True History of the First Mrs. Meredith and Other Lesser Lives by Diane Johnson

True History of the First Mrs. Meredith and Other Lesser Lives by Diane Johnson

A classic of alternative biography and feminist writing, this empathetic and witty book gives due to a lesser figure of history, Mary Ellen Peacock Meredith, who was brilliant, unconventional, and at odds with the constraints of Victorian life.

Many people have described the Famous Writer presiding at his dinner table. . . . He is famous; everybody remembers his remarks. . . . We forget that there were other family members at the table--a quiet person, now muffled by time, shadowy, whose heart pounded with love, perhaps, or rage. So begins The True History of the First Mrs. Meredith and Other Lesser Lives, an uncommon biography devoted to one of those lesser lives. As the author points out, A lesser life does not seem lesser to the person who leads one. Such sympathy and curiosity compelled Diane Johnson to research Mary Ellen Peacock Meredith (1821-1861), the daughter of the famous artist Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866) and first wife of the equally famous poet George Meredith (1828-1909). Her life, treated perfunctorily and prudishly in biographies of Peacock or Meredith, is here exquisitely and unhurriedly given its due. What emerges is the portrait of a brilliant, well-educated woman, raised unconventionally by her father only to feel more forcefully the constraints of the Victorian era. First published in 1972, Lesser Lives has been a key text for feminists and biographers alike, a book that reimagined what biography might be, both in terms of subject and style. Biographies of other lesser lives have since followed in its footsteps, but few have the wit, elegance, and empathy of Johnson's seminal work.

Johnson, Diane: - Who is Diane Johnson? Th at really is an interesting question with many answers. First and foremost, she is a child of God. She is also the daughter of JC and Dorothy. She is the wife of Gary and the mother of James, Casey, and Andrea. Lilah and Gabi call her Grandma. She is the sister to six brothers and eight sisters. I could keep going on those types of relationships, but as you can see, she is a busy lady. Several years ago, on one of her birthdays that end in 0, she was united with twelve siblings who had been separated for many years through adoption and other circumstances. Th at changed her life. She was and still is one of the major driving forces in the dynamics of that unusual family. All her experiences in life have served to make her more and more aware of God's presence and power in her life. She never dreamed that God would use her in such a powerful and public way, yet here she is. As a minister, I am impressed by her willingness to submit to God's will and be used as His vessel. I believe that these real-life experiences which she shares will encourage many who are going through similar experiences. Of all the hats she wears and all the relationships she is in, I simply know her as the Brat, my little sister.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781681374451
ISBN 10	1681374455
Title	True History of the First Mrs. Meredith and Other Lesser Lives
Author	Diane Johnson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	The New York Review of Books, Inc
Year published	2020-06-23
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable