Author | Anya Seton |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Historical Romance |
Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
Publication date | 1941 |
Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
Pages | 314 pp |
My Theodosia is a novel written by the American author Anya Seton which was first published in 1941.
It is a fictional interpretation of the life of Theodosia Burr Alston, set against a historical background of Aaron Burr's Vice Presidency of the United States, and his subsequent years.
The book focuses on the life of Theodosia: her marriage to Joseph Alston; her suggested romance with Meriwether Lewis; and ultimately her unwavering devotion to her father Aaron Burr, and his devotion to her.
The story begins on Theodosia's seventeenth birthday in the year 1800, where her father Aaron Burr introduces Theodosia to her soon to be husband Joseph Alston. Theodosia is not keen on her father's choice for a husband, for she does not realise that her father hopes the marriage will increase his political support in the southern states, as well as lead to financial gain. During Theodosia and Joseph's official courtship, by chance Theodosia meets Meriwether Lewis, and the two are instantly attracted to each other. However Aaron Burr spots the two together, and eliminates any chance of a romance before it begins.
Reluctantly but dutifully, Theodosia capitulates to her father's wishes and marries Joseph Alston in February 1801. The couple then settle in Joseph's home state of South Carolina, and Theodosia soon gives birth to her first and only child. However Theodosia is never happy in the South and constantly longs for the company of her father (and a reunification with Meriwether Lewis).
The story moves on through Aaron Burr's time as Vice President: his controversial actions dueling Alexander Hamilton; his working to take over Mexico, naming himself as king; and his subsequent trial. Theodosia is always behind her father, even if it is at the cost of her marriage to Joseph, and her romance with Meriwether.
Kirkus Reviews noted, "The author, while making the most of her material, has managed to sustain an objective viewpoint towards her characters (at some sacrifice of the sympathy she might have claimed)". [1]
Though reviewers frequently comment on the meticulous research Seton put into her books, Richard N. Cote claims there are historical inaccuracies with My Theodosia. Both the putative romance with Meriwether Lewis and the depiction of the Alston marriage as unhappy are examples of fiction, not fact. [2]
Aaron Burr Jr. was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 during Thomas Jefferson's first presidential term. He founded the Manhattan Company on September 1, 1799. Burr is remembered for his famous personal and political conflict with Alexander Hamilton, which culminated in the Burr–Hamilton duel in Weehawken, New Jersey on July 11, 1804. Burr mortally wounded Hamilton, who died from his wounds the following day.
Anya Seton, born Ann Seton, was an American author of historical fiction, or as she preferred they be called, "biographical novels".
Burr: A Novel is a 1973 historical novel by Gore Vidal that challenges the traditional Founding Fathers iconography of United States history, by means of a narrative that includes a fictional memoir by Aaron Burr, in representing the people, politics, and events of the U.S. in the early 19th century. It was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1974.
Aaron Burr Sr. was a notable Presbyterian minister and college educator in colonial America. He was a founder of the College of New Jersey and the father of Aaron Burr (1756–1836), the third vice president of the United States.
Theodosia Burr Alston was an American socialite and the daughter of the third U.S. Vice President, Aaron Burr, and Theodosia Bartow Prevost. Her husband, Joseph Alston, was governor of South Carolina during the War of 1812. She was lost at sea at age 29.
Joseph Alston was the 44th Governor of South Carolina from 1812 to 1814.
James Marcus or Mark Prevost was a British Army officer. After being commissioned in Europe, he commanded troops of the British Army in North America and the West Indies, including during the French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years' War.
The Grave of the Female Stranger is a famous historical oddity, local landmark and visitor's attraction in St. Paul's Cemetery of St Paul's Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia.
Leonora Sansay was an American novelist. She was the author of Secret History; or, The Horrors of St. Domingo, in a Series of Letters Written by a Lady at Cape Francois to Col. Burr, late Vice-President of the United States, Principally During the Command of General Rochambeau and Laura, and possibly three other novels: Zelica: The Creole ; The Scarlet Handkerchief ; and The Stranger in Mexico.
Richard N. Côté was an American author, social historian, and lecturer. His work included research in Wisconsin and four years researching for the South Carolina Historical Society in the late 1970s to early 1980s. From 1999 to 2002 he published three well-received biographies, of Theodosia Burr Alston, Dolley Madison, and Mary Motte Alston Pringle. Côté was born in Connecticut and attended Butler University. He served in the United States Air Force for six years after graduation.
The Hearth and Eagle is a historical novel by Anya Seton. Set primarily in the old New England fishing village of Marblehead, Massachusetts, the story centers on strong-willed, passionate Hesper Honeywood and her search for love and fulfillment at a time when women had few options and the stormy Atlantic often claimed the lives of poor fishermen. Seton started researching her ancestors in the mid-1940s, which led her to Marblehead and the setting for her fourth novel.
John Pierre Burr was an American abolitionist and community leader in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, active in education and civil rights for African Americans. He was an illegitimate child of Aaron Burr, the third U.S. vice president, and Mary Emmons, a Haitian governess who may have been born in Calcutta, India.
Theodosia Bartow Burr, previously known as Theodosia Bartow Prevost, was an American Patriot. Raised by a widowed mother, she married British Army officer Jacques Marcus Prevost at age 17. After the American Revolution began, her own Patriot leanings led her to offer the use of her house, the Hermitage, as a meeting- and resting-place for revolutionaries, including Alexander Hamilton, Marquis de Lafayette, and Aaron Burr; it was briefly used as the headquarters of George Washington, who counted her amongst his friends. Burr's visit to the Hermitage began a secret romance that, following the death of Prevost's first husband, led to marriage.
"Dear Theodosia" is the penultimate song from Act 1 of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. The song is sung by the character Aaron Burr, originally performed by Leslie Odom Jr., and Hamilton, originally performed by Miranda.
Mary Emmons, also known as Eugénie Beauharnais, was an Indian woman born in Calcutta who worked as a servant in the household of Theodosia Bartow Prevost. While working as a servant, she had a relationship with Theodosia's second husband, American Founding Father and Vice President Aaron Burr, by whom she had two children: a daughter, Louisa Charlotte, born 1788, and a son, John Pierre Burr, born 1792.
Theodosia Alleine was an English nonconformist writer.
Theodosia is a feminine given name of Greek origin meaning "giving to God". It is a feminine version of the Greek name Theodosius. Several early saints bore the name.
Bettie Freshwater Pool was an American writer, poet, songwriter, and schoolteacher who spent her life in Pasquotank County, North Carolina.