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At the book fair I saw a book titled, Siamese Harem Life. I picked it up saw it was written originally in 1873 and decided to get it as I have a strong fascination of old accounts of the East. I noticed there was also a chapter on a witch trial so I had to have it. When I got it home I realized that it was written by Anna Leonowens, the infamous I in the King and I. I must admit I had a great fondness for the movie with Yul Brenner when I was a young child. I even saw him perform in the play before his death. However the play in no way prepared me for the wonders of this book.
I read the chapter on the witch trial first, it was a very interesting account of a slave girl being questioned about sorcery. While the author was quick to point out the absurdity of belief in witchcraft, she was also as quick to remind the audience how it had been a large part of European life till a mere century ago and that today's beliefs in spiritualism were in no way more absurd. She quoted about specific trials in Europe and in England and I was surprised at how much she knew. So I decided that I should read the whole book.
The book was an amazing look at the lives of several amazing women living in, or affected by, the royal household, some were princesses or concubines, some slaves. But they were described with such passion and beauty and their dedication, courage and spirit with such clarity that even 150 years later their amazing lives come through the pages. Most women described were tortured and several died. Their were few happy endings for any of the remarkable women in this book. It made me greatly disheartened to think how the legend of "anna and the king" has come down to us, and one of forbidden romance, when her attitude towards him in this book was one of revulsion and horror. To her it seemed as if the women were the true heroines.
Another remarkable thing about this book was the way she described the women's city. Unlike the concubine's of China's emperor's who were guarded by eunuchs, here it was a true women's city, with women judges, guards, teachers. Women filled every role, and were educated. While they were still under the control of men it seemed so much more enlightened than normally gets presented to us.
The fact that the next King of Siam outlawed slavery should be viewed as her biggest achievement. Before he was King 75 percent of the population were slaves. Millions of people were free because of this woman's teaching of a young boy. In the middle of the 19th century I find that quite remarkable.
The cynic in me can't help but wonder how much all of this is true. But I am now definitely going to look into getting more books about this woman, and the situation she found herself in. Of course having said that the reason I liked this book so much was that it wasn't about her but her writing about the remarkable lives of the women she knew while she was living for 5 years in Siam. I've been greatly influenced by reading Susan Mann and Dorothy Ko lately, how they look at women writing women's history. This book definitely falls into that category.
I read the chapter on the witch trial first, it was a very interesting account of a slave girl being questioned about sorcery. While the author was quick to point out the absurdity of belief in witchcraft, she was also as quick to remind the audience how it had been a large part of European life till a mere century ago and that today's beliefs in spiritualism were in no way more absurd. She quoted about specific trials in Europe and in England and I was surprised at how much she knew. So I decided that I should read the whole book.
The book was an amazing look at the lives of several amazing women living in, or affected by, the royal household, some were princesses or concubines, some slaves. But they were described with such passion and beauty and their dedication, courage and spirit with such clarity that even 150 years later their amazing lives come through the pages. Most women described were tortured and several died. Their were few happy endings for any of the remarkable women in this book. It made me greatly disheartened to think how the legend of "anna and the king" has come down to us, and one of forbidden romance, when her attitude towards him in this book was one of revulsion and horror. To her it seemed as if the women were the true heroines.
Another remarkable thing about this book was the way she described the women's city. Unlike the concubine's of China's emperor's who were guarded by eunuchs, here it was a true women's city, with women judges, guards, teachers. Women filled every role, and were educated. While they were still under the control of men it seemed so much more enlightened than normally gets presented to us.
The fact that the next King of Siam outlawed slavery should be viewed as her biggest achievement. Before he was King 75 percent of the population were slaves. Millions of people were free because of this woman's teaching of a young boy. In the middle of the 19th century I find that quite remarkable.
The cynic in me can't help but wonder how much all of this is true. But I am now definitely going to look into getting more books about this woman, and the situation she found herself in. Of course having said that the reason I liked this book so much was that it wasn't about her but her writing about the remarkable lives of the women she knew while she was living for 5 years in Siam. I've been greatly influenced by reading Susan Mann and Dorothy Ko lately, how they look at women writing women's history. This book definitely falls into that category.