Why Is Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Described In Her Letters

Chelsey Bieret Dr. Boland HIST 264 November 10th, 2024 Lady Mary Essay Throughout her letters, it is evident Lady Mary Wortley Montagu paid close attention to the woman in the Ottoman Empire. She came to truly admire these women and the culture they experienced every day. Throughout the letters read for class, Lady Mary mentions the beautiful women portrayed and describes their separation from men. She was greatly taken aback by their beauty. While describing her experience in the Ottoman Empire, Lady Mart proved to be a woman of details. Throughout her letters, she points out the smallest details, whether describing a woman, or the religion in the Ottoman Empire. She was very thorough in her letters. To start, Lady Mary is in complete awe

I believe she may have started to find herself attracted to these women, or she truly admired their beauty and loved to point out the details. To continue, women who lived in palaces with lords were kept separate from the men. Each house, whether it was big or small, was divided into two parts. One side was for the Lord and connected by a narrow passage was the women’s side called the Haram. While touring the harams, she describes the magnificence of the sofa, the rich carpet, the silk around, the windows; she is explaining the details of the house where the women live. Lady Mary continues to prove to be a person for details, and she points them all out. Throughout her letters, she consistently picks out the smallest details. The harams were guarded at all times, but not just by any person off the street. The men that served as guards for the women had to be castrated so it could be ensured all babies were true heirs to the lords. From reading Lady Mary’s letters and discussions we had in class, I am led to believe women were not trusted or men really did want to see much of women, causing the laws to be strict. Or maybe women did have ample free will, knowing the guards could not