Description: Harriet Martineau and the Irish Question features periodical articles that chart the course of economic and social progress in post-famine Ireland in terms of industry, public works, economy, and agriculture.
Brief description: Deborah A. Logan is professor of English at Western Kentucky University.
Review Quotes:
"Interdisciplinary scholarship has revived interest in Martineau (1802-76), whose work spans fiction, political economy, sociology, journalism, and autobiography. Logan (Western Kentucky Univ.) previously produced scholarly editions of Martineau's work, a biography (The Hour and the Woman, CH, Mar'03, 40-3872), and a monograph (Harriet Martineau, Victorian Imperialism, and the Civilizing Mission, CH, Jul'10, 47-6112). Here, she collects Martineau's writings on Irish topics from economics to social life. As Logan explains, the pro-Union Martineau did not mince words about English policies. Half the book is Martineau's journalism for the London Daily News, a scarce resource in North American research libraries. Demonstrating Martineau's stylistic flexibility, the volume includes work ranging from the charming 'The Life of a Salmon' to technical essays on agriculture. Read as a narrative, the essays as a whole veer from optimistic to dismayed (e.g., Martineau's account of assassinations). Logan surveys Martineau's interest in Ireland and its connections to her other commitments (e.g., abolitionism) and supplies headnotes for each periodical (suggesting Martineau's combativeness)....Overall, the volume is ideal for collections strong in Irish studies, women writers, and the history of journalism. Summing Up: Recommended." --Choice Reviews
"Harriet Martineau and the Irish Question: Condition of Post-Famine Ireland, demonstrates the impact of Irelandin Victorian intellectual circles. Logan's informative anthology supplements our knowledge of Martineau's interest in Ireland's postfamine recovery and social future." --Recent Studies In The Nineteenth Century