A Case of Self-Empowerment: The Life of Georgina Weldon
A podcast episode by Annie Moore & Katie Martone
Join us in this intriguing story of self-empowerment as we discuss the trials and tribulations of Georgina Weldon’s life. A singer, author, ex-wife, lover, lawyer, madhouse escapee, and former inmate, Mrs. Weldon fights against a system designed for her to fail in the Victorian era. We uncover her lost story in this engaging podcast and bring her back into the public’s eye, giving her the recognition she deserves. Was she crazy or was she ahead of her time?
I really like that you tracked Georgina Weldon’s entire adult life because getting the full picture of who she really was made all of the attacks against her seem more methodical and insane! Also, through this you both did a really great job of connecting different accounts of her life and source, while still mixing in your beliefs (but always backed up with sources who have evidence of why/with whom a moment occurred). You were also great at naming and placing the different sources in relation to when it occurred in her life, and if they were primary or secondary. Also, I really appreciated the definitions related to the different court cases because that would have made understanding what was happening complicated. A question I have is, did Georgina Welden become a cautionary tale at the time for women who did not fit marital mold or did not have children?
ReplyDeleteI was rapt the entire time hearing her life story, and was equally outraged about the actions of her husband and doctors. This was in part because Georgina Weldon’s life story and her bravery, but also because you were both really great at emphasizing the wildest parts of the story so that we as listeners could be able to want to hear more, while feeling similar to your reaction to first learning about her miscarriage. What struck me about Georgina Weldon is that she was considered crazy by society for being correctly angry at her husband and system which tried to gaslight and abuse her. Essentially, she was considered crazy for being mad at her husband, but he was not considered anything for wanting to institutionalize her for having a miscarriage. This difference was also seen, as you pointed out, in the adjectives used to describe the way that Georgina spoke at divorce court (hysterically), versus the ones the papers used for her husband (more masculine and sterner). What is really emphasized from her life (stemming from the miscarriage) is that women were really just seen as a body and way to have children with very little regard to her talents. Finally, this one is probably/definitely impossible to answer but were the people applauding for her as she left prison majority men or women? Great job!!!
What an interesting character! So many legal loopholes and manipulation to simply have a fair trial(s). The way you guys lay out the various legal battles between Georgina and her husband is clear and understandable given how confusing and unorthodox the processes were. The context of her spiritualism I also found particularly interesting, as in my own blogpost on the issue I too researched the connection between the movement, its ridicule, and its association with women at the time. I think there is definitely more to uncover in that area, but your understanding and explanation helps put into context Weldon's "crazy and wild" image. The emphasis on the language also drew me in a lot, it made me wonder if the difference in gendered emotional adjectives were a result of going back and changing the tone of their speech to reflect their biases, or if the difference in their speech (given they are "accurate") are indicative of the ability for men and women to express their emotions alternatively in the Victorian Era. Certainly the variety of talents as well as her upright defiant attitude in the face of the overwhelming forces against her paints her as quite the individual, I struggle to imagine anybody today who even comes close! As you mentioned in the latter half of the podcast one wonders how she was able to accomplish all that she did completely alone, assumedly without a lover or family to help her through a time in which seemingly the whole world was against her. I take a little solace in the fact that she was able to defend her self multiple and derive a little fame, perhaps she was able to live a happy life until her death, unfortunately there is only so much we can know about figures from the past. Thank you for bringing somebody like this to my attention, aside from the enjoyment I got from listening the audio is really clean with clear continuity. Really great job guys.
ReplyDeleteI am the type of person that gets interested by titles and covers, if something doesn't have one of those I won't pick it up. Your title made me click and read the description of your podcast, I thought both were enticing. This was an interesting topic the way you focused on one person though I feel like many podcasts were focusing on an idea/argument. Her story was so crazy and you guys had so many unique details about her life. Her institutionalization story was the most interesting part of the podcast to me. Her perseverance and bravery are remarkable, especially for a woman of this era. Victorian women are caged by men but Georgina would not accept defeat. It is in some ways inspiring how she does not change herself to fit societal standards. You guys show us how Georgina follows her urges throughout her life. I felt sympathy and anger for her when you told us how she had a miscarriage and her husband had such a heartless reaction. Men really only cared about how things would benefit themselves even their own wives. It seems as if conflict really followed her though she put herself in it during some points of her life. Your humor and ability to make the conversation so natural adds a lot to the podcast as well because it kept be engaged. I can tell you guys were interested and surprised by your findings which was apart of making this topic seem important.
ReplyDeleteThis whole podcast absolutely fascinating! I love how you guys presented her as a pioneer of modern feminism and how you highlighted how she went out of her way to reject society's standards for women. What I also loved how you structured the podcast; I thought it was really interesting to focus your podcast around one person, but she is quite the character to focus on! I think it helped your podcast stay on track and it was really easy to follow the progression of her life and her accomplishments. One of the more impactful parts of your podcast was when you spoke about her miscarriage. That's absolutely heartbreaking for any person, and I really empathize with her as a woman. This part in particular helped display her resilient personality, which then translated into every part of her life. I was so impressed with the podcast, overall, and I'm so glad you guys chose her to speak on.
ReplyDeleteWow! This was such a great podcast! I am really impressed with how effortlessly you two conveyed your ideas; it really felt like a conversation that I was a part of, which I think is the mark of a successful podcast. Her actions were grounds for institutionalization, yet today, we view her acts as rebellious forms of empowerment. During your conversation about her husband’s opera script, I kept thinking about the song “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood, specifically the chorus where she sings, “I dug my keys in to the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seats….” In this song, Underwood gets back at her unfaithful partner through acts of destruction. Underwood’s act of carving her name into his property functions as an effort to assert her dominance and reclaim her power. Underwood’s song is not the only which came to my mind; themes of teaching cheating partners a lesson are plentiful in today’s music. Some songs even describe the act of taking another lover as a way to get back at an unfaithful significant other. We view these common themes in pop culture as moments of empowerment. I find it extremely interesting that Georgina Weldon participated in these modern-day acts of empowerment, yet when she did it, she was institutionalized. Observing the story of Weldon presents the radical shift in social attitudes of empowerment. You state that you have a different topic in mind for your project, yet in your research process, you found the story of Georgina Weldon. What was your original topic? I had a similar experience myself. I am curious about the possible link between your original concept and your final output. Great job!
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