The speaker for this Sundays at Somerville talk is Brigid Allen (1963), whose book, George and Emily Eden: Pride, Privilege, Empire and the Whigs, was published this year by Lutterworth Press.
Somerville College – 2pm, Sunday 1 December
Emily in India [1836-1842] by an unknown artist
In 1859 and 1860 Emily Eden published two novels: The Semi-Detached House, a contemporary comedy of manners, and The Semi-Attached Couple, which she had written in the early 1830s before leaving for India with her brother George, Lord Auckland, the newly appointed Governor-General. My biography George and Emily Eden: Pride, Privilege, Empire and the Whigs (Lutterworth Press, 2024) recounts the Edens’ family background and their joint and separate lives, including the Indian period and the rashly undertaken First Afghan War, which led to the disastrous evacuation of the garrison at Kabul in January 1842. In this talk I concentrate on Emily as letter-writer, novelist and friend of many important Whig/Liberal politicians, as well as George’s socially accepted sibling partner.
Brigid Allen (History, 1963)
Join us for Brigid’s talk, followed by afternoon tea
Booking for this event are now closed, if you have any enquiries please contact jacqueline.watson@some.ox.ac.uk