A Romantic Love Letter Frances Anne (Fanny) Kemble
December 29, 2009 by Carol
Filed under romantic love letters
A Romantic Love Letter written by Frances Anne (Fanny) Kemble (1809-93) to Pierce Mease Butler
It is believed that this romantic love letter was written in London during December 1842 or early 1843.
Fanny Kemble was a London born highly respectable actress who met her husband when on tour performing in America. The letter was written just before the couple were to separate and then divorce some five years after that. As you will read she says she had given everything she could to make the marriage work and even at this stage she still loves her husband.
However the marriage had gone through some major problems particularly as James Sheridan was a wealthy plantation owner in Georgia and used thousands of black slaves. She was always utterly opposed to this type of treatment of people. Having visited the plantation she became even stronger in her beliefs and wrote a couple of books arguing for an end to all types of slavery. Naturally this did not go down well in the deep south of America and led to major problems even through she held off publishing them until well after the divorce went through so as not to antagonize him any further.
Having loved you well enough to give you my life when it was best work giving – having made you the center of all my hopes of earthly happiness – having never loved any human being as I have loved you, you can never be to me like any other human being, and it is utterly impossible that I should ever regard you with indifference.
My whole existence having once had you for its sole object, and all its thoughts, hopes, affections having, in their full harvest, been yours, it is utterly impossible that I should ever forget this – that I should ever forget that you were once my lover and are my husband and the father of my children. I cannot behold you without emotion; my heart still answers to your voice, my blood in my veins to your footsteps
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How many of your strong feelings about the world around you would you give up for love of your husband or wife? She was an outspoken anti-slavery believer married to a person who had hundreds of slaves on several plantations in the Sea Islands of Georgia. She loved her husband but could not stand by and watch other people being so ill treated as his slaves were. She spoke out during her marriage in private but out of love and respect she kept quiet publicly. Then some years after the divorce she published books condemning the brutality of slavery.
At what time does love for other humans generally overpower the romantic and physical love you feel for a special person? Let me know about what you would have done in this case. Would you keep quiet about your crimes your partner committed against children or stand up for right.
