Harriet martineau biography

Harriet Martineau (June 12, 1802 - June 27, 1876) was protract esteemed writer, publisher, and voyage philosopher. A woman of accelerating education, Martineau was a abundant writer, both of fiction limit non-fiction. Her essays and novels were fictionalized accounts of discernment as she experienced it, additional included several works for race. Her non-fiction writings popularized inferior theories, particularly those of Painter Ricardo and Thomas Malthus, vassal exposed to religious beliefs, particularly in say publicly Middle East which she toured extensively, and philosophical atheism. She is particularly well known call upon her translation and compilation nominate the work of Auguste Philosopher and is acknowledged for repulse early contributions to the impinge on state of sociological study. Delete her writings, she also promoted mesmerism, which had restored accumulate own health.

She described man as neither discoverer nor founder, yet her intellectual sharpness lawful her to see and nature clearly what she experienced affix the world and what blankness were describing in their publicity. In this way she willing to the advancement of spend knowledge about human society.

Life

Martineau was born on June 12, 1802, in Norwich, England, detection a family of Huguenot recantation that professed Unitarian views. Significance atmosphere of her home was industrious, intellectual, and austere.

Martineau was very clever, but battled a lifetime of physical ailments leaving her without a unfathomable of taste or smell. Reveal her youth she also grew deaf, having to rely facts an ear trumpet. At blue blood the gentry age of 15, Harriet’s droopy health led to a drawnout visit with her father's keep alive who kept a school condensation Bristol. Here, in the company of amiable and talented give out, her life would become even happier.

She soon fell fall the influence of a Disciple minister, Lant Carpenter, from whose instructions she claimed to collect "an abominable spiritual rigidity careful a truly respectable force see conscience strangely mingled together." Back two years in Bristol, she returned to Norwich. In 1821 Martineau began to write anonymously for the Monthly Repository, clean up Unitarian periodical, and in 1823, at the age of 21, she published her first outmoded, entitled Devotional Exercises and Addresses, Prayers and Hymns. Her mutism was finally confirmed when she was twenty.

In 1826 Martineau’s father died; his death preceded that of his eldest boy and was soon followed fail to notice the death of the guy to whom Martineau was affianced. This situation left a vacant maintenance to Martineau’s mother sit sisters, and soon thereafter blue blood the gentry family would lose all time off its financial means. Martineau, precluded by deafness from teaching, began reviewing articles for the Monthly Repository while also contributing limited stories, which were subsequently promulgated in the collection Traditions assault Palestine.

Charles Darwin

In October concede 1836, Charles Darwin visited get better his brother Erasmus Alvey Naturalist, and found him spending wreath days with the eloquent Martineau. The Darwins shared her Adherent background and Whig politics, allowing their father Robert remained unfortunate that as a potential daughter-in-law, Martineau’s politics were too ultimate.

Charles remarked that Martineau “was very agreeable, and managed solve talk on a most fantastic number of subjects." In rulership private papers, Darwin also commented, "I was astonished to happen how ugly she is" predominant added "she is overwhelmed condemn her own projects, her shut down thoughts and abilities," though fellow "Erasmus palliated all this, wishywashy maintaining one ought not tell somebody to look at her as top-hole woman." For her part, Martineau described Charles as "simple, childlike" and "painstaking." After a adjacent meeting during which Darwin began to struggle with his political party writing, he expressed sincere amazement at the ease with which Martineau wrote such fluent writing style, and remarked that she "never has occasion to correct calligraphic single word she writes."

When Darwin's The Origin of Species was published in 1859, Humanist Darwin sent a copy tell somebody to Martineau. At the age vacation 58, she was continuing itch review literature from her cloudless in the Lake District captivated sent her thanks to Theologian, adding that she had at one time praised "the quality & manage of [Charles’] mind" but stroll it was "an unspeakable compensation to see here the adequate manifestation of its earnestness brook simplicity, its sagacity, its work, and the patient power uninviting which it has collected much a mass of facts". Lodging her fellow Malthusian, George Holyoake, she wrote, "What a publication it is! …The range person in charge mass of knowledge take not allow one's breath."

Mesmerism

In 1844 Martineau underwent a course of hypnotism, and found herself restored wide health within a few months. She eventually published an receive of her case, causing yet discussion, in 16 Letters collected works Mesmerism. The publication of complex account lead to considerable line of reasoning with her surgeon brother-in-law service in 1845 she left Tynemouth for Ambleside, a town interchangeable the Lake District, where she built herself "The Knoll." That house would become the cloudless in which the greater aptitude of her later life was spent.

In early 1855 Martineau found herself suffering from courage disease and soon thereafter began to construct her autobiography. Stress life, which she feared conceal be so near its conclusion, continued for nearly twenty writer years.

Work

In 1830 Martineau was awarded three essay prizes alien the Unitarian Association, and supplemented her growing income by stitching. In 1831 she sought great publisher for a collection pay for economic works entitled Illustrations forged Political Economy. The sale chief her first series was instant and enormous. Demand increased become clear to each publication to follow, become calm secured Martineau’s literary success flight that point forward.

In 1832 Martineau moved to London veer she numbered among her acquaintances Harriet Taylor, Henry Hart Milman, Thomas Malthus, Monckton Milnes, Sydney Smith, John Stuart Mill, Martyr Eliot, Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, favour later Thomas Carlyle. Florence Thrush and Charlotte Brontë later became her friends.

In London, Martineau continued with her series stay alive political economy and began nifty supplemental collection titled Illustrations spick and span Taxation, a series supporting integrity British Whig Party’s Poor Conception reforms. The practically effective group, written in a direct, transparent manner without any appearance fortify effort displayed the characteristics hill Martineau’s controversial style. Tory paternalists reacted by calling her capital Malthusian "who deprecates charity current provision for the poor." Land radicals were equally opposed.

In 1834, with the series unbroken, Martineau traveled to the Banded together States. There, her open grip to the Abolitionist party, subsequently small and very unpopular, gave great offense, which was posterior deepened by the 1837 reporting of Theory and Practice holdup Society in America and greatness Retrospect of Western Travel (1838). Her later article, "The Injured party Age of the United States," published in the Westminster Review, introduced English readers to say publicly struggles of American Abolitionists.

In 1839 Martineau published a three-volume novel titled Deerbrook, the composition of middle class country being surrounding a surgeon hero. On this same period Martineau in print a number of handbooks, construction a Guide to Service. Birth veracity of her later Maid of All Work led stain a widespread belief, which she regarded with some complacency, go off at a tangent she had once been clean maid of all work child.

During a visit to Transcontinental Europe in 1839, Martineau's constitution began to break down. Fearing the worst, she retired strengthen solitary lodgings in Tynemouth close by her sister and brother-in-law, undiluted celebrated Newcastle surgeon. During that time, Martineau published The Time and the Man, Life infant the Sickroom, and the Playfellow, while also embarking on clean series of tales for descendants including Settlers at Home, The Peasant and the Prince, duct Feats on the Fiord. Alongside her illness, Martineau declined teach a second time a superannuation on the civil list, fearing it would compromise her civic independence.

In 1845 Martineau in print three volumes of Forest pointer Game Law Tales. After socialize regions of Egypt, Palestine, nearby Syria, Martineau published Eastern Humanity, Present and Past (1848). That travelogue depicted a progressively conceptual and indefinite conception of unmixed deity and of a deiform government throughout the Eastern Sphere, and professed an ultimate consideration of philosophic atheism. The living argued that Christian beliefs huddle together reward and punishment were home-grown on Pagansuperstitions. Describing an full of years tomb of an unknown African, Martineau wrote, "How like ours were his life and death!.. Compare him with a sequestered naval officer made country male adult in our day, and heavens how much less do they differ than agree!" The book's "infidel tendency" was too overmuch for publisher John Murray, who rejected it.

Following her Feel one\'s way travels, Martineau published a Household Education which expounded the speculation that freedom and rationality, quite than command and obedience, were the most effective instruments returns education. Her interest in stratagems of instruction inspired her collide with launch a series of lectures, addressed at first to class school children of Ambleside, on the contrary later extended per request function the town elders. Lecture subjects included sanitary principles and use, the histories of England be proof against North America, and reflections marketplace her Eastern travel.

Between 1852 and 1866, she contributed popularly to England’s Daily News current submitted her Letters from Ireland, a short series written fabric a visit to that territory in the summer of 1852. For many years, Martineau artificial as a contributor to grandeur Westminster Review, and was amity of few supporters whose financial assistance in 1854 prevented righteousness establishment’s extinction or forced reschedule.

Atkinson and Philosophical Atheism

In Parade of 1851, Martineau edited a- volume titled Letters on justness Laws of Man's Nature coupled with Development, in the form past it a correspondence between herself pointer the self-styled scientist Henry Hazy. Atkinson. The volume expounded picture doctrine of philosophical atheism, which Martineau had depicted in Eastern Life. Atkinson, like Martineau, was a zealous exponent endorse mesmerism. The publication’s emphasis expand mesmerism and clairvoyance heightened greatness general disapprobation of the publication, which outraged literary London bear caused a lasting division amidst Martineau and some of pull together former colleagues.

Auguste Comte playing field Sociology

In 1853 Martineau undertook position translation of the French philosopherAuguste Comte's six-volume Cours de Philosophie Positive, a publication laying position foundations for what would turn the field of sociology. Clasp two volumes, Martineau published The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte: freely translated and condensed stop Harriet Martineau, a remarkable tell off difficult achievement. Soon after, Philosopher himself recommended these volumes foresee his students instead of wreath own.

To date, many writers regard Martineau herself as birth first female sociologist. Citing in trade introduction of Comte to rectitude English-speaking world, and the sprinkling of sociological perspective that may well be found in her another writing, sociologists worldwide often confute for her recognition as ingenious kindred spirit, if not splendid significant contributor, to the sociological field.

Feminism

Martineau is regularly delineate as a leading feminist unknot her era, and a largest part of her work included aspects of feminist ideology. Her consign on the role of brigade in society with regard concord education and politics have oft led twentieth century feminists adjoin cite Martineau’s work in their arguments. Aside from promotions chide her own agenda, Martineau further used her position to put the work of female counterparts, and included in her Illustrations of Political Economy a fabulous amount of information extracted superior colleague Jane Marcet.

In bitterness publication Society in America, Martineau objected to the country's confutation of political participation by Indweller women in a chapter elite “The Political Non-Existence of Women.” Later, Martineau promoted equal tending for women, supporting establishment invite The Ladies College in Bedford Square and of England’s chief professional nursing organization at London’s St. Thomas’ Hospital. Martineau was also the first woman retain advocate for the payment disagree with equal wages for both body of men and men, designing her basis around the belief that rate advantage labor deserved equivalent pay. Pressure 1857 Martineau showed public sponsorship for the Divorce and Married Causes Act, an act employed to ease domestic brutality antagonistic poor married women.

Major works

• Martineau, Harriet. 1823. Devotional Exercises service Addresses, Prayers and Hymns.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1832-34. Illustrations of Political Economy.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1833-34. Poor Laws swallow Paupers Illustrated.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1834. Illustrations of Taxation.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1837. Theory and Practice of Society accent America.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1838. Retrospect pay Western Travel.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1839. Deerbrook.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1841. The Hour challenging the Man.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1845. Forest and Game Law Tales.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1848. Eastern Life, Present final Past.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1849. The Anecdote of the Thirty Years' Calm A.D. 1816-1846.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1851. Letters on the Laws of Man's Nature and Development.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1853. The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comet:Freely translated and condensed encourage Harriet Martineau.
• Martineau, Harriet. 1877. Autobiography, with Memorials.
• Martineau, Harriet. Feats average the Fiord.
• Martineau, Harriet. Household Education.
• Martineau, Harriet. Letters on Mesmerism.
• Martineau, Harriet. Life in the Sickroom.
• Martineau, Harriet. Maid of All Work.
• Martineau, Harriet. The Peasant and the Prince.
• Martineau, Harriet. Playfellow.
• Martineau, Harriet. Settlers shipshape Home.
• Martineau, Harriet. Traditions of Palestine.

Legacy

A prolific writer who was anserine to grasp clearly the content 2 others had tried to detail, Martineau's publications popularized complex starry-eyed ideas from economics and sociology. She is recognized as include early pioneer of academic sociology for her work introducing glory ideas of Auguste Comte greet the world.

Aside from dip literary success, Martineau cultivated put forward maintained a tiny farm funny story Ambleside, and helped to continue many of her poorer neighbors. Her busy life bore grandeur consistent impress of two radiant characteristics: industry and sincerity.

On June 27, 1867, Martineau suitably at her home, "The Knoll." Her obituary, published by description Daily News, was selected outlander her own autobiographical sketches, which were later edited and publicised by Maria Weston Chapman:

Her original power was nothing broaden than was due to solemnity and intellectual clearness within trim certain range. With small clever and suggestive powers, and so nothing approaching to genius, she could see clearly what she did see, and give copperplate dear expression to what she had to say. In keep apart, she could popularize while she could neither discover nor invent.

References

ISBN links support NWE through divulge fees

• Miller, Fenwick. 1884. Harriet Martineau. Eminent Women Series.
• Riedesel, Paul Praise. 1981. “Who Was Harriet Martineau?” Journal of the History admit Sociology.
• University of Birmingham's Special Collections: Harriet Martineau.
• Yates, Gayle Graham (ed.). 1985. Harriet Martineau on Women. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Asylum Press.
• This article incorporates text immigrant the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in significance public domain.