The most learned woman in America : a life of Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson / Anne M. Ousterhout.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ousterhout, Anne M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fergusson, Elizabeth Graeme, 1737-1801.

Fergusson, Elizabeth Graeme.

Women--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region--Biography.

Women.

Women scholars--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region--Biography.

Women scholars.

Women poets--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region--Biography.

Women poets.

Philadelphia Region (Pa.)--Biography.

Philadelphia Region (Pa.).

Philadelphia Region (Pa.)--Intellectual life--18th century.

Philadelphia Region (Pa.)--Social life and customs--18th century.

Philadelphia Region (Pa.)--Politics and government--18th century.

Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xx, 391 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

University Park : Pennsylvania State University Press, [2004]

Summary:

During the era of the American Revolution and long after, the name Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson was well known in Philadelphia, recognized as belonging to one of British North America's most illustrious women of letters. One admirer dubbed her "the most learned woman in America." In this, the first full-length biography of Fergusson, Anne M. Ousterhout brilliantly captures the life and times of America's first great female savant. Born in 1737 to a wealthy family, Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson excelled from an early age. Although women in her day were denied higher education, Fergusson read widely, educating herself in literature, history, and languages, even reading classical literature in the original tongues, an unusual ability for a colonial woman. She wrote prolifically -- often until midnight or later, spending but a few hours sleeping -- and published her poetry. Her journals of a trip to England and Scotland circulated widely among admiring Philadelphians. During the 1770s she hosted a Saturday evening salon at her home that was unrivaled in the colonies for its brilliance.

Yet despite her achievements, Fergusson's life was fraught with financial woes, bad romances, and treasonous plots that hounded her throughout her life. After her father forbade her marriage to Benjamin Franklin's illegitimate son, she secretly married Henry Hugh Fergusson, a British Loyalist who left her before the Revolution. Henry's actions, together with Elizabeth's own political indiscretions, earned her potent enemies, leading to the confiscation of her family estate, Graeme Park. Although she eventually succeeded in reclaiming her property, her reputation was tarnished in the process. Her efforts to justify her actions were tireless, alienating friends and making the last fifteen years of her life miserable. The Most Learned Woman in America masterfully narrates Fergusson's efforts to live an appropriately genteel life, even as she struggled against the limits that her society placed on its women. In the process, we can begin to understand the conflicts -- internal and external -- that women of the Revolutionary generation faced.

Contents:

1 Sweet Period of Vernal Youth 29

2 Love, Politics, and Rejection 51

3 This Bewitching Country 81

4 The Most Learned Woman in America 105

5 Very Tender and Painful Emotions 139

6 Everybody Is a Whig or a Torie 163

7 Attainder 189

8 Confrontation and Confiscation 215

9 Between Constitutionalists and Anti-Constitutionalists 235

10 The Deserted Wife 259

11 Femme Savante 285

12 The Next Narrower Circle 311.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [339]-371) and index.

ISBN:

0271023112

OCLC:

53284888