This article examines Maria Graham’s *Journal of a Residence in Chile during the Year 1822* (1824) as a hybrid text combining travel writing, scientific observation, and literary reflection. Focusing on Graham’s eyewitness account of the 1822 Valparaíso earthquake, the study analyses how she documented the seismic event through detailed geological descriptions, observations of coastal uplift, and reflections on the social and emotional impact of the disaster. The article highlights Graham’s pioneering contribution to early seismology and the controversy surrounding the reception of her scientific findings, emphasizing how gender prejudices limited the recognition of women’s authority in nineteenth-century science. At the same time, it explores the narrative’s Romantic aesthetics, its engagement with the sublime, and Graham’s Protestant critique of Chilean Catholic practices and colonial society. The article argues that Graham’s journal transforms the earthquake into both a scientific phenomenon and a cultural event, revealing the intersections between natural catastrophe, gender, imperial discourse, and intellectual resilience.
JOURNAL OF A RESIDENCE IN CHILE DURING THE YEAR 1822 by Maria Graham
Biancamaria Rizzardi
2026-01-01
Abstract
This article examines Maria Graham’s *Journal of a Residence in Chile during the Year 1822* (1824) as a hybrid text combining travel writing, scientific observation, and literary reflection. Focusing on Graham’s eyewitness account of the 1822 Valparaíso earthquake, the study analyses how she documented the seismic event through detailed geological descriptions, observations of coastal uplift, and reflections on the social and emotional impact of the disaster. The article highlights Graham’s pioneering contribution to early seismology and the controversy surrounding the reception of her scientific findings, emphasizing how gender prejudices limited the recognition of women’s authority in nineteenth-century science. At the same time, it explores the narrative’s Romantic aesthetics, its engagement with the sublime, and Graham’s Protestant critique of Chilean Catholic practices and colonial society. The article argues that Graham’s journal transforms the earthquake into both a scientific phenomenon and a cultural event, revealing the intersections between natural catastrophe, gender, imperial discourse, and intellectual resilience.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
