Victoria Mary Sackville-West, Lady Nicolson, CH - Why is this woman SCANDALOUS?

From the overview:

"...and a lady with the most talked about reputation in Europe .."

Most notably for her relationship with Virginia Woolf.

-jMu- I studied English & American literature at university. There is not a doubt that Vita was considered "scandalous" in her time (and an under rated talent).

Hey, Erica Howton.. Watch what you say about my cousin Vita..! :)

It would be interesting to know what her reputation is in Europe currently. When I was in college, in the US, a very long time ago, she was held up as a shining example of a strong women who defied her contemporaries to create her own life. I had any number of college girlfriends who idolized her. If she wasn't really scandalous, my college girlfriends were wasting their energy ;)

The project objective is:

"Let's celebrate women of scandal: mischievous, anarchistic, colorful, noisy women of immense moral courage."

It's one of my favorite projects! Whenever I find the profile of a woman doing something considered outrageous, I want to add her to the project.

Men are so boring (at times) by comparison. :)

Was Vita a Duck? I thought she was of Swan heritage.

No doubt she was an ugly duckling turned into a swan ;)

(Sorry, FnDuck. No offense intended. I couldn't resist.)

SWAN ...... Actually it was something like Duck-White-Tufton-Bishop-West- Sackville West .....ttfn

(np there Justiin. I will however make note of it for future reference.)

What a scandalous kind of discussion here ! Hope her son and grandchildren do NOT visit GENI nowadays, for I think European Suffragettes would become anxious not before but AFTER la lettre....

and forl the Americans not able to read French, luckily WikiPedia gives translations too for this very European Emancipation Wars of Women Democracy [mind you: NOT -craZy....] :

* http://www.history.com/topics/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage

Isabel, what about a project: The Happy Hooker ?

My name is Erica, the German way. And no, I'm not interested in a project with that title.

To further expand my names:

Erica is my first name, for the character "Erica" in Thomas Mann's novel "Buddenbrooks."
Isabel is my middle name, for the character "Isabel Archer" in Henry James' novel "Portrait of a Lady.". I rarely use my middle name in "real life" but I have a cousin who was called Erica Howton before she married and changed her name.

"The Happy Hooker" was a "memoir" by a woman of Dutch origin named "Xaviera Hollander" who worked professionally as a prostitute. So while that may qualify her as a "scandalous woman" - the "memoir" (verassitude has been questioned), this project is not about prostitution (or to be more politically correct, a worker in the sex trades). It is about women who were scandalous in their time and in their own way.

Which includes what was once called suffragettes, and the first female ministers. -jMu- whatever made you think this was a project about prostitution? The project image is of Lady Godiva, who was a political activist in medieval times!

I love the books of Isabel ALLENDE and read them mosty all and from start to finish...
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Allende

but NOT in English, German, French or even Spanish, but DUTCH for I was happy to live in a country where all cultural heritage is disseminated by world-wide translations... And YES, we do have HAPPY Hookers here around, like in PARIS on every corner of our streets.

...thanks to ORGANON in Oss-North-Brabant-the Netherlands every woman can choose her own partner and is no longer dependant of the papa's to choose them a bride. For in the laboratories of this world-wide-Dutch-origin multi-national they made the first preparations of stereoids [from PIGS, mind you!] wtth the power to change your hormonal intenal menagerie to get a partner of your own habits... But unfortanely nowadays so many woman use this prediction that even in our drinking-water coming through the robinets in our kitchens the sexe-influx is not clear as water from a spring....

Yes, Isabel Allende is a great author. I do not believe her life is considered "scandalous" however.

ofcourse not... on the contrarary, that was not at all i ment to write, sorry for her descendants. -jMu-

but like Isabel A. also the son of Lady Sackville-West was to my opinion a good writer, for the way he biographed his mother's life is really informative about the way women at that time tried to stay decend and living their style of sexe too, like f.i. Virginia WOOLF was also doing with great elegance, but also with lot of people narrating about her as a scandalous women... I do not agree, here in the Netherlands lots of women with a tast of their own are able to marry to ones they really love in live.

I believe you are not giving credit for "time and place" -jMu-, and indeed Vita Sackville-West is greatly to be admired for many reasons, her "scandalous" nature not the least. I am sure Vita's son is well aware of her reputation (and most concerned with her literary legacy, perhaps). I also have difficulty imagining that her profile being is a genealogical project honoring scandalous women would be least upsetting. Particularly if it stimulates book sales.

this is not a commercial platform, is it?

I was joking, -jMu-.

ok, with a smile, i am not that good in modern signs like ::--)} etc.

and for geni-users interested in European emancipation aspects of the generation of our mothers & fathers:

* http://www.geni.com/projects/Dolle-Mina/12090
* http://www.geni.com/projects/Arbeiders-beweging-Socialisme-Nederlan...
* http://www.geni.com/projects/Gay-May-flowers/7471
* http://www.geni.com/projects/Gender-questions-…/8619
* http://www.geni.com/projects/Krankzinnig-verklaard-door-wie-eigenli...

tot schrijfs en thanks for all contributions to this debate, -jMu-