‘A Family History’: Harriet Martineau’s Victorian Fantasy of the South Sea Bubble

Abstract

This article explores Harriet Martineau’s historiette, “A Family History,” published serially in Once a Week and dramatizing the 1720 South Sea Bubble. Politician James Craggs and his family fall victim to the South Sea Bubble scheme and to a subsequent epidemic. These events reflect the speculation mania and economic bubbles of Martineau’s time, creating financial turbulence she personally experienced. The story addresses economic issues such as speculation and global investment; it reveals her moral concerns about the desire for fame and wealth; and it illustrates her feminist viewpoints about woman’s intrinsic nature and autonomy. The work, rich in historical and cultural contexts, demonstrates Martineau’s mature writing skills during the last period of her life.