The last thing you should know about me is that I like to read food magazines, food blogs, and watch shows about food. I don't get to watch many TV shows though since my husband does not like to share the TV remote. But I do watch shows online about food, America's Test Kitchen (PBS) is a favorite.