Mary Lincoln for the Ages

[Susan Higginbotham]

I'm really excited about this forthcoming book by Jason Emerson (although I wish it had forthcome before I finished writing my novel about Mary):

http://siupress.siu.edu/books/978-0-8093-3675-3

[GustD45]

Thank you for posting this Susan it looks to be an interesting read.

[Eva Elisabeth]

It does sound interesting, although his other Mary bio really upset me when reading.

[Steve]

I'll definitely check it out after it's released!

[L Verge]

It does sound interesting, although his other Mary bio really upset me when reading.

I agree, Eva. Jason has spoken at several of the Surratt conferences and banquets and has always been harsh on Mary. It will be interesting to see if he has softened his beliefs any over the years.

[Gene C]

Has anyone read this yet?
I have not seen any reviews online yet.

I am currently reading Jean Baker's book about Mary.
This has sparked my interest in reading more about her. I'll get Jason's book when my reading stack gets a little smaller.
It looks interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Lincoln-Ages...oks&sr=1-1

[Eva Elisabeth]

Gene, have you read Catherine Clinton's Mary bio? (I am not a great fan of Emerson's view of Mary and Robert, bit chauvinistic and black and white IMO...(just wondering if the idiom "black and white view" exists in AE and if so, whether it's politically correct...)

[Gene C]

Eva, don't have that one.
I've got about a 1-2 year stack of books to read, so I on restriction for new purchases until I get the pile read down some.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Eva, don't have that one.
I've got about a 1-2 year stack of books to read, so I on restriction for new purchases until I get the pile read down some.

I can relate to the issue...

[L Verge]

Gene, have you read Catherine Clinton's Mary bio? (I am not a great fan of Emerson's view of Mary and Robert, bit chauvinistic and black and white IMO...(just wondering if the idiom "black and white view" exists in AE and if so, whether it's politically correct...)

So far as I know, the term "black and white" is still acceptable when trying to explain something that allows no "gray" area of interpretation. I guess it is still politically correct, but right now, that can be subject to change at any second. It seems to need just one protester.

[L Verge]

Mary Lincoln For The Ages by Jason Emerson: Hold off on spending your money. My copy just arrived today, and my first impression after seeing what it really is was, "Jason has fallen into the trap of college professors who must 'publish or perish.'" This is a bibliography on what has already been written about Mary Lincoln over the past century and more.

His introduction is really his only substantive contribution, and it appears to be a collection of personal complaints about other writers. I had to giggle at some comments of his because he is so guilty of condemning Mary -- just what he is finding fault with in others. He places a lot of blame on Herndon and Jean Baker for laying shaky foundations for what everybody else wrote, spoke, or believed about Mary. "These two books are responsible for both showing Mary as she was during the time in which she lived and completely corrupting any honest understanding of her character by the overt biases that those authors brought into their work." Jason already knows this, but I have always considered him biased against the lady.

His text runs just 37 pages, and then Part Two begins 142 pages of an "Analytical Bibliography," followed by 7 pages of Notes, 2 pages of "Index of Essay 'Common Canon," 4 pages of Index of Authors and Editors," another 13 pages of "Index of Titles," and finally 3 pages of "Index of Subjects."

Top it off with a paperback book that retails for $30.

[Gene C]

Thanks Laurie, that is not what I was hoping for.

[LincolnMan]

Wow. Wasn’t expecting that!

[Donna McCreary]

Jason offers a fair view of Mary - the good and the bad.

In his book, LINCOLN'S LOVER: MARY LINCOLN IN POETRY, he offers the following quotes:
p. 70 - "Mary's behaviors during and after the war, which many considered bizarre and ultimately insane, were not unique to her especially not in wartime. And while she most likely did suffer some sort of mental illness, who could not then - or cannot today - understand her position and empathize with her trials and tribulations?"

p. 88 - "In the years I have spent researching and writing articles about books about Mary Lincoln, I always have found her to be a remarkable and fascinating woman, largely misunderstood, often wrongly maligned, and deserving of great honesty about her as well as sympathy for her. Unfortunately, I often am criticized merely for my maleness, as if my gender prevents me from understanding who Mary Lincoln was."

I have often considered that female historians are discriminated against for just being female, but I have never considered that one's maleness prevents them from examining history.

[Rob Wick]

I think Jason has a valid point. Many people, including some here, seem to believe that Michael Burlingame is somehow guilty of misogyny in his interpretation of Mary, yet no one can ever point to any substantial evidence other than their own bias. While Donna's point about female historians is well-taken (and all too true at times), one must admit that bias, especially where Mary is concerned, is not a one-way street.

Best
Rob