'Wonderful Adventures'
We bring you this excerpt from Mary Seacole's narrative of her life as we continue to mark Black History Month here in the UK. Seacole's autobiography, from 1857, was rare indeed--very few other Black women in nineteenth-century Britain had their work published. Her narrative is full of energy, unflinching courage, and sheer delight in her work as a nurse and cook. Fearless and dedicated, she describes how she experienced battles first-hand, dressed wounds with great skill, and ruled the kitchen--even facing down a flamboyant French chef...
[Then came] the great high priest of the mysteries of cookery, Monsieur Alexis Soyer. He was often at Spring Hill, with the most smiling of faces and in the most gorgeous of irregular uniforms, and never failed to praise my soups and dainties. I always flattered myself that I was his match, and with our West Indian dishes could of course beat him hollow, and more than once I challenges him to a trial of skill; but the gallant Frenchman only shrugged his shoulders, and disclaimed my challenge with many flourishes of his jewelled hands, declaring that Madame proposed a contest where victory would cost him his reputation for gallantry, and be more disastrous than defeat. And all because I was a woman, forsooth. What nonsense to talk like that, when I was doing the work of half a dozen men. Then he would laugh and declare that, when our campaigns were over, we would render rivalry impossible, by combining to open the first restaurant in Europe. There was always fun in the store when the good-natured Frenchman was there.
What we love about this passage...
One thing that stands out in this excerpt is how Seacole downplays race, musing instead that gender is her main obstacle: 'and all because I was a woman, forsooth'. Historians speculate that Seacole was a 'quadroon' (a term that described someone who was one-quarter Black) whose light skin allowed her to 'pass' in British society, skilfully navigating the inherently racist culture and using her indomitable will and resourcefulness to achieve her goals: pursuing her career in nursing and establishing her 'British Hotel' at the front during the Crimean War to support the soldiers.
We also love her competitive spirit in describing the friendly, 'Great British Bake-Off'-style rivalry with Soyer.
To read alongside...
Readers might enjoy the autobiography of Elizabeth Keckley, a sought-after seamstress who rose from slavery to become the live-in tailor and confidante of President Abraham Lincoln and his family. You can read an excerpt from it here: https://www.english.ox.ac.uk/ten-minute-book-club/keckley-behind-the-scenes
Keckley provides another great example of a Black woman documenting, with confidence, the empowering though challenging forms of labour she was engaged in.
About the author
Mary Seacole (1805-1881) was born in Jamaica to a Scottish army officer and a free Black woman. She served as a nurse to the British Army during the Crimean War and her nursing work made her famous throughout Britain. When she returned from the war nearly destitute, the memory of her service to the Army was so strong that a three-day fundraising event was held for her in July 1857 at the Royal Surrey Gardens, attracting over 40,000 supporters. Ironically, because it was so expensive to put on, it only raised £57! The widespread feeling of affection for Mrs Seacole continued throughout the years, with subsequent events to raise money to support her.
Suggest a LitHit!
Tell us your own favourites from literature you've read, and we can feature you as a Guest Curator. Just email us with the following information:
Your full name
The title of the book you're suggesting
The location of the excerpt within the book (e.g., "in the middle of chapter 5"), or the excerpt itself copied into the email or attached to it (in Word)
Why you love it, in just a few sentences
**Please note that we welcome all suggestions but at the moment we can only release excerpts that are out of copyright and in the public domain. This means 75 years or more since the author's death. You can find many such out-of-copyright texts on the internet, for example at Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks.
About LitHits
You might also enjoy...
“Five Tips to Get Reading Again if You’ve Struggled During the Pandemic,” The Conversation (8 January 2021): https://theconversation.com/five-tips-to-get-reading-again-if-youve-struggled-during-the-pandemic-152904
Writers Make Worlds: https://writersmakeworlds.com/
The Ten Minute Book Club: https://www.english.ox.ac.uk/ten-minute-book-club
Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/
Standard Ebooks: https://standardebooks.org/
Feedback
We'd love to hear your thoughts on our newsletter:
kirsten@lit-hits.co.uk
Graphic design by Sara Azmy
All curation content © 2022 LitHits. All rights reserved.