The Lives of Margaret Fuller: A Biography - Hardcover

Matteson, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393068056 ISBN 13: 9780393068054

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012

Synopsis

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer John Matteson, an account of the "Susan Sontag" of nineteenth-century America.

A brilliant writer and a fiery social critic, Margaret Fuller (1810–1850) was perhaps the most famous American woman of her generation. Outspoken and quick-witted, idealistic and adventurous, she became the leading female figure in the transcendentalist movement, wrote a celebrated column of literary and social commentary for Horace Greeley’s newspaper, and served as the first foreign correspondent for an American newspaper. While living in Europe she fell in love with an Italian nobleman, with whom she became pregnant out of wedlock. In 1848 she joined the fight for Italian independence and, the following year, reported on the struggle while nursing the wounded within range of enemy cannons. Amid all these strivings and achievements, she authored the first great work of American feminism: Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Despite her brilliance, however, Fuller suffered from self-doubt and was plagued by ill health. John Matteson captures Fuller’s longing to become ever better, reflected by the changing lives she led. 28 black-and-white illustrations

About this title

About the Author:

John Matteson holds doctoral degrees from Harvard and Columbia Universities. He was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Biography for Eden's Outcasts. He is a full professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, where he lives.

Review:

"An eloquent and inspirational biography of the only woman in the Concord circle of Emerson and Thoreau. ... [a] masterful biography." (Carl Rollyson - Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

"John Matteson ... is an extraordinary biographer .... Matteson infuses his research with an unparalleled comprehension, sensitivity and empathy .... Matteson's knowledge of American history and culture is unmatched .... This book is no fantasy; it is a promise fulfilled." (Anne Trubek - Cleveland Plain Dealer)

"Psychologically rich .... Matteson's book restores the heroism of [Margaret Fuller's] life and work." (The New Yorker)

"A real-life bodice ripper ... Fuller's story is a gripping one, worthy of a romance novel or Merchant-Ivory film .... [A] readable and meticulously researched biography." (Nancy D. Kates - The San Francisco Chronicle)

"Well written, easily accessible, and entertaining .... A great read for anyone interested in extraordinary women in our literary and women's history." (Paolina Taglienti, Library Journal )

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0393068056
• ISBN 13: 9780393068054
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 528