From the Publisher
‘Superbly researched and beautifully written, Aneta Lipska’s book brings back into welcome focus one of the most intriguing women authors of the early nineteenth century. This is a significant contribution to travel writing studies.’ —Peter Hulme, Emeritus Professor in Literature, University of Essex, UK
‘In this pioneering study, Aneta Lipska saves Marguerite Blessington’s travel accounts from near oblivion and convincingly proves that Blessington was more than Lord Byron’s scandalous interlocutor. She was a gifted writer who mastered the convention of a travelogue in the epoch of pre-commercial journeying.’ —Zbigniew Białas, Professor of English, University of Silesia, Poland
‘This is a very useful addition to recent studies of Lady Blessington, offering a sophisticated, theoretically informed approach to women’s travel writing in the nineteenth century. It illuminates distinctive features of her style, such as the intermingling of “fact” and “fiction”, and deepens understanding of the cultural context of British travel in Europe in the period.’ — Michael Hollington, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Kent, UK
‘The Travel Writings of Marguerite Blessington provides a very original analysis of Marguerite Blessington’s two early and hitherto disregarded travelogues: A Tour in the Isle of Wight and Journal of a Tour through the Netherlands to Paris, followed by context-sensitive and detailed, valuable readings of The Idler in Italy and The Idler in France. Lipska raises wider concerns about the Romantic woman traveller and her contexts of self-fashioning.’ —Susanne Schmid, Professor, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
‘Lady Blessington's reputation has grown considerably in recent years and she is now acknowledged as a key writer, editor and salonnière of the 1820s, 30s and 40s. Aneta Lipska provides a fresh analysis of Blessington's eclectic travel writing. This enjoyably quirky study interweaves Blessington's tours with their rich biographical, cultural and critical contexts. Brimming with new insights and offering a commanding survey of existing work in the field, Lipska's study is the first full-length commentary on Blessington's unique blend of memoir and tour guide. Lipska is particularly good on the paradox of Blessington's self-presentation as an “idler” who restlessly traversed Europe, cramming in sight-seeing, soirées and shopping. Explaining how Blessington re-energizes the travel discourses of her time, Lipska provides a fascinating and evocative account of “silver fork” society and the strenuous ease of the British aristocrat on tour.’ —Jane Stabler, Professor in Romanticism, University of St Andrews, Scotland