From Publishers Weekly
Upon the death of the celebrated British actress Fanny Kemble (1809-1893), her confidant and admirer Henry James said she had written some of the best autobiography of her day. But that autobiographical writing runs to thousands of pages, a bit much for the casual reader. So Kemble's biographer, historian Catherine Clinton (Fanny Kemble's Civil Wars, Forecasts, July 10), has edited a slender volume, selecting the juiciest, most revealing and most incisive sections of Kemble's oeuvre. Having married a Southern plantation owner, Pierce Butler, Kemble became an outspokenAand, because of her fame and her husband's station, controversialAcritic of the South's peculiar institution. Clinton presents a range of writings on both personal and political subjects. We find Kemble's musings about her stage career (her exciting debut, an attack of nerves); about gender and ability (women, she believed, cannot possibly be "good dramatic writers"); about marriage; and about what she considered to be America's loathsome culture. Kemble spares nothing her withering eye and cutting tongueAshe observes, for example, that women in America "ripen very early" but "decay... soon." Not surprisingly, the book also contains lots of intimate details about Kemble's stormy marriage, and offers the full range of her ideas about slavery. Clinton's short but effective introduction combines with Kemble's candid writings to deliver an intriguing tale and a remarkable view into the race and gender battles of 19th-century America. Splendidly edited and handsomely designed, this collection clears room for readers to hear the unforgettable voice of Kemble herself, with little interference.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
There are those who say Fanny Kemble was born to the stage; others would argue that she was born to write, especially about contemporary England and America. These excerpts from Kemble's diaries, letters, and memoirs attest to her singularity as an observer. Married to a slave owner (whom she later divorced), the English-born Kemble became fiercely opposed to slavery, and her writings on the subject are stirring, fearless, and crusading. In 1863, believing Britain that might side with the Confederacy, Kemble published her antislavery writings (written years earlier) in England, winning many to the abolitionist side. Her views on overseers, the whipping of slaves, their funerals, literacy, mixed-race children, and freedom are sure to make readers bow to Kemble and her pen. Her views on acting, marriage, childbirth, children, motherhood, America, secessionist politics, and the status of women demonstrate a rare intelligence, passion, and imagination. Editor Clinton should be commended for publishing this work along with her new biography of Kemble. Recommended for all public libraries.DRobert L. Kelly, Fort Wayne Community Schs., IN
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
