Excerpt

Excerpt from Letters from the Cape, by Lady Lucie Duff Gordon

EDITOR’S FOREWORD

IF Lady Duff Gordon’s ‘Letters from the Cape’ are less familiar to the
present generation of readers than those of the Lady Anne Barnard, the
neglect is due in great part to the circumstances of their publication.
After appearing in a now-forgotten miscellany of Victorian travel,
Galton’s Vacation Tourists, third series (1864), where their simplicity
and delicate unprofessional candour gave them a brief hour of public
esteem, they were first issued separately as a supplement to Lady Duff
Gordon’s Last Letters from Egypt, occupying the latter portion of a
volume to which the writer’s daughter, Mrs. Ross, contributed a short but
vivid memoir, which touched but lightly on her South African experiences;
and they have never appeared, we believe, in any other form. Yet they
are inferior in nothing but political interest to those of the authoress
of ‘Auld Robin Gray’. Indeed, in her intellectual equipment, her
temperament, and her gift of style, Lady Duff Gordon was a far rarer
creature than the jovial and managing Scotswoman who was the
correspondent of Dundas. And in human sympathy—the quality that has kept
Lady Anne Barnard’s letters alive—Lady Duff Gordon shows a still wider
range and a yet keener sensibility. Her letters are the fine flower of
the English epistolary literature of the Cape. Few books of their class
have better deserved reprinting.

The daughter of John and Sarah Austin ran every risk of growing up a
blue-stocking. Yet she escaped every danger of the kind—the proximity of
Bentham, her childish friendships with Henry Reeve and the Mills, and the
formidable presence of the learned friends of both her parents—by the
force of a triumphant naturalness and humour which remained with her to
the end of her life. Although her schooling was in Germany and her
sympathy with German character was remarkable, her own personality was
rather French in its grace and gaiety. It was characteristic of her,
then, to defend as she did ‘la vieille gaieté française’ against Heine on
his death-bed. But the truth is that her sympathies were nearly perfect.
She was one of those rare characters that see the best in every
nationality without aping cosmopolitanism, simply because they are
content everywhere to be human. Convention and prejudice vex them as
little as pedantry can. Their clear eyes look out each morning on a
fresh world, and their experiences are a perpetual school of sympathy and
never the sad routine of disillusionment.

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Explanation

This excerpt is the Editor’s Foreword to Letters from the Cape (1902), a collection of epistles written by Lady Lucie Duff Gordon (1821–1869) during her time in South Africa (1861–1862). The foreword, likely written by an unnamed editor (possibly Janet Ross, Duff Gordon’s daughter, who compiled her mother’s works), serves as both a literary defense and a critical rehabilitation of Duff Gordon’s letters, positioning them as unjustly overlooked gems of 19th-century travel writing. Below is a detailed breakdown of the text’s context, themes, literary devices, and significance, with a focus on the foreword itself as a persuasive and stylistic piece.

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1. Context of the Source

• Author & Work: Lady Lucie Duff Gordon was a Victorian travel writer, socialite, and intellectual, known for her vivid, empathetic letters from Egypt (Last Letters from Egypt, 1875) and South Africa. Her Letters from the Cape were initially published in Galton’s Vacation Tourists (1864), a now-obscure anthology, before being reissued posthumously as a supplement to her Egyptian letters.
• Comparison to Lady Anne Barnard: The foreword contrasts Duff Gordon with Lady Anne Barnard (1750–1825), a Scottish writer whose Cape Letters (published in 1901) were more politically engaged and thus more widely remembered. The editor argues that Duff Gordon’s letters are superior in style and human sympathy, even if less "political."
• Publication History: The foreword laments that Duff Gordon’s letters were buried in anthologies or overshadowed by her Egyptian writings, never receiving standalone recognition—hence the editor’s justification for this reprint.

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2. Themes in the Foreword

The foreword develops several key themes, both about Duff Gordon’s work and her character:

A. Neglect and Rediscovery

• The editor frames the letters as underrated, attributing their obscurity to poor publication circumstances rather than lack of merit.
• Key Lines:
  • "If Lady Duff Gordon’s ‘Letters from the Cape’ are less familiar... the neglect is due in great part to the circumstances of their publication."
  • "They have never appeared, we believe, in any other form."
• Purpose: To reclaim Duff Gordon’s reputation and argue for her place in the canon of Cape travel literature.

B. Intellectual and Stylistic Superiority

• The editor elevates Duff Gordon above Lady Anne Barnard, praising her:
  • "Intellectual equipment" (erudition, wit).
  • "Temperament" (naturalness, lack of pretension).
  • "Gift of style" (elegance, clarity).
  • "Human sympathy" (deeper emotional range than Barnard’s "jovial" tone).
• Key Lines:
  • "In her intellectual equipment, her temperament, and her gift of style, Lady Duff Gordon was a far rarer creature..."
  • "In human sympathy... Lady Duff Gordon shows a still wider range and a yet keener sensibility."
• Implication: Duff Gordon’s letters are literary art, not just historical documents.

C. Cosmopolitan Humanism

• The foreword portrays Duff Gordon as a universal observer, free from national prejudice or pedantry.
• Key Lines:
  • "She was one of those rare characters that see the best in every nationality without aping cosmopolitanism, simply because they are content everywhere to be human."
  • "Convention and prejudice vex them as little as pedantry can."
• Significance: This aligns with Victorian ideals of liberal humanism—Duff Gordon is presented as a bridge between cultures, embodying empathy without condescension.

D. Naturalness vs. Blue-Stocking Pedantry

• The editor defends Duff Gordon against the "blue-stocking" stereotype (a pejorative term for overly intellectual women).
• Key Lines:
  • "The daughter of John and Sarah Austin ran every risk of growing up a blue-stocking. Yet she escaped every danger of the kind..."
  • "By the force of a triumphant naturalness and humour which remained with her to the end of her life."
• Literary Device: Paradox—she was highly educated (raised among philosophers like Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill) but avoided pretension through her wit and warmth.

E. Joy as a Philosophical Stance

• The foreword emphasizes Duff Gordon’s "gaiety" (French joie de vivre) as a defiant, life-affirming trait, even citing her defense of "la vieille gaieté française" against Heinrich Heine’s cynicism on his deathbed.
• Key Lines:
  • "It was characteristic of her... to defend as she did ‘la vieille gaieté française’ against Heine on his death-bed."
  • "Their experiences are a perpetual school of sympathy and never the sad routine of disillusionment."
• Significance: This frames her as a Romantic optimist, contrasting with Victorian melancholy or decadent pessimism (e.g., Heine’s bitterness).

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3. Literary Devices

The foreword is rhetorically rich, using several devices to persuade and elevate Duff Gordon’s work:

A. Juxtaposition & Contrast

• Duff Gordon vs. Lady Anne Barnard:
  • Barnard = "jovial and managing Scotswoman" (practical, political).
  • Duff Gordon = "rarer creature" (intellectual, stylish, empathetic).
• Blue-stocking risk vs. natural charm:
  • "ran every risk of growing up a blue-stocking. Yet she escaped..."

B. Metaphor & Floral Imagery

• "the fine flower of the English epistolary literature of the Cape"
  • Effect: Elevates her letters to artistic perfection, suggesting they are the peak achievement of the genre.

C. Hyperbole & Superlatives

• "far rarer creature", "still wider range", "yet keener sensibility"
  • Effect: Creates an aura of exceptionality around Duff Gordon.

D. Anaphora (Repetition for Emphasis)

• "Convention and prejudice vex them as little as pedantry can."
  • The parallel structure ("as little as") reinforces her freedom from constraints.

E. Allusion

• Heine’s deathbed: References the German poet Heinrich Heine, known for his sarcasm and disillusionment, to highlight Duff Gordon’s defiant optimism.
• "Auld Robin Gray": A famous Scottish ballad by Lady Anne Barnard, used to contrast Barnard’s folksy style with Duff Gordon’s sophisticated prose.

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4. Significance of the Foreword

A. Repositioning Duff Gordon in Literary History

• The editor challenges the canon by arguing that Duff Gordon’s letters deserve revival, not just as historical documents but as literary masterpieces.
• Why it matters: At the time (1902), women’s travel writing was often dismissed as amateurish—this foreword reclaims it as serious literature.

B. Feminist Subtext

• While not overtly feminist, the foreword subverts gendered expectations:
  • Duff Gordon avoids the "blue-stocking" trap (being seen as overly intellectual and unfeminine).
  • Her sympathy and grace are framed as strengths, not weaknesses.
  • The comparison to Lady Anne Barnard (a more "manageable" female writer) implies Duff Gordon is more complex and nuanced.

C. Colonial & Postcolonial Readings

• The foreword praises Duff Gordon’s "human sympathy"—a quality that, in her letters, extends to enslaved people, Boer farmers, and Indigenous communities.
• Modern relevance: Her lack of prejudice makes her letters valuable for postcolonial studies, offering a less imperialistic view than many Victorian travelogues.

D. Style as a Reflection of Character

• The foreword mirrors Duff Gordon’s own epistles in its:
  • Conversational elegance (e.g., "the fine flower of...").
  • Warmth and wit (e.g., "triumphant naturalness and humour").
  • Lack of pedantry (despite its intellectual depth).
• Effect: The editor embodies the qualities they praise, making the case more persuasive.

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5. Close Reading of Key Passages

Passage 1: "the fine flower of the English epistolary literature of the Cape"

• Analysis:
  • "fine flower" = metaphor for perfection, rarity, beauty.
  • "epistolary literature" = letter-writing as an art form (not just correspondence).
  • Implication: Her letters are not just records, but crafted literature.

Passage 2: "She was one of those rare characters that see the best in every nationality without aping cosmopolitanism"

• Analysis:
  • "see the best in every nationality" = cosmopolitan empathy (uncommon in Victorian travel writing).
  • "without aping cosmopolitanism" = not performative; her openness is genuine, not affected.
  • Effect: Positions her as authentically humanist, not just fashionable.

Passage 3: "Their clear eyes look out each morning on a fresh world"

• Analysis:
  • "clear eyes" = innocence, perception.
  • "fresh world" = Romantic ideal of perpetual wonder (contrasts with jaded Victorian disillusionment).
  • Effect: Reinforces her optimism and curiosity.

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6. Conclusion: Why This Foreword Matters

This editor’s foreword is not just an introduction—it is a critical manifesto that:

1. Rescues Duff Gordon from obscurity by framing her as a stylistic and intellectual superior to her peers.
2. Challenges gendered assumptions about women’s writing, presenting her as both brilliant and warm.
3. Elevates travel writing to literature, arguing that her letters are as worthy as fiction or poetry.
4. Sets the tone for reading her work: We are primed to see her as a humane, witty, and observant guide to the Cape.

For modern readers, the foreword also invites reflection on:

• How women’s voices are preserved (or erased) in literary history.
• The role of empathy in travel writing (especially in colonial contexts).
• The balance between intellectualism and accessibility in nonfiction.

Ultimately, the foreword does not just describe Duff Gordon’s letters—it embodies their spirit: elegant, persuasive, and deeply human.