Why a Booktrail?
1700s: The tragically unremembered yet extraordinary life of pioneering poet and feminist, Mary Wortley Montagu.
A Woman of Opinion
What you need to know before your trail
An aristocratic woman in 18th century England is expected to act in certain ways. But Mary has never let society’s expectations stifle her: she writes celebrated poetry and articles advocating for equality, as well as endless, often scandalous, letters to her many powerful friends.
However, Mary wants more from the world. Using her charm and connections, she engineers a job offer for her husband as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Travelling to Constantinople, Mary finally discovers the autonomous life she dreams of. And when she observes Turkish women ‘engrafting’ children against smallpox, she resolves to bring the miracle cure back to England.
Despite this, Mary’s reputation becomes increasingly tainted. Her inability to abide by the rules, her outspoken opinions on women’s rights, and her search for love and desire at all costs gains her powerful enemies. While Mary tries to ensure her name will live on by arranging the publication of her diaries after her death, her own daughter works against her, afraid of what they might contain…
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Istanbul and London
These are the two main locations in the novel and story of Mary. There are travels to Austria and Paris but they are fleeting in the grand scheme of things.
Mary is known ( or rather unknown!) for introducing and advocating smallpox inoculation in Britain after her return from Turkey. Her letters describing her travels to the Ottoman Empire, as wife to the British ambassador to Turkey address and challenge some contemporary social attitudes towards women at that time.
In the 18th century, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu defied convention by promoting smallpox inoculation to Western medicine after witnessing it during her travels and stay in the Ottoman Empire.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: A Woman of Opinion
Destination: London, Constantinople (Istanbul) Author/guide: Sean Lusk Departure Time: 1700s
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