Domestic Manners of the Americans (ePub)

Frances Milton Trollope (1780-1863) was an English novelist and writer who is best remembered for her travel writing and social novels. Born at Stapleton, near Bristol, she was the daughter of the Reverend William Milton. Her marriage to barrister Thomas Anthony Trollope in 1809 was shadowed by financial difficulties, which partly sparked her literary career in the 1830s. In a bid to rescue her family from poverty, she opened a bazaar in Cincinnati, Ohio, which failed, prompting her return to England. Out of this American venture, however, came her first and perhaps most famous work, 'Domestic Manners of the Americans' (1832), a sharply satirical observation of American life that caused considerable controversy at the time. Her critical and unsparing eye turned towards American society, slavery, and the democratic process, offering a perspective that was both insightful and provocative. Trollope went on to write over 40 books, including other travelogues and novels that often pioneered the examination of social issues. Her works are characterized by their wit, strong female characters, and keenly observed social commentary. It is worth noting that Trollope also influenced her better-known novelist son, Anthony Trollope. Despite her literary accomplishments, she has often been overshadowed in the annals of literary history. Nonetheless, Frances Trollope's contributions as a proto-feminist voice and as a critical observer of nineteenth-century societal mores have earned her a respected place in English literature.