Life in the Sick-Room

by Harriet Martineau, Maria H. Frawley (Editor)

Believing herself to be suffering from an incurable condition, Harriet Martineau wrote Life in the Sick-Room in 1844. In this work, which is both memoir and treatise, Martineau seeks to educate the healthy and ill alike on the spiritual and psychological dimensions of chronic suffering. Covering such topics as “Sympathy to the Invalid,” “Temper,” and “Becoming Inured,” the work occupies a crucial place in the culture of invalidism that prospered in Victorian England. This Broadview edition also includes medical documents pertaining to Martineau’s case; other writings on health by Martineau; excerpts from her other autobiographical writings; selected correspondence with Florence Nightingale; excerpts from contemporary works of sick-room literature; and reviews.

Genres: Essays, Disability, Nonfiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1844

About the author

Harriet Martineau (1802 - 1876) was an English writer and philosopher, renowned in her day as a controversial journalist, political economist, abolitionist and life-long feminist. Martineau has also been called the first female sociologist and the first female journalist in England.

Comprehensive list of her works with links to digitized versions here.

Reviews

[Marnie Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You languish -- you are sick at heart. But put your sickness from your heart, and your pains under your feet. You have known before that there is a divine joy in endurance. Prove it now. Lift up your head amidst your lot, and wait the issue -- not submissively, but heroically. Live out your season, not wistfully looking out for hope, or shrinking from fear: but serenely and immoveably...ENDURE"

[Anjanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

You probably won’t like this book—it’s boring and rambling. I can hear you now: “So much navel gazing, this!”

I liked it, though. 🤷‍♀️

[Ru · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this collection for my dissertation but I didn’t realise I would relate to it on such a deep level! It felt like Martineau was articulating my own experiences with pain and suffering - not a 19th century woman’s. It was great and would def recommend!

[Lorri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Martineau shares the lessons she’s learned about life, the power of ideas and intellectual pursuits, morality, the soul’s immortality, and more from her perspective and position as a sufferer of chronic illness.

[Katherine]

For class

[Caroline]

I didn’t get past the first few pages. I appreciate this book, but was looking for something different. I may try again later.