In the new book Literary Voyagers, author Andrew Wittkop shines a light on two overlooked 19th century writers that led unconventional and bold lives.
Jane Schoolcraft, born to an Ojibwe mother and an Irish father, and Anna Brownell Jameson, an independent Englishwoman, were both writers when they met in the 1830s. Jane was the wife of Henry Schoolcraft (known predominantly for his expedition to locate the source of the Mississippi river) and Anna was married, though living a separate life from that of her husband.
Until now, Anna's work has not been widely celebrated outside of academia, but her writing that was born out of a summer-long trip around Lake Huron is notable to those that have studied her work and life. As for Jane, her work wasn't originally attributed to her, as her husband took credit for it. "She deserves that recognition and more," says Wittkop. "Her work is just fascinating; her life is fascinating."
For Wittkop, researching for and writing this book was an opportunity to showcase the lives and work of both women who - particularly for the time - were bold and pioneering individuals. "It helped me a lot to understand how much work went into getting women's rights to where they are today," says Wittkop. "We don't want to go back on any of that."
Literary Voyagers is available at Zenith Bookstore in Duluth, other independent booksellers, and online.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
