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Selected Letters
Whether describing the Turkish baths in Sofia or the London social scene, negotiating her marriage settlement or declaring her passion for a young Italian, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) wrote some of the liveliest letters in the English language. Ranging over everything from gossip to politics, science to literature, they reveal very different aspects of her personality to her husband, sister and female circle, to her beloved daughter and her errant son. The famous Embassy Letters from Constantinople were designed for publication, yet most are vividly personal. Several letters in this volume have never before appeared in print (one full of exuberant chamber-pot humour and another mocking men as 'vile inconstant toads'). In this superb selection, Isobel Grundy has included examples from every significant correspondence so as to do full justice 'to Montagu the writer, thinker and feminist, and to Lady Mary the friend and family member, the idealistic girl and sardonic old woman'.
536 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
Mary Wortley Montagu
124 books30 followersPoerrepont
The Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was an English aristocrat and writer. Montagu is today chiefly remembered for her letters, particularly her letters from Turkey, which have been described by Billie Melman as “the very first example of a secular work by a woman about the Muslim Orient”.
The Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was an English aristocrat and writer. Montagu is today chiefly remembered for her letters, particularly her letters from Turkey, which have been described by Billie Melman as “the very first example of a secular work by a woman about the Muslim Orient”.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 26, 2015
A wonderful anecdotal glimpse into life in Europe and Turkey in the 18th century. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu lived from 1689 to 1762.
For me, this book is divided up into 3 disparate groups of letters. Lady M’s life in England – (rather boring), Lady M’s life in Italy – (quietly charming) , and Lady M’s travels on the continent, and subsequent stay in Turkey – (absolutely fantastic!)
Her letters written in England for me were a bit of a struggle – whilst protesting that she dislikes gossip, her letters are often full of it. Given that the people mentioned barely impinge on our consciousness as characters, and the footnotes do little to flesh them out, for me a lot of these letters had the about as much attraction as a telephone directory .
Her letters in Italy were far more interesting, who of us here can fail to identify with her repeated discussions about books, and her obvious love of them. Also the way she encouraged her daughter to educate her grand-daughter was inspiring. There were also descriptions of her lovely Italian garden, where she grew vines and raised silk worms. There were several charming glimpses into her life amongst the locals “I make a very shining figure amongst my neighbours by the introduction of custards, cheese-cakes and minced pies, which were entirely unknown in these parts and are received with universal applause...” She is so sweetly eccentric. I was clapping too.
But for me, by far the best part of the book was her letters written travelling over the continent, and her during stay in Turkey. Here I will let her speak for herself. This is just a small sample of all the fascinating descriptions and insights in these letters...
On political differences in Germany - 22nd August 1716
“I have already passed a large part of Germany----and ‘tis impossible not to observe the difference between the free towns and those under the government of absolute princes (as all little sovereigns of Germany are.) In the first there appears an air of commerse and plenty. The streets are well built and full of people neatly and plainly dressed, and the shops loaded with merchandise, and the commonalty clean and cheerful. In the other sort, a sort of shabby finery, a number of dirty people of quality tawdered out, narrow nasty streets out of repair, wretchedly thin of inhabitants, and above half of the common sort asking for alms”
On Viennese women and their lovers – 20 September 1716
"A woman looks out for a lover as soon as she’s married as part of her equipage, without which she could not be genteel... I really know several women of the first quality whose pensions are as well known as their annual rents, and yet nobody esteems them the less. On the contrary, their discretion would be called into question if they should be suspected to be mistresses for nothing, and a great part of their emulation consists in trying who shall get most.”
On the artifice of the women of Leipzig - 21 November 1716
“The Saxon ladies....would think it a mortal sin against good breeding if they either spoke or moved in a natural manner. They all affect a little soft lisp and a pretty pitty-pat step, which female frailties ought, however, to be forgiven ‘em in favour of their civility and good nature to strangers.”
On the women’s bath house in Adrianople – 1st April 1717.
(Ingres later based his painting ‘Le Bain Turc’ on her wonderful description of this place.) Suffice it here just to show an example of humour and goodwill between her and the women in the bathhouse – 1st April 1717.
“The lady that seemed most considerable amongst them entreated me to sit by her and would fain have undressed me for the bath. I excused myself with some difficulty, they all being so earnest in persuading me. I was a last forced to open my skirt and show them my stays, which satisfied ‘em very well, for I saw they believed I was so locked up in that machine that it was not in my own power to open it, which contrivance they attributed to my husband.”
On the customs of having children in Turkey – 29 May 1717
“Any woman who dies unmarried is looked upon to die in a state of reprobation. To confirm this belief, they reason that the end of the creation of women is to increase and multiply... Without any exaggeration, all women of my acquaintance that have been married ten year have twelve or thirteen children, and the old ones boast of having five-and-twenty or thirty a piece and are respected according to the number they have produced.”
On her visit to the Sultana Hafise - Turkey – 10 March 1718
“She gave me a dinner of fifty dishes of meat, which (after their fashion) was placed on the table but one at a time, and was extremely tedious, but the magnificence of her table answered very well to that of her dress. The knives were of gold, the hafts set with diamonds, but the piece of luxury that grieved my eyes was the table cloth and napkins, which were all tiffany embroidered with silks and gold in the finest manner in natural flowers. It was with the utmost regret that I made use of these costly napkins, as finely wrought as the finest handkerchiefs that ever came out of this country. You may be sure that they were entirely spoilt before dinner was over. The sherbet (which is the liquor they drink at meals) was served in china bowls, but the covers and salvers, massy gold. After dinner, water was brought in a gold basin and towels of the same kind napkins, which I very unwillingly wiped my hands upon....”
On smallpox innoculations in Turkey - 1 April 1717
Possibly the greatest thing she learnt about in Turkey was their practice of inoculating against smallpox, and later she inoculated her son in a similar fashion. (Her sister refused her offer to do the same for her nephew, and he died of smallpox in 1723.)
"There is a set of old women who make it their business to perform the operation.. ...They make parties for this purpose, and when they are met (commonly fifteen or sixteen together) the old woman comes with a nutshell full of the matter of the best sort of smallpox, and asks what veins you please to have opened. She immediately rips open that you offer to her with a large needle (which give you no more pain than a common scratch) and puts into the vein as much venom as can lie upon the head of her needle, and after binds up the little wound with a hollow bit of shell, and in this manner opens four or five veins.
From lisping ladies to smallpox - I hope these few snips have managed to impart just a small flavour of the wonderfulness of these letters.
I will end by saying she was an incredibly stoical writer. Time and time again, when abroad, she talks about people not receiving her letters. The postal service really seems to have been a very hit and miss affair. Thank goodness she persevered, and we have been left these amazing missives.
I am awarding her 3 stars. This is an average of 1 star for her writing in England, 3 stars for her writing in Italy, and 5 stars for her writing when travelling, and during her stay in Turkey....
For me, this book is divided up into 3 disparate groups of letters. Lady M’s life in England – (rather boring), Lady M’s life in Italy – (quietly charming) , and Lady M’s travels on the continent, and subsequent stay in Turkey – (absolutely fantastic!)
Her letters written in England for me were a bit of a struggle – whilst protesting that she dislikes gossip, her letters are often full of it. Given that the people mentioned barely impinge on our consciousness as characters, and the footnotes do little to flesh them out, for me a lot of these letters had the about as much attraction as a telephone directory .
Her letters in Italy were far more interesting, who of us here can fail to identify with her repeated discussions about books, and her obvious love of them. Also the way she encouraged her daughter to educate her grand-daughter was inspiring. There were also descriptions of her lovely Italian garden, where she grew vines and raised silk worms. There were several charming glimpses into her life amongst the locals “I make a very shining figure amongst my neighbours by the introduction of custards, cheese-cakes and minced pies, which were entirely unknown in these parts and are received with universal applause...” She is so sweetly eccentric. I was clapping too.
But for me, by far the best part of the book was her letters written travelling over the continent, and her during stay in Turkey. Here I will let her speak for herself. This is just a small sample of all the fascinating descriptions and insights in these letters...
On political differences in Germany - 22nd August 1716
“I have already passed a large part of Germany----and ‘tis impossible not to observe the difference between the free towns and those under the government of absolute princes (as all little sovereigns of Germany are.) In the first there appears an air of commerse and plenty. The streets are well built and full of people neatly and plainly dressed, and the shops loaded with merchandise, and the commonalty clean and cheerful. In the other sort, a sort of shabby finery, a number of dirty people of quality tawdered out, narrow nasty streets out of repair, wretchedly thin of inhabitants, and above half of the common sort asking for alms”
On Viennese women and their lovers – 20 September 1716
"A woman looks out for a lover as soon as she’s married as part of her equipage, without which she could not be genteel... I really know several women of the first quality whose pensions are as well known as their annual rents, and yet nobody esteems them the less. On the contrary, their discretion would be called into question if they should be suspected to be mistresses for nothing, and a great part of their emulation consists in trying who shall get most.”
On the artifice of the women of Leipzig - 21 November 1716
“The Saxon ladies....would think it a mortal sin against good breeding if they either spoke or moved in a natural manner. They all affect a little soft lisp and a pretty pitty-pat step, which female frailties ought, however, to be forgiven ‘em in favour of their civility and good nature to strangers.”
On the women’s bath house in Adrianople – 1st April 1717.
(Ingres later based his painting ‘Le Bain Turc’ on her wonderful description of this place.) Suffice it here just to show an example of humour and goodwill between her and the women in the bathhouse – 1st April 1717.
“The lady that seemed most considerable amongst them entreated me to sit by her and would fain have undressed me for the bath. I excused myself with some difficulty, they all being so earnest in persuading me. I was a last forced to open my skirt and show them my stays, which satisfied ‘em very well, for I saw they believed I was so locked up in that machine that it was not in my own power to open it, which contrivance they attributed to my husband.”
On the customs of having children in Turkey – 29 May 1717
“Any woman who dies unmarried is looked upon to die in a state of reprobation. To confirm this belief, they reason that the end of the creation of women is to increase and multiply... Without any exaggeration, all women of my acquaintance that have been married ten year have twelve or thirteen children, and the old ones boast of having five-and-twenty or thirty a piece and are respected according to the number they have produced.”
On her visit to the Sultana Hafise - Turkey – 10 March 1718
“She gave me a dinner of fifty dishes of meat, which (after their fashion) was placed on the table but one at a time, and was extremely tedious, but the magnificence of her table answered very well to that of her dress. The knives were of gold, the hafts set with diamonds, but the piece of luxury that grieved my eyes was the table cloth and napkins, which were all tiffany embroidered with silks and gold in the finest manner in natural flowers. It was with the utmost regret that I made use of these costly napkins, as finely wrought as the finest handkerchiefs that ever came out of this country. You may be sure that they were entirely spoilt before dinner was over. The sherbet (which is the liquor they drink at meals) was served in china bowls, but the covers and salvers, massy gold. After dinner, water was brought in a gold basin and towels of the same kind napkins, which I very unwillingly wiped my hands upon....”
On smallpox innoculations in Turkey - 1 April 1717
Possibly the greatest thing she learnt about in Turkey was their practice of inoculating against smallpox, and later she inoculated her son in a similar fashion. (Her sister refused her offer to do the same for her nephew, and he died of smallpox in 1723.)
"There is a set of old women who make it their business to perform the operation.. ...They make parties for this purpose, and when they are met (commonly fifteen or sixteen together) the old woman comes with a nutshell full of the matter of the best sort of smallpox, and asks what veins you please to have opened. She immediately rips open that you offer to her with a large needle (which give you no more pain than a common scratch) and puts into the vein as much venom as can lie upon the head of her needle, and after binds up the little wound with a hollow bit of shell, and in this manner opens four or five veins.
From lisping ladies to smallpox - I hope these few snips have managed to impart just a small flavour of the wonderfulness of these letters.
I will end by saying she was an incredibly stoical writer. Time and time again, when abroad, she talks about people not receiving her letters. The postal service really seems to have been a very hit and miss affair. Thank goodness she persevered, and we have been left these amazing missives.
I am awarding her 3 stars. This is an average of 1 star for her writing in England, 3 stars for her writing in Italy, and 5 stars for her writing when travelling, and during her stay in Turkey....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 17, 2020It would be ridiculous of me to try to review this selection of letters by the enchanting Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an eighteenth-century woman of letters. I can only, perhaps, string together a few words of appreciation and admiration.
It’s amazing how a few letters can unravel the span of a rich life, allowing the reader to look over the shoulder of a person as she writes about her days, her acquaintances, her travels, and herself to her loved ones on papers that are always too small to contain all she wants to write. This shoulder changed over and over again through time—now wearing English clothes, now dressed as a Turkish woman, at times ill, otherwise healthy and writing vigorously.
A young woman ready to disobey her father to choose her own husband. A wife who travels to Turkey and discovers ‘a new world’, which she records with fascination rather than Western prejudice. Back at home, the first advocate for smallpox inoculation in England. Later, a strong-minded woman who flees to Italy for love and stays there until she returns to England, her final resting place. A witty, bookish, affectionate, and curious woman throughout the chapters of her life, always eager to read and experience more.
Lady M’s letters are often entertaining, chronicling eighteenth-century society’s gossip, love and betrayals. Her learning comes through in her musings on foreign places (she is one of the earliest female travel writers), diverse cultures, education, and politics. But she is also just a truly remarkable woman, open to teaching and learning from foreign people and a fervent believer in the potential of women.
In other words, I’m completely, utterly in love.
It’s amazing how a few letters can unravel the span of a rich life, allowing the reader to look over the shoulder of a person as she writes about her days, her acquaintances, her travels, and herself to her loved ones on papers that are always too small to contain all she wants to write. This shoulder changed over and over again through time—now wearing English clothes, now dressed as a Turkish woman, at times ill, otherwise healthy and writing vigorously.
A young woman ready to disobey her father to choose her own husband. A wife who travels to Turkey and discovers ‘a new world’, which she records with fascination rather than Western prejudice. Back at home, the first advocate for smallpox inoculation in England. Later, a strong-minded woman who flees to Italy for love and stays there until she returns to England, her final resting place. A witty, bookish, affectionate, and curious woman throughout the chapters of her life, always eager to read and experience more.
Lady M’s letters are often entertaining, chronicling eighteenth-century society’s gossip, love and betrayals. Her learning comes through in her musings on foreign places (she is one of the earliest female travel writers), diverse cultures, education, and politics. But she is also just a truly remarkable woman, open to teaching and learning from foreign people and a fervent believer in the potential of women.
In other words, I’m completely, utterly in love.
August 10, 2016
I fell in love with Lady Mary after reading her complete Turkish Embassy letters a few years ago, and naturally I was curious to see what the rest of her life was like. The early letters are really quite dull, especially considering the failure of her marriage to Wortley. Some of the later letters from her retirement in Italy, however, are really very interesting, and full of worthy advice. In the end, though, it is the Turkish letters which are by far the best, so I would rather recommend the complete collection of those, rather than this selection, which totals less than a third of the letters found in Halsband's complete 3 volume edition.
JM
JM
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November 18, 2008"She was, like her age, cold and hard; she was infinitely unromantic; she was often cynical, and sometimes gross."
--Lytton Strachey on Lady Montagu
Strachey is always recommending books to me from beyond the grave.
--Lytton Strachey on Lady Montagu
Strachey is always recommending books to me from beyond the grave.
August 3, 2013
Grundy's edition is obviously definitive, and extremely well-annotated. Reading LMWM's letters is like following a brilliant and multi-faceted tour guide through the eighteenth century. Her letters to Francesco Algarotti, in particular, shine with vulnerability that cuts across time. I loved her critiques of her own social positioning ("I am enraged that my body was formed to wear skirts"), as well as her teasing verse-exchanges with the pansexual Lord Hervey. You can also see her trying to delicately deflect the advances of Alexander Pope, while unable to resist the urge to critique his work (a move which soured their already precarious friendship). Her writing is erudite and passionate by turns.
February 17, 2023
4 / 5 stars
I haven't read letters from famous authors in quite some time - part of me just thinks they might be boring, but I am surprised at the level of entertainment they grant me every time.
I had never heard of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu beforehand, although I'm surprised I haven't; I feel the woman who introduced inoculation into 18th century England is anyone's idea of accomplishment...
Her writings, or more specifically her letters, are very interesting. I could imagine the type of personality she had through her correspondences with friends, family, and other successful poets and writers of that time (Alexander Pope and William Congreve to name a few).
A woman ahead of her time, Lady Montagu certainly left an impression, and I'm glad we still have the writings of this curious, adventurous, passionate woman today.
I haven't read letters from famous authors in quite some time - part of me just thinks they might be boring, but I am surprised at the level of entertainment they grant me every time.
I had never heard of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu beforehand, although I'm surprised I haven't; I feel the woman who introduced inoculation into 18th century England is anyone's idea of accomplishment...
Her writings, or more specifically her letters, are very interesting. I could imagine the type of personality she had through her correspondences with friends, family, and other successful poets and writers of that time (Alexander Pope and William Congreve to name a few).
A woman ahead of her time, Lady Montagu certainly left an impression, and I'm glad we still have the writings of this curious, adventurous, passionate woman today.
January 25, 2025
4 stars because you wish there were more letters in there. Open-minded, a stylist, great anecdotes, and some bits you just want to write down:
'Nature is seldom in the wrong, custom always. I am amazed to see people of good sense in other things make their happiness consist in the opinions of others, and sacrifice everything in the desire to appear in fashion. I look upon them as no less in the wrong than when they were five years old, and doted on shells, pebbles and hobby-horses'.
'Nature is seldom in the wrong, custom always. I am amazed to see people of good sense in other things make their happiness consist in the opinions of others, and sacrifice everything in the desire to appear in fashion. I look upon them as no less in the wrong than when they were five years old, and doted on shells, pebbles and hobby-horses'.
February 15, 2022
I read this for a class and absolutely loved getting the opportunity to catch a glimpse inside the intimidate moments between Mary with her friends and lovers. It gave insight into the social responsibilities women had within marriage and the stigmas around it. She was quite a spunky gal! It was quite an easy read with familiar, easy to read english. I loved it!
March 18, 2024
Read for True Lives course; will analyze the letters after Spring Break.
I really enjoyed these letters; I thought her private letter-writing voice was easy and entertaining to read. Her life is also extremely interesting; her Oxford National Dictionary entry is fascinating.
I really enjoyed these letters; I thought her private letter-writing voice was easy and entertaining to read. Her life is also extremely interesting; her Oxford National Dictionary entry is fascinating.
July 22, 2018
Wow, the acerbic wit and amazing mind and life of this woman makes her letters one of the best reads you can ever have.
January 28, 2021
i thought i was reading the complete collection of letters then i realized my teacher only gave us TWO letters, wow, very selected letters i should say
November 5, 2024
I was surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. At times it really felt like reading letters from an old friend.
July 13, 2013
I read this as part of a course in eighteenth century literature - and loved it. A fascinating and witty woman; she seems to jump right off the page.
October 11, 2015
Chapter 3 with the letters from Turkey are really interesting. I found the other letters dull.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews