Geraldine Jewsbury facts for kids
Geraldine Endsor Jewsbury (born August 22, 1812 – died September 23, 1880) was an English writer and book reviewer. She was well-known in London for her popular books like Zoe: the History of Two Lives. She also wrote many reviews for a famous magazine called the Athenaeum. Geraldine Jewsbury never married. She had many close friends, especially Jane Carlyle, who was married to the writer Thomas Carlyle. Geraldine's deep feelings for Jane and their complicated friendship often appeared in Geraldine's writing. She also tried to help her friend Walter Mantell become a writer. This happened after he had problems with the New Zealand government about land rights for the Maori people.
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Early Life and Family
Geraldine Jewsbury was born in Measham, Derbyshire. Her father, Thomas Jewsbury (who died in 1840), made and sold cotton. Her mother was Maria Smith (who died in 1819). Geraldine's grandfather, Thomas Jewsbury Sr., was a surveyor and engineer. He left his family some land, buildings, and money.
Geraldine's parents had six children. Her older sister, Maria Jane, was also interested in writing. She wrote for the Manchester Gazette. After their mother died young, Maria Jane helped raise the family. But she also died young from a disease called cholera. Geraldine then took care of her father until he passed away. She also looked after her younger brother, Frank, until he got married.
Her father's cotton business faced problems because of the War of 1812. He then became an insurance agent in Manchester. Geraldine went to a boarding school near Tamworth, Staffordshire. She also studied French, Italian, and drawing in London in 1830–1831. After returning home, she felt sad and started to question things, including her religious beliefs. These feelings showed up in her first book, Zoe: the History of Two Lives.
Friendship with Jane Carlyle
Around 1840, Geraldine Jewsbury wrote to the famous Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle. She asked him for advice about becoming a writer. She was invited to his home in Chelsea, London. There, she quickly became very good friends with his wife, Jane. Their friendship and letters became the most important relationship in Geraldine's life.
Geraldine destroyed the letters she received from Jane. Jane had agreed to destroy Geraldine's letters, but she died suddenly before she could. Early letters show that Geraldine had very strong feelings for Jane. Jane, however, sometimes felt mixed about Geraldine. When Thomas Carlyle suggested Geraldine visit them in 1843, Jane was unsure. She told him that having Geraldine with her "from morning till night would be dreadfully wearing!" Jane also said Geraldine was "always in a state of emotion! dropping hot tears on my hands."
Jane and Geraldine had many disagreements. They often argued about the role of women. Jane was a very devoted wife and never thought about having her own career. Still, their friendship lasted for over 25 years. Jane tried to help Geraldine find a partner, and Geraldine took care of Jane when she was sick. Their friendship was studied by writers like Virginia Woolf. Jane also helped edit Geraldine's first two books.
Her Novels
Geraldine Jewsbury wrote books that explored ideas and tough choices. She often questioned the usual ideas about wives and mothers. She believed that work was important for women's spirits. In her stories, her female characters were often smarter and more capable than the male ones.
Her first book, Zoe: the History of Two Lives (1845), is about a girl who falls in love with a Catholic priest. This causes him to lose his faith. The story strongly explores doubts, not just about religion, but also about marriage being a woman's only purpose. A publisher first turned it down, but then accepted it after Thomas Carlyle spoke up for it. It became popular right away. The Manchester Examiner called it "striking" and "clever."
Jewsbury's next book, The Half Sisters (1848), also questioned the roles of wives and mothers. These roles were shown as not always satisfying or fulfilling. The life of a traditional woman, Alice, seemed less interesting than her half-sister Bianca's life. Bianca worked as an actress to support her sick mother. The character of Alice had some traits of Jane Carlyle. Bianca was clearly based on another close friend of Jewsbury's, Charlotte Cushman. This book was Geraldine's favorite among her own novels.
Her third novel, Marian Withers (1851), looked at how women could find fulfillment. This time, the story was set in a factory town. It showed her knowledge of the business world in Manchester. The book talked about education, new inventions, status at work, and helping others. This novel told several different stories that were connected. Some critics did not like this way of telling a story.
Three more novels (Constance Herbert, 1855; The Sorrows of Gentility, 1856; and Right or Wrong, 1859) were not as popular. Geraldine Jewsbury also wrote two books for children: The History of an Adopted Child (1852) and Angelo, or, The Pine Forest in the Alps (1855).
Short Stories
The famous writer Charles Dickens asked Geraldine Jewsbury to write 17 short stories for his magazine, Household Words. This happened between 1850 and 1859. He once wrote to her, "Dear Miss Jewsbury, – I make no apology for addressing you thus, for I am a reader of yours, and I hope that I have that knowledge of you which may justify a frank approach.... If I could induce you to write any papers or short stories for [Household Words] I should, I sincerely assure you, set great store by your help, and be much gratified in having it."
Book Reviewing
Geraldine Jewsbury is thought to have reviewed over 2000 books from 1846 to 1880. These included novels, children's books, memories, biographies, history books, and cookbooks. Most of her reviews were for the weekly magazine Athenaeum. At that time, most reviews were anonymous, meaning the writer's name was not shown. So, the exact number of reviews she wrote is not known. This anonymity also made authors and critics suspicious of each other. Many of Geraldine's reviews were wrongly thought to be written by another writer, John Cordy Jeaffreson. When Rhoda Broughton found out that Geraldine had written a bad review of her book, she included an unkind drawing of Geraldine in one of her later books, The Beginner.
Geraldine Jewsbury was a critic who focused on morals. Her main rule was whether characters could tell right from wrong. This was more important to her than the story's plot. For example, she did not like stories about an older man longing for a younger woman. She also disliked love scenes and many typical home-life novels. Some popular authors she reviewed included Anthony Trollope, George Eliot, George Meredith, and Wilkie Collins.
Geraldine also worked as a reader for publishers like Hurst and Blackett and Bentley. She suggested that Bentley publish Ellen Wood's very popular book East Lynne (1861). However, she turned down other authors who later became successful, like M. E. Braddon and Ouida. She often used her position at Bentley to help other female writers, including her friends like Margaret Oliphant and Frances Power Cobbe.
Friends and Connections
Geraldine Jewsbury was very social and had many friends. She could find common ground with people from all walks of life. As she became more well-known, her unusual personality stood out. She smoked and sometimes wore men's clothes, like the writer George Sand. This made her quite famous in literary circles. Her friends included the Huxley, Kingsley, Rossetti, and Browning families. She was also friends with W. E. Forster (with whom she visited revolutionary Paris in 1848), John Bright, John Ruskin, and G. H. Lewes.
She never married, but she had many close personal relationships with both men and women. The most important was with Jane Carlyle. Another important friend was the actress Charlotte Cushman. Charlotte was a strong woman with a very masculine style. Geraldine admired her for her wide experiences in life, which were very different from Jane's quiet home life. (Jane Carlyle became a bit jealous of this friendship.) Charlotte Cushman was the inspiration for the character Bianca in The Half Sisters.
Sydney Owenson, also known as Lady Morgan, helped Geraldine when she first came to London. Geraldine was a very loyal friend to Lady Morgan. She even helped her write her memories when Lady Morgan was old.
Among her male friends, the most important was Walter Mantell. He was a government official in New Zealand and eight years younger than Geraldine. He felt uneasy about his job, which involved pressuring the Maori people to sell their land cheaply to the British. He returned to live in England. Geraldine tried very hard to help him become a writer. She even suggested they get married. But it seems he grew tired of her attention, and they slowly drifted apart.
Later Life and Legacy
Geraldine Jewsbury moved to Sevenoaks, Kent, after her friend Jane Carlyle died in 1866. Geraldine herself got cancer in 1879. She passed away in a private London hospital in 1880. She was buried in Brompton Cemetery. She kept writing until the very end of her life. Her last report for the publisher Bentley was dated September 9, 1880. She left all her papers to a businessman and feminist named John Stores Smith, with whom she had a strong connection.
