Have you ever had one of those really interesting conversations where the person was so fascinating that you wished the conversation didn’t have to end?
Flora Fraser joins us for one of those conversations. We’ll talk about biography, and in doing so, she’ll tell us what it was like to grow up as the daughter and granddaughter of two famed, British biographers and about the genre of biography and how it developed in the United Kingdom.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.
Episode Summary
Flora Fraser joins us to talk about biography, and in doing so, she’ll tell us what it was like to grow up as the daughter and granddaughter of two famed, British biographers and about the genre of biography and how it developed in the United Kingdom.
What You’ll Discover
- Biographies as character-driven history
- History through the eyes of women
- Great Britain’s tradition of biography
- The biographer’s process of research, writing, and storytelling
- Writing the biographies of royals versus non-royals
- Role of objectivity in a biographer’s work
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Flora Fraser
- Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III
- The Washingtons: George and Martha, “Join’d by Friendship, Crown’d by Love”
- Beloved Emma: The Life of Emma, Lady Hamilton
- The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline
- Pauline Bonaparte: Venus of Empire
- Elizabeth Longford, Queen Victoria
- Elizabeth Longford, Wellington
- Antonia Fraser, Mary Queen of Scots
- Antonia Fraser, Marie Antoinette: The Journey
- Stella Tillyard, Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah Lennox 1740-1832
- Amanda Foreman, Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
- Georgian Papers Programme
- Washington Papers
Sponsor Links
Complementary Episodes
- Episode 209: Considering Biography
- Episode 210: Considering John Marshall, Part 1
- Episode 211: Considering John Marshall, Part 2
- Episode 212: Researching Biography
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