Florence Nightingale

Janet Todd (University of Cambridge)

Ed. by Janet Todd, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Grace Moore (University of Otago)

Dates

Born 12 May 1820
Died 13 Aug 1910
Activity 1850-1876

Places

Born in Italy
Active in England; France; Germany; Palau

Activities

Primary

Nurse

Other

Essayist
Reformer

Resources

Florence Nightingale, author and activist, was born in Florence and well-educated with her sister Parthenope in history, mathematics and languages by their wealthy liberal father, William Edward Nightingale. Their mother Frances had insisted on the family's converting from Unitarianism to Anglicanism, seen as more fit for landowners, but Nightingale's childhood remained influenced by the beliefs of Unitarianism. While Parthenope embraced genteel femininity, Nightingale rejected marriage and domesticity as unsatisfying to her morally active nature, considering herself one of those whom God “had clearly marked out to be single women.” Seeking a purpose in life, in 1844 she decided to study nursing, but was opposed by her family. …

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921 words

Citation: Todd, Janet. "Florence Nightingale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 October 2000 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3343, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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