The Lives of Margaret Fuller: A Biography

by John Matteson

Overview

“Psychologically rich. . . . Matteson’s book restores the heroism of [Fuller’s] life and work.”—The New Yorker

A brilliant writer and a fiery social critic, Margaret Fuller (1810–1850) was perhaps the most famous American woman of her generation. Outspoken and quick-witted, idealistic and adventurous, she became the leading female figure in the transcendentalist movement, wrote a celebrated column of literary and social commentary for Horace Greeley’s newspaper, and served as the first foreign correspondent for an American newspaper. While living in Europe she fell in love with an Italian nobleman, with whom she became pregnant out of wedlock. In 1848 she joined the fight for Italian independence and, the following year, reported on the struggle while nursing the wounded within range of enemy cannons. Amid all these strivings and achievements, she authored the first great work of American feminism: Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Despite her brilliance, however, Fuller suffered from self-doubt and was plagued by ill health. John Matteson captures Fuller’s longing to become ever better, reflected by the changing lives she led.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393343595
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	01/21/2013
Pages:	528
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

John Matteson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for Eden’s Outcasts and the Ann M. Sperber Prize for The Lives of Margaret Fuller. A Distinguished Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, he lives in the Bronx.

Table of Contents

Prologue xi

Chapter 1 Prodigy 1

Chapter 2 Misfit 32

Chapter 3 " Margaret Goodchild" 61

Chapter 4 Apostle 102

Chapter 5 Conversationalist 139

Chapter 6 Ecstatic Editor 170

Chapter 7 Seeker Of Utopia 206

Chapter 8 Advocate 247

Chapter 9 Lover And Critic 272

Chapter 10 Internationalist 307

Chapter 11 Inamorata 332

Chapter 12 Revolutionary 355

Chapter 13 Victim 396

Epilogue Margaret-Ghost 424

Acknowledgments 447

Notes 449

Additional Sources 495

Index 497

Editorial Reviews

[Matteson’s] writing seems to derive palpable energy from Fuller’s own dynamism. . . . In the end he discovers a Fuller that is startlingly modern in her contradictions and commitments.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune

John Matteson performs a service in producing a . . . biography that will introduce this learned, prolific and eccentric American to a wider audience.

Wall Street Journal

Well-written. . . . [Readers] will admire her spirit, intellect, and courage.

New York Times

Matteson’s portrait of Fuller, given depth and sheen by a treasure trove of letters, is unfailingly intelligent, nuanced and intriguing.

Boston Globe

Matteson skillfully fills in the political and cultural background to Fuller's shape-shifting life, and sketches the biographies of the hundreds of renowned and obscure figures with whom she conversed, exchanged letters and shared ideas. The result is a substantial and satisfying biography, which brings Fuller's life back into popular view without simplifying her diverse and extraordinary achievements.
—The Washington Post

Joanna Scutts

"In the title of his well-written book, Matteson refers to the "lives" of Margaret Fuller because, he explains, she continually reinvented herself over the course of her lifetime."

New York Times Book Review - Mary Beth Norton

"The great strength of John Matteson’s biography lies in his ability to place Margaret Fuller against the social milieu that both made her possible and got in her way. We see, as never before, a life constantly moving onto new ground."

Robert Ferguson

Margaret Fuller, associate of Emerson, Hawthorne, and the other Concord intellectuals and most famous for her Woman in the Nineteenth Century as well as for her tragic death, was a determined and brilliant woman who struggled to find her place in the 19th-century world. In this extensive biography, Pulitzer Prize winner Matteson (English, John Jay Coll. of Criminal Justice, CUNY; Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father) not only gives the reader a clearer understanding of Fuller, but also draws a fairly complete picture of her environment and time. Among the many Fuller biographies, this work distinguishes itself by accomplishing the difficult task of making the subject come to life. Through Matteson's easy narrative style and presentation of Fuller "as a series of identities," readers can begin to understand her drive and her flaws. VERDICT The work is well written, easily accessible, and entertaining. Prior knowledge of Fuller is not necessary to enjoy it. A great read for anyone interested in extraordinary women in our literary and women's history. [See Prepub Alert, 7/11/11.]—Paolina Taglienti, Everest Coll.-Henderson, Las Vegas

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