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Лято на езерата
„Лято на езерата“ е дългоочакваната първа среща на българския читател с творчеството на Маргарет Фулър. Останала в световната история като една от най-значимите женски фигури, тя създава този свой текст през 1843 г., което го прави първото художествено претворяване на американския – все още див – Запад. Книгата й е пътепис – Фулър разказва за обиколката си на Големите езера: пеш, с кон, карета или с параход. Но е и природопис, силно ангажиран с природата и надигащ ярък глас в нейна защита. Преди всичко обаче „Лято на езерата“ е духовна автобиография на американската авторка. С жив и образен език, под формата на дневникови записки, тя пише за това, което е докоснало духа и душата й, за красотата на света, вече съответстваща на красотата на духа.
Сара Маргарет Фулър Осоли (1810–1850) е писателка, литературна критичка и философка, част от американския трансцендентализъм. Със своята ерудиция и бляскава интелигентност тя се откроява в новоанглийските културни среди от 40-те години на XIX в. и като познавачка на европейската литература в Америка. Описвана е като „гражданка на света“, изпреварила времето си с активната си борба за женските права.
„Чувал съм, че още от малка започнала да мисли, че превъзхожда интелектуално околните. Години живяла с тази идея, додето накрая повярвала, че не е дете на родителите си, а европейска принцеса, поверена на грижите им.“ – Ралф Уолдо Емерсън
Сара Маргарет Фулър Осоли (1810–1850) е писателка, литературна критичка и философка, част от американския трансцендентализъм. Със своята ерудиция и бляскава интелигентност тя се откроява в новоанглийските културни среди от 40-те години на XIX в. и като познавачка на европейската литература в Америка. Описвана е като „гражданка на света“, изпреварила времето си с активната си борба за женските права.
„Чувал съм, че още от малка започнала да мисли, че превъзхожда интелектуално околните. Години живяла с тази идея, додето накрая повярвала, че не е дете на родителите си, а европейска принцеса, поверена на грижите им.“ – Ралф Уолдо Емерсън
360 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1844
52 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Fuller
168 books140 followersSarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli, more commonly known as Margaret Fuller, (May 23, 1810 – July 19, 1850) was a journalist, critic and women's rights activist associated with the American transcendental movement. She was the first full-time female book reviewer in journalism. Her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century is considered the first major feminist work in the United States.
Born Sarah Margaret Fuller in an area of Cambridge, Massachusetts, she was given a substantial early education by her father, Timothy Fuller. She later had more formal schooling and became a teacher before, in 1839, she began overseeing what she called "conversations": discussions among women meant to compensate for their lack of access to higher education. She became the first editor of the transcendental publication The Dial in 1840 before joining the staff of the New York Tribune under Horace Greeley in 1844. By the time she was in her 30s, Fuller had earned a reputation as the best-read person in New England, male or female, and became the first woman allowed to use the library at Harvard College. Her seminal work, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, was published in 1845. A year later, she was sent to Europe for the Tribune as its first female correspondent. She soon became involved with the revolution in Italy and allied herself with Giuseppe Mazzini. She also met Giovanni Ossoli, with whom she had a child. All three members of the family died in a shipwreck off Fire Island, New York, traveling back to the United States in 1850. Fuller's body was never recovered.
Fuller was an advocate of women's rights and, in particular, women's education and the right to employment. She also encouraged many other reforms in society, including prison reform and the emancipation of slaves in the United States. Many other advocates for women's rights and feminism, including Susan B. Anthony, cite Fuller as a source of inspiration. Many of her contemporaries, however, were not supportive, including her former friend Harriet Martineau, who said that Fuller was a talker rather than an activist. Shortly after Fuller's death her importance faded; the editors who prepared her letters to be published, believing her fame would be short-lived, were not concerned about accuracy and censored or altered much of her words before publication.
Born Sarah Margaret Fuller in an area of Cambridge, Massachusetts, she was given a substantial early education by her father, Timothy Fuller. She later had more formal schooling and became a teacher before, in 1839, she began overseeing what she called "conversations": discussions among women meant to compensate for their lack of access to higher education. She became the first editor of the transcendental publication The Dial in 1840 before joining the staff of the New York Tribune under Horace Greeley in 1844. By the time she was in her 30s, Fuller had earned a reputation as the best-read person in New England, male or female, and became the first woman allowed to use the library at Harvard College. Her seminal work, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, was published in 1845. A year later, she was sent to Europe for the Tribune as its first female correspondent. She soon became involved with the revolution in Italy and allied herself with Giuseppe Mazzini. She also met Giovanni Ossoli, with whom she had a child. All three members of the family died in a shipwreck off Fire Island, New York, traveling back to the United States in 1850. Fuller's body was never recovered.
Fuller was an advocate of women's rights and, in particular, women's education and the right to employment. She also encouraged many other reforms in society, including prison reform and the emancipation of slaves in the United States. Many other advocates for women's rights and feminism, including Susan B. Anthony, cite Fuller as a source of inspiration. Many of her contemporaries, however, were not supportive, including her former friend Harriet Martineau, who said that Fuller was a talker rather than an activist. Shortly after Fuller's death her importance faded; the editors who prepared her letters to be published, believing her fame would be short-lived, were not concerned about accuracy and censored or altered much of her words before publication.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 24, 2020
Book Review
Fuller’s biographical information was very interesting. I was surprised that she had gotten pregnant before marriage and married a man more than ten years her junior, given this was written in 1843. I didn’t think that happened too often during those times. I think it blurred my interpretation of her work, especially because she speaks so much about women’s issues and equality. I found the letter she wrote to be interesting as it was about what speeches she would make in the upcoming seasons, etc. It really wasn’t literature to me. I thought it more of old stationary found in someone’s attic that the editor of the anthology felt necessary to include possible because of style or as a breather from the long prose sections we read. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the focus of our reading. “Women in the 19th Century” was.
This piece by Fuller is suppose to be arguing the equality of men vs. women issues and why if men treat the "Indians and Blacks" better than before, do they treat women even worse than that. My first opinion of the work is definitely going to be boredom or non-interest because I am a firm believer in making all women and men equal. Most of my favorite authors or poets happen to be women. Nevertheless, I continued reading the selection from Fuller. I tried reading through what she had to say, but it was very annoying at times and also somewhat obvious. I am a staunch supporter of equal rights for every human on this planet regardless of sex, religion, raced, creed, etc. However, I don’t think it is necessary to put blame on someone and try to accomplish goals that way. Fuller basically says that all men think they have the qualities of energy, power, and intellect while women have beauty, harmony, and love. She does say that not all people think this, etc., but I still disagree with her. Every human being has their own level of energy. We are all beautiful creatures. There is not just physical beauty, there is emotional, inner, etc. We all learn to make harmony within ourselves and we work together to make harmony throughout our culture. Power is something you work for. Men have the same amount of compassion as women. It hurts just as much, though we are conditioned to keep the hurt within us. I may be venting and going off the deep end, but Fuller seems to put much of the blame on men. I do need to take into account that this was written a century ago, and back then, it was partially true, so it isn’t as reliable anymore in our times though. However, to read this makes the problem worse I believe. It shouldn’t fight for just one cause, rather show how all people are suppose to be equal and point out errors in those ways.
What I really think is that Fuller was so deeply concerned about women’s rights that she skipped over the ill-treatment of all people in general. She has every right too though. Women were treated horribly back then, but so were men at times. If you weren’t a macho man, you were considered to not be equal either. Fuller is a good writer; however, her conviction comes through in an antagonistic way when it could have been displayed more tastefully. I believe that she could have shown the problems and ways to correct rather than attack others who treated women wrong in those times. Her words are somewhat inspirational and definitely well worth reading, but as for me, I felt it was more a lecture than a conversation - which is what literature should be. I didn’t think this was literature in the sense that it was entertaining. It chided me more than pleased me!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
Fuller’s biographical information was very interesting. I was surprised that she had gotten pregnant before marriage and married a man more than ten years her junior, given this was written in 1843. I didn’t think that happened too often during those times. I think it blurred my interpretation of her work, especially because she speaks so much about women’s issues and equality. I found the letter she wrote to be interesting as it was about what speeches she would make in the upcoming seasons, etc. It really wasn’t literature to me. I thought it more of old stationary found in someone’s attic that the editor of the anthology felt necessary to include possible because of style or as a breather from the long prose sections we read. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the focus of our reading. “Women in the 19th Century” was.
This piece by Fuller is suppose to be arguing the equality of men vs. women issues and why if men treat the "Indians and Blacks" better than before, do they treat women even worse than that. My first opinion of the work is definitely going to be boredom or non-interest because I am a firm believer in making all women and men equal. Most of my favorite authors or poets happen to be women. Nevertheless, I continued reading the selection from Fuller. I tried reading through what she had to say, but it was very annoying at times and also somewhat obvious. I am a staunch supporter of equal rights for every human on this planet regardless of sex, religion, raced, creed, etc. However, I don’t think it is necessary to put blame on someone and try to accomplish goals that way. Fuller basically says that all men think they have the qualities of energy, power, and intellect while women have beauty, harmony, and love. She does say that not all people think this, etc., but I still disagree with her. Every human being has their own level of energy. We are all beautiful creatures. There is not just physical beauty, there is emotional, inner, etc. We all learn to make harmony within ourselves and we work together to make harmony throughout our culture. Power is something you work for. Men have the same amount of compassion as women. It hurts just as much, though we are conditioned to keep the hurt within us. I may be venting and going off the deep end, but Fuller seems to put much of the blame on men. I do need to take into account that this was written a century ago, and back then, it was partially true, so it isn’t as reliable anymore in our times though. However, to read this makes the problem worse I believe. It shouldn’t fight for just one cause, rather show how all people are suppose to be equal and point out errors in those ways.
What I really think is that Fuller was so deeply concerned about women’s rights that she skipped over the ill-treatment of all people in general. She has every right too though. Women were treated horribly back then, but so were men at times. If you weren’t a macho man, you were considered to not be equal either. Fuller is a good writer; however, her conviction comes through in an antagonistic way when it could have been displayed more tastefully. I believe that she could have shown the problems and ways to correct rather than attack others who treated women wrong in those times. Her words are somewhat inspirational and definitely well worth reading, but as for me, I felt it was more a lecture than a conversation - which is what literature should be. I didn’t think this was literature in the sense that it was entertaining. It chided me more than pleased me!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
October 14, 2018
Margaret Fuller me enseña cómo ver con ojos y opiniones propias, buscando juzgar sin prejuicios según su propia escala de valores. Describe, más que los paisajes, sus sensaciones y sentimientos al contemplar esas tierras todavía salvajes del oeste americano. Su testimonio de su trato con los indios me resultó muy valioso y me pareció de una sensibilidad absoluta. Un libro muy recomendable.
March 28, 2024
Може би Маргарет Фулър е забележителна интелектуалка, но не видях нищо такова в настоящия пътепис.
За българското издание на „Кръг“ преводът на стиховете е ужасен, съжалявам, че ще го кажа, но ги прескачах, предпочитам да ги прочета в оригинал.
За българското издание на „Кръг“ преводът на стиховете е ужасен, съжалявам, че ще го кажа, но ги прескачах, предпочитам да ги прочета в оригинал.
July 2, 2012
This book includes more than the author's journal of her summer on the lakes. In it are some of her poems, essays, communications with friends, and writings of others. I particularly enjoyed the description of her lake trip describing the Chicago area in 1843 when it was a small settlement. She also visited Mackinac Island and told of the great Indian gathering there. Her outlook on education, pioneering, and other topics is quite modern for her day, explaining why she faced such opposition to her views. Overall, an engaging read.
September 21, 2025
My favorite stories and passages were the ones at the end about the Natives, and the beginning. I also liked Mariana's story.
It's interesting to read but highly theoretical, and she cites a lot of authors which are sometimes too unrelated to her travels in my opinion. But as a whole it's like a part of Margaret Fuller, with her ideas and references and would be great to study more in depth.
It's interesting to read but highly theoretical, and she cites a lot of authors which are sometimes too unrelated to her travels in my opinion. But as a whole it's like a part of Margaret Fuller, with her ideas and references and would be great to study more in depth.
September 6, 2023
White women love vacations.
June 25, 2020
Margaret Fuller was an early kinda-feminist figure, a writer who explored the countryside, discussed women's history, and was a key figure in Transcendentalism. Fuller embodies the Transcendentalist movement: a critical eye on the systems we function in, an undermining of culture's focus on social obligation, a call to return to nature, return to our own selves.
And with that, comes the same criticisms levied to other writers of the movement. This writing oozes privilege, a financially secure white person talking about how unnecessary social systems are. Talking about connection to nature, and hating the woodcutters who actually live among nature so that they may provide the resources she as a rich woman uses to live.
This isn't to say the text is not significant, or that Fuller was a bad person. But your enjoyment of the text will hinge upon your opinion of the movement. This text is not, in of itself, incredibly subversive from the basic premise and when I read the parts I read for class, it never really turned into leisure writing for me. That being said, it raises excellent questions about American culture, and provides some neat nature writing on top. Just wasn't my jam.
And with that, comes the same criticisms levied to other writers of the movement. This writing oozes privilege, a financially secure white person talking about how unnecessary social systems are. Talking about connection to nature, and hating the woodcutters who actually live among nature so that they may provide the resources she as a rich woman uses to live.
This isn't to say the text is not significant, or that Fuller was a bad person. But your enjoyment of the text will hinge upon your opinion of the movement. This text is not, in of itself, incredibly subversive from the basic premise and when I read the parts I read for class, it never really turned into leisure writing for me. That being said, it raises excellent questions about American culture, and provides some neat nature writing on top. Just wasn't my jam.
January 5, 2013
Fuller’s Transcendentalist travelogue of her journey west – ( to Niagara, the Great Lakes, Chicago, the lakeside communities of Illinois, and the Wisconsin territory) - is more than an antebellum travel guide. The book is an exercise in Transcendentalist self-exploration. Writing in a digressive sketchbook style, Fuller sought to capture her poetic impressions, which she believed would convey intuitive truth about her world. Fuller’s impression reveal much about her attitudes toward the Native Americans, her views on women, and her thoughts about the meaning of “the west” for America.
April 4, 2007
A discontinuous, digressive account of Fuller's travels on and around the Great Lakes in 1843 (when Michigan and Wisconsin were the Western frontier). Likely to appeal most to those who are interested in the Transcendentalists, early feminism, Midwest history, or Margaret Fuller herself. That's me in a nutshell; hence all those stars.
December 11, 2018
Interesting amalgamation of voices and texts. Fuller is certainly a lit critic here as she disses and recommends various books on the subject of Native Americans. I love her feminine gaze and the invitational rhetoric she practices. Her environmental sensibilities were certainly on the vanguard of politics and, what a talented poet she is!
March 16, 2013
I've read parts of this before, but this time I was bothered by her intellectual and class snobbishness. How did I not notice it before? Her critiques of the white settlers' slovenly homes really bugged. Still, her descriptions of the scenery are cool.
August 12, 2016
This book is boring and dull. There is no conceivable plot. It is more a travel journal than anything else, with a great care paid attention to the details of the prairies and trees and flowers but little to other people or anything of true substance.
February 13, 2017
An idiosyncratic text that is really more like a retroactive commonplace book. It contains elements of travel writing, feminist critique, a mini-play, poetry, translation, Native legends, secondhand stories, and allegorical dialogue. My favorite section is the opening reflection on Niagara.
March 2, 2013
I thought this was a wonderful account of her journeys and experience. I love to see a memory of history through the eyes of someone that was there.
January 28, 2018
Fuller's insights on her travels are interesting, but she makes many digressions which are sometimes hard to follow.
Read
March 10, 2021"Then, with a very little money, a ducal estate may be purchased, and by a very little more, and moderate labor, a family be maintained upon it with raiment, food and shelter. The luxurious and minute comforts of city life are not yet to be had without effort disproportionate to their value. But, where there is so great a counterpoise, cannot these be given up once for all? If the houses are imperfectly built, they can afford immense fires and plenty of covering; if they are small, who cares?—with such fields to roam in. In winter, it may be borne; in summer, it is of no consequence. With plenty of fish, and game, and wheat, can they not dispense with a baker to bring 'muffins hot' every morning to the door for their breakfast?" (37)
"And thus passed slowly by her hours in that black despair of which only youth is capable. In older years men suffer more dull pain, as each sorrow that comes drops its leaden weight into the past, and, similar features of character bringing similar results, draws up a heavy burden buried in those depths. But only youth has energy, with fixed unwinking gaze, to contemplate grief, to hold it in the arms and to the heart, like a child which makes it wretched, yet is indubitably its own." (57)
"And thus passed slowly by her hours in that black despair of which only youth is capable. In older years men suffer more dull pain, as each sorrow that comes drops its leaden weight into the past, and, similar features of character bringing similar results, draws up a heavy burden buried in those depths. But only youth has energy, with fixed unwinking gaze, to contemplate grief, to hold it in the arms and to the heart, like a child which makes it wretched, yet is indubitably its own." (57)
June 21, 2025
Not to put a pioneering American female writer down but this was like, not good lol
Part of this is just me not really vibing with the Transcendentalist style of writing, but part of it is definitely very clunky writing and storytelling that makes very little sense for the form of the book. This is a pseudo-travelogue with seven chapters for seven different areas around the Great Lakes, yet multiple chapters have unusual digressions that are 10+ pages long, leaving me forgetting what exactly was so interesting about Milwaukee and Cleveland. I have no idea what the standards for good reading were back in 1843, but if it was really "Let me paraphrase this German text about animal magnetism for 70% of the chapter" then holy cow have we come far.
Credit where credit's due, she does make some interesting observations about the gender dynamics of these people living in new lands. Wikipedia also indicates this is an early work on indigenous culture recognition in the face of American westward expansion, but that doesn't make her writings sound less insensitive. Overall would not recommend.
Part of this is just me not really vibing with the Transcendentalist style of writing, but part of it is definitely very clunky writing and storytelling that makes very little sense for the form of the book. This is a pseudo-travelogue with seven chapters for seven different areas around the Great Lakes, yet multiple chapters have unusual digressions that are 10+ pages long, leaving me forgetting what exactly was so interesting about Milwaukee and Cleveland. I have no idea what the standards for good reading were back in 1843, but if it was really "Let me paraphrase this German text about animal magnetism for 70% of the chapter" then holy cow have we come far.
Credit where credit's due, she does make some interesting observations about the gender dynamics of these people living in new lands. Wikipedia also indicates this is an early work on indigenous culture recognition in the face of American westward expansion, but that doesn't make her writings sound less insensitive. Overall would not recommend.
December 1, 2020
While the names of Thoreau and Emerson are always mentioned amongst the most important authors of the transcendentalist movement in the US, Sarah Margaret Fuller's name shouldn't be ignored. Her book Summer on The Lakes in 1843 is an accumulation of her travels in the Great Lakes region in North America. The book functions as a travel journal and also as an exercise in transcendentalism. The idea of a "return to nature" becomes a caralyst for Fuller to re-examine her subjective reality, showing us how nature can be a guiding beacon in dealing with life and existence. The contact with nature as we read will inspire Fuller to address numerous themes such as feminist critique, social critique, and the treatment of Native Americans. If the book doesn't seem streamlined or lacking a clear structure, it is because her writing her comes from direct inspiration of her encounters and the sights she saw. I admit, it did lose me at times with all the turns she takes, but I did like reading it. So to anyone interested in transcendentalist philosophy, I do recommend checking it out.
August 8, 2020
It's always interesting to me to find concerns being discussed in books almost 200 years old, that many people think are only "modern" viewpoints or problems. This travel journal actually includes memoirs from her childhood, poetry (hers and others'), and ethical discussions. My interest in, and enjoyment of, this selection was greatly enhanced by having previously read the fantastic and comprehensive biography, Margaret Fuller: A New American Life. It sure made her anecdote about the father in the river extremely haunting, knowing her future fate.
Thank you to LibriVox readers for this free audiobook!
Thank you to LibriVox readers for this free audiobook!
November 20, 2024
I was interested in sampling some of Margaret Fuller’s writing after reading Allison Pataki’s Finding Margaret Fuller and finding Margaret quite fascinating. I found the writing here to be very abstract and cumbersome. I’m not sure whether this was the style popular at the time and in her circle, but I just couldn’t get involved in her account of her travels, or even make sense of much of what she was saying. This was a DNF, but I might pick it up again to read some of the included letters and supplementary materials.
July 5, 2025
Margaret Fuller was definitely ahead of her time- traveling by train, coach, and car from the east coast to visit the Midwest- Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. A fascinating look at the times (written in 1844).She speaks with towns people, farmers, fishermen, and Native Americans.
December 17, 2021
very oddly formatted book, like each journal entry was written with a different style and poems sprinkled throughout.
some good insights though
some good insights though
September 29, 2022
i'm writing my thesis on this book-- so well done. marge is a powerhouse of art and humanity.
April 18, 2025
Do not buy this edition. It is a reprint in 8 point font (text appropriate for a small footnote). Unreadable for 100+ pages
November 8, 2025
It was interesting, but it was all over the place. Less a travel log and more a jumble of Fuller's opinions on various topics with stories and excerpts from other books interspersed.
September 24, 2025
Quite an interesting reading. I liked the depictions of the landscapes but at some point it became very repetitive and slightly boring… though, I loved a few definite parts where her underlying feminism shows. The moments of introspection are what made me enjoy this book more than I expected. It felt more interesting to delve into Margaret Fuller’s life and consciousness than her travels which felt too many times interrupted by quotes and unrelated content.
December 5, 2016
I am reluctant to rate classics, but I did. This book was brought to my attention when I read a biography of Humboldt. It was been on my reading queue for a long time and I finally got around to reading it. I was unable to put myself in that nineteenth century frame of mind necessary to appreciate what was written. I'll just simply say that there were some very interesting parts and some parts that did nothing for me.
January 26, 2021
Panoramic History
I enjoyed the visuals, aesthetics, and deep personal investment within America’s natural landscapes, especially since it was a way of life that predates the hustle and bustle of modernity. Also a good view into the presence (or absence) of Native Americans since reappropriation, diaspora, or displacement.
I enjoyed the visuals, aesthetics, and deep personal investment within America’s natural landscapes, especially since it was a way of life that predates the hustle and bustle of modernity. Also a good view into the presence (or absence) of Native Americans since reappropriation, diaspora, or displacement.
October 21, 2024
I was especially interested in Margaret Fuller's experience and thoughts on the indigenous people she encountered on her travels. Unlike most people of her era, she appreciated native culture and values and found abhorrent the treatment of natives by colonists.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews