[Martineau (Harriet)]
Principle and Practice; Or, The Orphan Family.
A Tale.
Description:
FIRST EDITION, engraved frontispiece depicting aftermath of coaching disaster, one page (p.132) with short tear at upper margin, touching running title, occasional marginal ink marks, frontispiece and title slightly toned,
pp. [iv], 151, 8vo,
original boards, spine lettered in gilt, hinges strengthened, later endpapers, boards spotted and edges rubbed, flyleaf with early ownership inscription 'Miss White, may 10th, 1836', internally good
Publication Details:
Wellington, Salop: Printed by and for Houlston and Son, 1827
Notes: Harriet Martineau (1802-1876) was a highly influential and prolific author and sociologist, who, through her work in popularising contemporary research in political economy and sociology, notably the theories of Adam Smith and Thomas Malthus, and through her friendships with significant thinkers of the time - Erasmus Darwin, John Stuart Mill, Henry Hallam, Sydney Smith etc. - highlighted the marginalisation of women. She was an advocate of women's education, independence and freedom of thought. 'Principle and Practice', one of her early novels for children, appears, at first sight, to be a typ...moreHarriet Martineau (1802-1876) was a highly influential and prolific author and sociologist, who, through her work in popularising contemporary research in political economy and sociology, notably the theories of Adam Smith and Thomas Malthus, and through her friendships with significant thinkers of the time - Erasmus Darwin, John Stuart Mill, Henry Hallam, Sydney Smith etc. - highlighted the marginalisation of women. She was an advocate of women's education, independence and freedom of thought. 'Principle and Practice', one of her early novels for children, appears, at first sight, to be a typical Sunday School tale, focussing on moral principles, particularly duty and familial loyalty. Yet, the 'fire, earnestness and originality' ('Harriet Martineau', Florence Fenwick Miller, Allen, 1889) of her earlier stories, is also present here. Harriet's political outlook and personal experiences infuse the narrative: the entrepreneurial spirit with which the orphaned girls translate and publish a French botanical edition echo Harriet's own endeavours to earn a living from her writing following the failure of her father's business; the refusal of the oldest siblings to 'sacrifice' the youngest son to a life in the army, thus incurring the displeasure of their benefactor, is clearly in line with her own beliefs; but, above all, this is most apparent in the novel's pragmatic treatment of disability. Following a discussion between the oldest son, Charles, and his friend, Monteath, who has been lamed in a coaching accident, in which Monteath protests that the daily inconveniences of his situation would never be translated into fiction, Charles states, 'Blindness is frequently made interesting in books; deafness seldom or never... A blind heroine is charming; but would not all the world laugh at the very idea of a deaf one?' (p.122-123). 'Charles and Monteath's speculation about the different resonances of partial and total sensory disability are borne out in Victorian fiction.' ('Reading Victorian Deafness', Esmail, Ohio University Press, 2013). The author herself had suffered from deafness since the age of 12. Scarce. 3 copies cited in the UK (BL, Bodleian, St. Andrews) and 2 copies in the US (Yale and Florida). HIDE
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Price: £3,000
Subject: Literature
Published Date: 1827
Stock Number: 68485
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