preview

Lady Mary Montagu´s Travel Writing Essay

Decent Essays
Open Document
Lady Mary Montagu’s letters are a form of travel writing that contributes to the exploration of issues; such as feminism, gender, health, class and culture through an epistolary form. During the time in which Lady Mary Montagu wrote her letters travel was a means for commerce and trade. Contrasted to this form of travel writing, is Oscar Wilde’s Symphony in Yellow. This is in the form of a poem, which is simplistic in its structure and appearance but not in its content or meanings. The title of the poem suggests that it has a substantial connection to music; however the reader is presented with a poem centred on the narrator’s view of a location. Similar to the form of poetry Oscar Wilde’s The Harlots House explores the idea of…show more content…
Her open attitude allows her to see society both subjectively and objectively. She is both understanding and does not stereotypically analyse situations. To the reader her experiences provide a varied account of different cultures and the gender norms within them. “They believed I was so locked up in that machine, that it was not in my power to open it, which contrivance they attributed to my husband.” Here again she acknowledges the way other cultures differ from her own. Judith Still recognises the way in which she is; “concerned not to fall into the Orientalizing clichés of Early Modern men's travel writing, which typically represents Muslim women as imprisoned in harems, enslaved, starved of sex and sexually voracious...”
Her uniqueness in character and behaviour is demonstrated from the start of her letters through to the very last ones. The attention to detail gives the letters more of a descriptive insight. As well as this, using an epistolary form allows the reader to create an intimate relationship with Lady Mary Montagu. Her accounts become more personalised and informal to the reader, to the point they can both emphasise and sympathise with her. The development in character mentioned before is also more believable and apparent due to the personal and conversational tone of the letters.
Oscar Wilde’s purpose in using the form of
Get Access
Related
Get Access