“Far Other Times Are These”: The Bluestockings in the Time of Ossian
As early as 1761 Elizabeth Montagu, Queen of the Blues, began hold ing eccentric dinner parties, during which guests "had the feast of shells and drank out of a nautilus shell to the immortal memory of Ossian."1 In honor of Ossian, the recently rediscovered Highland bard, Montagu recreated-down to the unconventional stemware-the ceremonial meals of the Highland warriors described by Ossian's self-proclaimed translator, the controversial James Macpherson.2 Montagu even counted "the Bard Macpherson" among the "tuneful train" who attended her Highland feasts held throughout the 1760s and 1770s (Montagu to Lyttleton, 17 November 1761). A letter dated 13 February 1772 from Montagu to Elizabeth Vesey, a close friend and fellow Bluestocking, describes another "feast of shells" more than ten years later attended by Macpherson (who seems to have been a regular), Sir Joshua Reynolds, Lord Lyttleton, and the playwrights Richard Cumberland and Alexander Dow.3 Montagu's feasts are just one example of the Bluestockings' passion for Ossian, a passion that crops up repeatedly in their voluminous correspondence and, most strikingly, in Catherine Talbot's imitations of the Ossian poems. These sources also establish the Bluestockings' indifference to the raging debates over the poems' authenticity, a subject to which much recent criticism has been devoted.4 In fact, in a letter to Lord Lyttleton, 31 October 1760, Montagu made light of the forgery accusations leveled at Macpherson soon after the initial publication of the Fragments of Ancient Poetry in 1760: "The Bishop of Ossory tells me Mr. Macpherson receives 100 per annum subscription while he stays in the Highlands to translate the poems; if he is writing them, he should have a thousand at least" (II, 211). The significance of the Ossian poems for Montagu and her fellow Bluestockings did not lie in their historical accuracy or ancient author ship, but rather in their egalitarian vision of gender. In many ways, the Ossian poems provided a template for Bluestocking salons, where both sexes debated issues of literary, social, and political interest. Although the term Bluestocking typically conjures the image of a socially awkward learned lady, whose devotion to study and the betterment of the female condition make her poorly suited for her domestic duties, this understand ing of the term did not emerge until the late eighteenth century. Among
The politics of sociability: Public dimensions of the Bluestocking millennium
I sincerely hope the dark gloom of politicks which deaden'd ingenious and Elegant life in London in the years 69 & 70 has vanished before now. George the third does not know how much he is indebted to the chearful and Classic Assemblies of your Chinese Room. You gave that sweetness and refinement to the thoughts of our Statesmen which could alone counteract the acid and gloom of their Dispositions. Even Lyt[telto]n would have been more violent, had he not been soothed in his visits with you. Lady Shelburne never left you without being more pleased with the World; -Her friend received the good humour she brought away ... indeed, Madam, we are all indebted to you... you... have thus humanized our Manners. (Mo 15o6, 15 October 1772)
Warm Hands in Cold Age – On the Need of a New World Order of Care
The world is aging as fertility and mortality are both decreasing. This article focuses on practical care work for the elderly. Such work is done primarily by women even though a larger portion than previously is paid rather than unpaid. All over the world, most elderly care work is organized within the family, most often unpaid. Men receive more care from partners than women, while women receive more care from female relatives. When care work is paid, the payment is generally low. A comparison between Germany, Spain, and Sweden demonstrates similar gender patterns, even though the role of the state in supporting care differs considerably as do care workers' conditions. The sustainability of today's distribution and organization of care work is questioned as the need for care increases, and the possibility of more equal sharing of care work between women and men is explored.