Cambridge Library Collection - Travel, Europe
2 total works
Described by George Eliot as 'the only English woman that possesses thoroughly the art of writing', Harriet Martineau held a prominent position in the intellectual life of Victorian culture. This 1854 guide to Windermere was the first in her series of guides to the Lake District, leading eventually to her hugely successful Complete Guide to the English Lakes. In this Guide, Martineau engages with the emerging industry of literary tourism, and describes why the thriving village of Windermere warranted a 'new guide book'. She appreciatively details the natural features of the district and its architecture, and presents accounts of scenic walks and day tours to the neighbouring lakes, combining practical information with literary passages of description. An outstanding woman of her time, Martineau followed in Wordsworth's footsteps by fusing her identity with the local landscape of the Lake District, continuing its rich literary associations.
The Lake District was a popular tourist destination in the mid-Victorian period, and the changes it underwent following the arrival of the railway called for a new guide. Harriet Martineau (1802-76), a prolific and skilled writer on a wide variety of subjects, who had elsewhere written extensively to campaign for women's rights and against slavery in America, published this guide in 1858, having moved to the area. It offers a vivid insight into what is to be expected of a typical Victorian walking holiday, presenting a snapshot of the region at that time. Martineau describes everything from the landscape and views, to the hotels and amenities, nearby museums and exhibitions, and the personalities in the local community. Her descriptions are brought to life with illustrations and woodcuts by landscape artists, and the book also features essays by local experts on the meteorology, botany and geography of the region.