"Not a personal matter, all women of Cape Colony, Women's Enfranchisement League" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceHRC/UNCAT/OS-40
ArchiveHarry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateWednesday 25 March 1885
Address From4 Robertson Terrace, Hastings, East Sussex
Address To
Who ToHavelock Ellis
Other VersionsCronwright-Schreiner 1924: 66; Draznin 1992: 327-8
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. This letter has been dated by reference to information written onto it by Ellis. Schreiner was resident at two addresses in Hastings from the end of November 1884 to the end of April 1885.
1Wednesd
2Evening.
3
4I have been working pretty well today. My head is troublesome it
5doesn’t ach. It is only full of blood. I seem living at some kind of
6high pressure that year at Dordrecht. I can feel my-self growing
7intellectually. But I feel I have not to give way to my feelings at all.
8
9You know why you have such a feeling for my old self. It is because
10you so perfectly understand that old self, & you don’t in the same way
11understand this new self. It’s just this last four years, four years
12on the 30th of this month, that makes a difference between. I don’t
13understand myself now, how should you. In years to come I will see
14what was the meaning of all this.
15
16It is wonderful that my chest is keeping so strong & well. I can sleep
17& I can eat. My head only bothers me because I think too much I If I
18could do my work in the open air I should be all right.
19
20I should like to see that book.
21
22Olive
23
24I have been reading our Shelly this afternoon. I have just had my tea
25& am sitting in the twilight. I can hardly see my paper.
26
27^If fine I go to Brighton on Friday.^
28
29^My Dadda didn’t send me money this birthday as he usually does he sent
30me her^
31
32^beautiful broach instead.^
33
Notation
Draznin’s (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription. Cronwright-Schreiner’s (1924) extract is incorrect in various ways.