Julia Wedgwood (1833-1913) was a leading Victorian female non-fiction
writer who ventured fearlessly into the reserved territory of the
Victorian "man of letters", writing about the Classical world,
Darwinism, German Biblical criticism, moral philosophy, theology and
science as well as literature and history. Her successful debut as a
novelist was halted by her father's objections. Non-fiction proved a
more congenial métier and she was a regular contributor to the
Spectator, Contemporary Review and other upmarket periodicals. Her
books include The Moral Ideal and The Message of Israel and
biographies of John Wesley and her great grandfather, Josiah Wedgwood.
Based on her extensive correspondence this biography also considers the
tensions in her family life, the challenges she faced in establishing an
unconventional, independent household and the impact of her deafness.
Her wide, eclectic circle of friends included Harriet Martineau, Mrs
Gaskell, her uncle Charles Darwin and his family, Browning who might
have married her, F.D. Maurice, George Eliot, Frances Power Cobbe,
Arthur Munby, Mary Everest Boole, Richard Hutton and the young E.M.
Forster. She also played a significant role in Victorian feminism.
Amongst the many themes explored are the pioneering days of women's
higher education and first wave feminism, feminist theology and the
significance of female friendships, Christian Socialism, Darwinism,
idealism and Victorian agnosticism, spiritualism, antivivisectionism,
periodical writing, perceptions of the Classical world, the impact of
German Biblical criticism and the Wedgwood family's sense of itself and
its history.
