As an English aristocrat and wife of diplomat Edward Wortley Montagu she traveled extensively. Her notoriety comes from the letters she wrote during these travels, most notable when her husband was posted as the British ambassador to the Turkish court of the Ottoman Empire.
Her letters are fascinating, rich and entertaining. As a wealthy aristocrat and part of the British diplomatic entourage she had access to the highest levels of society, hob-nobbing with the greats and attending royal receptions, balls and assemblies.
What I most love about her letters, however, is her frankness and anti-snobbery, completely unexpected from someone of her position. Her letters poke fun at the highest members of society and convey her honest assessments of the people she met and the experiences she had.
She took the time to see the sites as any tourist would, visiting museums, churches and palaces, evoking a wide range of expressions from awe, to disbelief and criticism.
As a woman she was permitted behind the scenes access to a variety of Ottoman seraglios and came to feel that the women she encountered enjoyed much more freedom and happiness than the outside world would believe.
She spent great amounts of time with Turkish effendis - men of learning - and developed a strong respect for Islamic religion and culture, often comparing it with Christian ideals and pointing out the comparable shortcomings of the latter.
A fascinating woman living a fascinating life, I now understand why so many writers and historians find her letters worthy of quotation.
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