Dissertation Title: “To Happily Lay the Foundation of Patriotism in One Single Englishman”: Women, History Texts, and the Construction of an English National Identity, 1820-1870
Existing historiography on nationalist pedagogy in nineteenth century England has not
focused on women as major contributors to this process through their authorship of historical
texts. This dissertation argues that school history texts authored by women in Romantic and
Victorian England imbued an intentional brand of English national identity based on Protestant
moralism in their readers. It specifically focuses on conversational histories, or texts structured
around historical description followed by prescribed “conversations” between teacher and
listener, which both anticipated potential questions from young readers and provided a scripted
narrative for answering them in a way that fit the larger didactic purpose of the text. The moral
imperative of the texts was further enhanced by their authors’ representation of themselves as
“mothers,” even if they were not. Since history education was not formalized or standardized in
nineteenth century England, many children and autodidactic adults learned history from
popularly available school history texts. Given their widespread use and appeal, these texts had a
significant impact on how several generations of English citizens conceptualized their past and,
consequently, how they saw their own identity within a rapidly colonizing and globalizing world.
This dissertation analyzes historical pedagogy, historical texts, and historical publishing
practices between the 1820s and 1870s. It begins with a thorough account of historical pedagogy
and the evolution of school history texts throughout the nineteenth century. It then assesses
conversational history texts authored by women such as Elizabeth Penrose, Maria Graham, and
Jane Marcet to identify textural themes based on moralization, Protestant religious identity,
patriotism and economics, and the abolition of the slave trade. It also contextualizes such texts
by using the correspondence of Maria Graham, John Penrose, and publisher John Murray to
establish symbiotic relationships between authors, publishers, and public opinion, arguing that
the content of school history texts was ultimately more influenced by the desire for profitability
and popularity than by any specifically defined political agenda. Finally, this dissertation
demonstrates the enduring impact a specific set of narrative expectations had on future
historians, using the example of Agnes Strickland and James Anthony Froude’s respective
biographies of Mary Stuart to argue that debates over religion and nationalism impacted the
reception and criticism of Victorian women’s histories more than their gender. By understanding
the sociocultural impact and legacy of school history texts authored by women, we can come to
better appreciate the impact they had on shaping history as an academic discipline and shaping
young Victorians into English citizens.