Lady Morgan

1
Lady Morgan

• Sydney Owenson
• 1776 (?)1859

2
Lady Morgans life and personality

• Irish nationalist father, Methodist mother
• Father founder Irish National Theatre, sympathies
  for United Irishmen
• Governess with Anglo-Irish aristocracy
• Social climber
• Mother of the national tale.
• First Irish novelist with Maria Edgeworth
• Success as a novelist
• Shrewd businesswoman
• Marriage
• Salon in Dublin
• Reporter abroad
• London
• A state pensioner

3
A Prolific Writer

• National tales The Wild Irish Girl (1806),
  Florence Macarthy (1818) The OBriens and the
  OFlahertys (1827)
• Novels Ida of Athens,(1809) The Missionary, An
  Indian Tale (1811) The Princess of the Beguine
  (1835).
• Plays
• Travel writing France (1817) France in
  1829-1830 (1830) Italy (1821)
• Memoirs, (auto)biography The Life and Times of
  Salvator Rosa (1824) Memoirs (1862) Passages
  from My Autobiography (1862)
• History Woman and Her Master

4
Lady Morgan's Ideology

• Faith in democracy / opposition to despotism and
  Restoration
• Principles of French Revolution freedom,
  equality, fraternity
• Rights of oppressed people and of small nations
  not to be ruled by the large ones
• Italy, Greece, Belgium (implicitly Ireland),
• Rights of outcasts
• Religious and ethnic minorities (Catholic
  emancipation in Ireland) Fight against poverty
• Rights of women
• Supporter of Napoleons reforms
• especially confiscation of Church property in
  favour of education womens education

5
Lady Morgans Italy

• A good example of a Romantic Grand Tour
• Scope From Piedmont to Naples
• Description of cities and monuments
• Historical notes, comments on present political
  situation
• Encounters
• A very successful and controversial text
• Editions, Criticism
• Banned in Italy.
• Attacked by English press
• A political text with an agenda
• A text determined by her social identity and by
  the pressure of political forces.

6
Comparison with other travelogues

• Shares common topoi with other travelogues
• Descriptions inspired by categories of sublime
  and picturesque
• ( BUT with an ideological and political bias)
• Contempt for Italians (BUT limited to
  aristocracy, clergy and rulers)
• Sympathy for middle classes and intelligentia
• Sympathy for common people
• Horror for poverty BUT points to social
  responsibilities
• Satire on Church and clergy, especially of
  temporal power of the Church
• Satire on despotic rulers

7
Lady Morgans Ireland

• 17th-18th century rebellions against British
  colonial power repression and penal laws.
• 1791- 1798 United Irishmen rebellions,
  failure, death of Wolfe Tone
• 1800 Act of Union. Irish Parliament closed.
  Anglo-Irish representatives (members of the
  Ascendancy) move to London. Economic and social
  decline.
• 1803 Failure of Robert Emmets rebellion
• 1807-1829 fight for Catholic Emancipation and
  abrogation of Act of Union.
• Protest against absentee landlords
• 1829 Catholic Emancipation granted (1921 Irish
  Free State 1938 independence, Eire)

8
Lady Morgan and Italy

• Believed in an Italian cultural identity and in
  the development of the concept of nationhood
• Especially in the age of the medieval republics
  and city states (de Sismondis theory)
• During Napoleons Italian kingdom (Regno
  italico).
• At the time of her visit, in Romantic and liberal
  circles
• Important role of vernacular literature in
  creating a sense of an Italian identity.
• Encourages seeking inspiration in local
  traditions and history, rather than in mythology
• Believed if Italy was given freedom it would
  assert politically its common cultural and
  linguistic identity. Insisted on constitutional
  governments.
• Established strong ties with Milanese
  Romanticism Il Conciliatore (Silvio Pellico, di
  Breme, Confalonieri)

9
Italy and Ireland

• Encounter with Italy reverberates on her attitude
  towards Ireland and England.
• Lack of democracy. Need for constitutional
  government (Ireland oppressed by Penal Laws loss
  of Parliament).
• Oppression of rulers (Austrians, Bourbons) who
  are extraneous to local language and culture
  (England suppressing Gaelic and its culture,
  Catholicism and its traditions)
• Foreign rulers keeping population in poverty.
  (Power and absenteism of Anglo-Irish landlords)
• Resents Englands important role in
  reestablishing despotic governments and ignoring
  demands for constitution.
• Admiration for France (Wishful thinking of what
  Ireland would have been if French help had
  arrived on time in 1798.)

10
Lady Morgans Piedmont

• Enjoys Piedmontese courtesy
• Admires Piedmontese intellect (Enlightenment,
  Alfieri, Accademia delle Scienze, University)
• Attributes positive qualities to French influence

11
Aesthetic response to Piedmont

• The Sublime The Alps p. 82, 88.
• Her reservations about the sublime p.86
• Her version of the sublime p. 86
• The picturesque
• Enjoyed against her conscience p. 104, 106
• Turin strikingly picturesque 108
• Architectural features

12
Piedmontese places

• Ideological bias in describing place
• Susa p. 100-102
• Irony on church and state
• Appreciation
• Turin p. 108-110
• Sin of incompleteness
• Streets and churches in Turin
• University (126)
• Accademia delle scienze (128)

13
Monuments, Palaces

• Filtered through ideological bias
• Rivoli
• Palazzo reale 114-16
• Carignano
• University p. 124

14
Churches

• Church of S. Giovanni Battista p. 112
• Sindone 114

S. Teresa 114 Superga 116
15
Paintings

• Word-painting Ekphrasis
• Sarcastic descriptions
• Portrait gallery 120

16
Italy and Italians

• Sympathetic view of Italians p. 104
• Stereotyped representation of poverty moderated
  by awareness of social responsibility 106
• Qualities of the people as opposed to their
  rulers vices 142, 150
• Active and intelligent citizens 164

17
The Monarchy a sarcastic view

• Their portraits 120
• Sarcasm about royal monopolies 102
• Royal Palace 116-18
• History of family 138
• Becoming Kings of Sardinia 140 (English
  responsibility)
• Queen p. 132
• Monarchy vs Republic 146-48
• The Restoration 152-156

18
Aristocracy

• Privileges 142-44
• Women 144
• Similarities and differences with French
  aristocracy 162
• Openness 162

19
Religion

• Sarcasm
• Religious paintings in Susa p.100-102, S. Teresa
  p. 114
• Superga 116
• Luxury of Turin Cathedral p. 112
• music

20
French influence

• Road and bridge making opening up access to
  Italy 86, 90
• On University and Academies (130)
• Napoleon
• Piedmont under French rule 148-150
• Benefits and problems

21
Some personalities

• Alfieri (130, 158-60
• The Enlightened 146
• Diodata Saluzzo di Roero 128
• Prospero Balbo and several university professors
  124-130
• di Breme family 158
• Valperga di Caluso family 162

22
Conclusion

• Pities those who do not stop in Turin
• Frank and hospitable reception

23
Italy and Italians

• Sympathetic view of Italians p. 104
• Stereotyped representation of poverty moderated
  by awareness of social responsibility 106
• Impressed by intellectual and moral qualities of
  Piedmontese intellectuals and common people

24
Italian places

• Appreciation
• Turin p. 110
• Ideological bias in describing place
• Streets and churches in Turin
• Susa p. 100
• Irony on church and state

25
Monuments

• Filtered through ideological bias
• Rivoli

26
Picturesque

• Enjoyed against her conscience p. 104, 106
• Turin strikingly picturesque 108