Analysis of Matteson's The Lives of Margaret Fuller - Essay Example

Book Review Margaret Fuller represents one of the famous 19th century New England intellectuals. Although few people are familiar with this influential American woman, Matteson does an outstanding work in providing a biography that focuses on Margaret Fullers journey in becoming an influential American intellect. Margaret is described as a brilliant writer, a fiery social critic, a feminist. Matteson provides us with reasons to celebrate an American woman who stood out amidst the men in her time as an intellectual equal. Margaret Fuller utilised courage and skills to accomplish all that made her the woman she represents in the lives she personified. Matteson describes Margaret fuller as a prodigy, conversationalist, an editor, an apostle, internationalist, a revolutionist and finally as a victim. Matteson in the prologue inquires why Margaret Fullers’ life although having achieved outstanding accomplishments is remembered for its tragic ending. The title of the biography “the lives of Margaret Fuller” Matteson describes in many ways how Margaret constantly reinvented herself her focus in life was self-improvement. Matteson presents Margaret as a woman of diverse manifestation. Matteson points out that Margaret spent most of her life trying to make herself the greatest person Matteson hints that Margaret never truly focused on leaving a legacy, therefore, most of her time she spent on inventing herself. Matteson describes the Margaret Fullers Journey he begins the biography by describing Margaret’s childhood. He explains that Margaret was born in 1810, in Cambridge, and as a child, his father had noticed her daughter as an intelligent, and precautious child leading to his decision to educate her at home. Matteson believes that for Margaret getting an education from colleges was a wearisome experience. It is a fact that educating a girl in this period was challenging, and that explains Timothy’s Fullers choice of giving Margaret private education (Matteson 52). One reason that led Margaret’s father to educate her daughter was the fact that Harvard education in this era differentiated what boys were taught from what girls were taught. Timothy Fuller was aware that his daughter was special this encouraged him to raise his daughter as an intellectual equal of boys. Margaret did manage to learn ancient language: Latin, German and at the age of nine, Margaret could read, write and understand work written in English and ancient language. Matteson notes that Margaret did take an interest in Goethe. The ideology that shaped Fullers life was that which suggested that the world was ever evolving towards a higher level of consciousness and the pursuance of consciousness was through learning. However, there were areas that Margaret failed to experience such as physical activity. This lack of physical activity did affect Margaret later in her life for instance it is evident that Margaret was poor in areas such as socialising. In the book, we note that Margaret becomes the first woman to be granted access Harvard college library to conduct her research and after her father’s death, she gets a teaching job. Matteson claims that teaching played a significant role in Margaret’s life in that everything Margaret knew her interaction with people depended on education. As a young girl, Margaret managed to impress her father by excelling in her studies. Her communication with other people was through an intellectual means meaning she was either learning from someone or teaching someone. The death of Margaret’s Father was a loss in her life this provides her reason for taking up a teaching job (Matteson 114). Matteson describes Margaret’s life during transcendentalism her interaction with Emerson and Thoreau. Matteson explains that Margaret became a leading female figure in the transcendentalist movement. Margaret’s attraction to the male transcendentalists was because transcendentalist represented the few notable thinkers who were willing to see past gender issues. Transcendentalists were concerned with what people thought and felt, and Margaret found it easy to relate with this group. Margaret felt it was liberating to find people who treated her as a mind and a soul. It was when Margaret interacted with other transcendentalist that she felt appreciated as an intellectual equal. In Emerson’s view Margaret was unwomanly bold, but at the same time he was ensnared by her intellect this impelled him to hire her as the editor of the transcendentalist magazine, Dial (Matteson 174). Matteson notes in her life Margaret desired to be accepted as an intellectual equal, but after working as the editor for Dial, she realises that it was not enough. It is in this period that she contemplates on what it meant to be a woman in a world dominated by men. This encourages her to produce her piece of work “woman in the 19th century”. This piece of work campaigns for the importance of political rights, economic rights in the liberation of women in the 19th century. Margaret sort to discourage the subordinate or inferior position accorded to women in society. Margaret does this by all illustrating in her book all the incredible women in history to show that women are not inferior. Margaret’s work sort to show that a fantastic world could be achieved through the intellectual and spiritual elevation of every human being (208). It was from her outstanding work in Dial that Greeley the editor of New York Tribune invited Fuller to work as a literary critic for New York tribune. Working with New York tribune opened greater opportunities for Margaret as she got the chance to travel to Europe as an international correspondent for New York tribune (308). Europe exposed Margaret to the sufferings that Europeans underwent because of inhuman poverty, which resulted from industrialisation. Europe presents another phase in Margaret’s life the illumination of the faults of her republic: women subjugation, slavery, capitalism. Matteson explains that Margaret was always searching for a place that would reflect to her the many faces of her personality. She goes to England, France and finally to Italy, and this is where Margaret finds her home. She appreciated art, the people of Italy who contrasted the people of America in that they did not take things for granted. The people in Italy were struggling for freedom it is in Italy that Margaret was able to understand the struggle of the American abolitionist. It is in Italy that she became aware of the notion political and personal freedom (Matteson 360). Margaret finally enters another phase in her life when she falls in love and gets pregnant. Matteson explains that, at this point, Margaret felt she had failed by letting her guard down, but on the positive side, this also presents another means for her to connect to the world through a child and a husband (398). It is evident that this phase was rather challenging for Margaret she initially felt ashamed and hinted in some of her articles the thoughts of committing suicide. Margaret managed to come to terms with her new status. She then decides to head back to America with her new family leading to her tragic end at the age of 40. Mattesons book helps us understand the history of the United States in a number of ways. From the book, we have an understanding of education during the 19th century. Educating the girl child was rather different from educating a boy. Margaret’s success in the intellectual field contributed to the changing the education perspective in the society. Mattesons books also explain the transcendentalism movement and the role it played in the promotion of equality in the society. We also get to understand that woman in the 19th century is among the earliest feminist attacks, which comes 3 years before the Seneca falls convention which is historically considered the kick off for American feminism. This suggests that feminism movement in the United States had begun before this convention. Fullers’ struggle to advocate for the rights of women intellectually is historically lauded. It is in the biography that we get to undertsand about the abolitionist movement, capitalism, slavery through the eyes of Margaret Fuller. Matteson describes to us Margaret’s Fullers understanding of political freedom and personal freedom in the 19th century, which contrasted that of Italy during their struggle for democracy. Work Cited Matteson, John. The lives of Margaret Fuller: A Biography. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012. Print. Read More