Abstract

Manuscripts have long been analyzed for how they circulated alongside traditionally published texts, with scholars taking an interest in both the content and material form of such documents. In a print-centric era like the early nineteenth century, the surplus of published writing was sometimes framed as impersonal and generic. As such, material elements of manuscripts like paper, ink, and handwriting were increasingly valued as affective reflections of authors' bodies and circumstances. For example, tear stains on a letter might allow for a more personal and meaningful connection between writer and reader than the homogeneity of mass-produced texts. In a project that bridges affect theory and manuscript studies, I turn to the relationship between Dora Wordsworth (1804-1847) and Maria Jane Jewsbury (1800-1833). Dora, the daughter of renowned poet William Wordsworth, and Jewsbury, a published author in her own right, developed a deeply intimate bond over the course of their eight-year friendship (1825-1833). From this relationship emerged the manuscripts that are the focus of this study: a mock-newspaper, letters, and an album. Together, these texts tell the story of two notable Romantic-era women who have received little attention individually and even less attention as a pair. More broadly, the manuscripts they created are useful for understanding not only their relationship but also how handwritten texts can preserve and magnify emotions like mirth, love, and grief. By looking at these manuscripts through an affective lens, the Dora-Jewsbury case study shows how, at least for these two Romantic-era friends, the emotional value of material writing was central to its existence and facilitated a social network in which people connected through the joint circulation of both manuscripts and emotions.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Humanities; English

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2026-04-17

Document Type

Thesis

Keywords

Dora Wordsworth, Maria Jane Jewsbury, manuscripts, manuscript culture, collaboration, Romanticism, female intimacy, friendship, emotion, affect, albums, correspondence

Language

english

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