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Building on the Past

Studies on Dorothy Wordsworth show we have a lot to learn about women in the 19th century.

This year’s Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-Century Studies (INCS) conference focused on research into the lives of vibrant women from the period. Scholars at the INCS conference presented strata—by which they meant the layers of time that build upon each other—as the theme for this year, with the presenters and participants digging beyond the surface to uncover new ideas within the layers that compose the 19th century.

The INCS conference took place on March 24–27, 2022, in downtown Salt Lake City. BYU and UVU cosponsored the event and invited a wide variety of scholars to present, including several graduate students from BYU. English MA student Lavender Earnest and British literature MA student Emily Stephens presented at the conference (summaries of their research are included below); both agreed it was “one of the most collegial conferences [they’ve] been to.” Participants read everyone’s essays in advance; at the conference they discussed the nuances of each presentation in a welcoming and collaborative environment. Emily said it was the “perfect balance between academic rigor and welcoming support.”

Views of Her Own

Emily’s presentation discussed Dorothy Wordsworth’s Rydal Journal and what it can teach us about Dorothy’s religious beliefs. Dorothy was the sister of British Romantic poet William Wordsworth. As Emily worked with Professor Nick Mason (British Romantic Literature) to transcribe Dorothy’s journals into a digital format, she found a list of scripture references that she realized were mostly about faith and charity rather than High Church topics, such as the sacrament and other procedural elements of faith. Scholars have previously argued that Dorothy simply followed William in most matters, but these lists suggest that she engaged in her own private religious studies that diverged from her brother’s focus.

Emily argued that Dorothy deserves to be studied on her own merits. Emily was careful to add that Dorothy was still very close with her brother, with whom she lived at the time she wrote these journals. Emily also noted that there is much work yet to be done. “We are digging deeper into Dorothy Wordsworth,” she said, “unpacking the layers, seeing what she was actually writing about.”

The “Not-Crazy-After-All” Old Lady

Lavender’s presentation also drew on Dorothy’s Rydal Journal transcriptions. Scholars describe this period of time in Dorothy’s life as her “fading period” because she was fairly old by that point. However, Lavender discovered that Dorothy actually had a vibrant social life and keen intellect despite her age and sickness. That prompted Lavender to research the question “Why do people talk about old women in derogatory ways?”

Lavender found that until recently it was extremely rare for an old woman to speak in British literature. Further, there are almost no old women narrators. By researching medical literature from the time of Dorothy’s life, Lavender discovered that male physicians described women in unusual language. For example, they wrote a variety of unusual and incorrect facts about older women, stating that they needed to remain restful or they could accidentally have another child after menopause. Such theories might have influenced why authors chose not to have old women tell stories or to only feature them as crazy old ladies.

Lavender was thrilled when she realized that “people were interesting in working and discussing together to improve each other’s projects rather than competing with each other. Attendees came prepared to engage with the material in a constructive way.” She said the conference was “probably one of the more forming experiences of my education. The opportunity to interact with real-life scholars, not just your professors, was awesome. There is a scary gap between graduating and going into academia; going to conferences like that can really bridge that gap. Those older have done it. You can do it too.”

Learn more about INCS by following @incsscholars on Instagram.