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![Letters of the Right Honourable Lady M[ar]y W[ortle]y M[ontagu]e: written, during her travels in Europe, Asia and Africa, to persons of distinction, men of letters, &c. in different parts of Europe. Which contain, among other curious relations, accounts of the policy and manners of the Turks; Drawn from Sources that have been inaccessible to other Travellers. In three volumes. Vol. 1, printed for T. Becket and P. A. De Hondt, in the Strand, MDCCLXIII. [1763]](/wiki/File:Montagu_Turkish_Embassy_Letters_1763.png) Title page of the first edition | |
| Author | Lady Mary Wortley Montagu |
|---|---|
Publication date | 1763 |
The Turkish Embassy Letters are a letter collection of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's reflections on her travels through the Ottoman Empire between 1716 and 1718.[1] She collected and revised them throughout her life, circulating the manuscripts among friends, and they were first published in 1763 after her death.[2]
Background
[edit]Mary and Edward Wortley Montagu, both of wealthy and aristocratic families, married in 1712. Mary played an active role in furthering Edward's ambitious political career. In 1716, Edward was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary to the Court of Turkey, which he and Mary expected to be a twenty-year position abroad. One of Edward Montagu's tasks was to offer British mediation to mitigate the brewing war between Turkey and Austria, which he attempted in Vienna, Austria, though he had little impact.[3]
The Montagus travelled extensively in Europe before proceeding to Turkey. They visited Helvoetsluys, Rotterdam, Den Hague, Nijmegen, Cologne, Nuremberg, Ratisbon, Prague, Brunswick, and Hanover, in addition to their five-month stay in Vienna. They then travelled along the Danube to Constantinople, where Edward Montagu took up his post. He was recalled back to England after only two years, and the couple travelled through Italy and France on their return.[3]
Contents
[edit]The Turkish Embassy Letters consist of fifty-eight letters addressed to friends and relatives from various places on their journey. Twenty-two letters describe their travels in Europe on the way to Turkey, twenty-seven were written from Turkey in Adrianople or Constantinople, and nine are from their return journey. Although the majority of the letters were written in Europe, Montagu's descriptions of Turkey garnered the most attention, especially her descriptions of women-only spaces such as baths.[3]
Publication
[edit]Montagu did not formally publish the letters during her lifetime, but they circulated widely in manuscript, as was the norm for her intellectual coterie.[3]
During this time, Montagu frequently revised the letters.
After Montagu's death, the letters were published.
Style
[edit]Reception
[edit]During her lifetime, the letters were influential.
After her death, the letters were popular.
In the twentieth century, scholarly interest in her life and letters revived.
Major themes
[edit]"Three main strands that have emerged out of this discussion are Montagu0s use of a variety of discourses to discuss Islam, including: a controversial argument about the veiling of women; her depiction of Turkish women, particularly in a letter describing a ladies0 bathhouse; and her advocacy for bringing smallpox inoculation to England and her role in the ensuing controversies, both social and scientific." (Hall et al. 2)
Bibliography
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ O'Loughlin 2018, p. 32.
- ^ Hall 2017, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d O'Loughlin 2018, p. 34.
References
[edit]- Hall, Jordan; Sagal, Anna K.; Zold, Elizabeth (2017). "Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and the Turkish Embassy Letters: A Survey of Contemporary Criticism". Literature Compass. 14 (10). doi:10.1111/lic3.12405.
- O'Loughlin, Katrina (2018). "'A very diligent curiosity': Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Embassy Letters". Women, writing, and travel in the eighteenth century. Cambridge, United Kingdom. ISBN 978-1-108-59992-4. OCLC 1038481886.
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