This biography, written by Lois Burke, has been republished with permission from the Dangerous Women Project, created by the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh.
Born: 15 January 1803, United Kingdom
Died: 19 December 1811
Country most active: United Kingdom
Also known as: Marjory Fleming
One of the most famous child diarists, Kirkcaldy-born Marjorie Fleming (1803-1811), tested the use of language as well as acceptable topics of conversation through her writing. At six years-old she put pen to paper and described a situation in which she called someone an ‘impudent bitch’, and how she was chastised for such language.
To Day I pronounced a word which should never come out of a lady’s lips it was that I called John an impudent Bitch and Isabella afterwards told me that I should never say it even in joke but she kindly forgave me because I said that I would not do it again I will tell you what I think made me in so bad a honour is I got 1 or 2 cups of that bad bad sina tea to Day
Victorian editors who positioned Fleming as the epitome of childish innocence and artless joy omitted that particular entry in abridged publications of her writing. She also wrote on multiple occasions about how she was specifically not permitted to discuss love, ‘heroins’ and marriage – yet she rhapsodized about them.
In the love novels all the heroins are very desperate Isabella will not alow me to speak about lovers & heroins & is too refined for my taste
[…]
I walked to that delightfull place with that a delightfull place young man beloved by all his friends and espacialy by me his loveress but I must not talk any longer about him any longer for Isa said it is not proper for to speak of gentalman
[…]
Love I think is in the fasion for every body is marring there is a new novel published named selfcontroul a very good maxam forsooth.
What was restricted for Fleming didn’t set an embargo on her curiosity – luckily her manuscripts still remain and such insights which were previously glossed over by Victorian editors can be recovered.