Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich spoke to students and members of the community in Allen Hall on South Campus Tuesday night. WBFO 88.7FM's Bert Gambini hosted the interview, which is a part of the radio station's free Meet the Author series.
Despite Ulrich's numerous works, she may be best known for a quote taken out of the context of an article she wrote about notable women in history.
The popular quote - "well-behaved women seldom make history" - appears on merchandise including T-shirts, mugs and bumper stickers.
The author delivered a humorous speech, evident by the frequent laughter from the audience. In her speech, she explained the origins of the phrase.
"My original article was a study of the well-behaved women celebrated in Puritan funeral sermons," Ulrich said. "In the opening paragraph, I wrote 'well-behaved women seldom make history.'"
According to Ulrich, the quote was by no means a cultural phenomenon right from the start; it took 20 years for it to be ingrained into popular culture, she said.
"That sentence, slightly altered, escaped into popular culture when a journalist, Kay Mills, used 'rarely' instead of 'seldom,'" Ulrich said.
After the slight change, it became a slogan that inspired a generation, according to Ulrich.
"Through a strange stroke of fate, I've gotten used to seeing my name on bumpers and on T-shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, magnets, buttons, greeting cards and Web sites," she said.
According to Ulrich, her book, titled Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History was inspired by the responses the phrase received.
"It was due to the reaction of other people to this quotation," Ulrich said.
Ulrich said the book's focus is on the real women in history as opposed to females in history who played the role of the "well-behaved wife" or "the witch."
"In history, women are the wife or the witch. We imagine the wife as boring, but where are all the real people and what are they like?" she asked. "I would hope that people understand that women have been important contributors. Lots of young people think that women were invisible and unimportant."
Gambini explained why Ulrich was chosen to be a part of the series.
"I was taken by the book; it introduces many stories. I think it's a great book to share with an audience," Gambini said.
During the lecture, Ulrich said historians have always managed to forget that there are many significant "women warriors" who tried making a difference.
"I think, in general, it is about what it takes to make history and what it is that we choose to remember," said Gambini.
After the event, many students expressed that they wanted to learn more about the book.
"After the discussion, it makes me want to read it. I am intrigued," said Mary Veith, a junior chemistry major.
Other students felt empowered by Ulrich's message.
"It makes me want to make history," said Katie Veith, a freshman urban planning major. "She is not only taking in a feminist point of view, but history in general."
Several people said they appreciated Ulrich's original ideas about the role of women in history and the humor she used in conveying her ideas.
"She is a very interesting author. She answered the questions in a clear manner with the anecdotes. They were fun," Mary Veith said.
According to the WBFO Web site, the Meet the Author series attempts to create public gatherings for their radio audience members in the Western New York region.
Ulrich encouraged students to explore history.
"There were a lot of interesting people in history. I just hope they go searching for who were these characters," she said. "They have the power to make history themselves. It's not something that happens; it's something we make ourselves."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
