Savannah Crowley

5 September 2018
ENG 111 – 815
Elizabeth Bisland Race Around the World: Review Essay
After reading Matthew Goodman’s piece, Elizabeth Bisland’s Race Around the World,

the common expectation is that it will be about a race between two women, Elizabeth Bisland

and Nellie Bly, but it turns out to be about Bisland’s journey and how it shaped her into the

person she was. Goodman states “That was what the trip had given her, she would reflect later:

the vividness of a new world, where one was for the first time, as Tennyson had written, Lord of

the senses five” (Goodman). Although Bisland refused to go on the trip in the first place, it

showed her a different perspective in life and even benefitted her in the end.

In Elizabeth Bisland’s Race Around the World, Goodman has strengths such as his

descriptive wording, use of pictures, and details throughout his piece. Goodman describes

Bisland in detail. “Bisland’s particular combination of beauty, charm, and erudition seems to

have been nothing short of bewitching. One of her admirers, the writer Lafcadio Hearn, called

her “a sort of goddess,” and likened her conversation to hashish, leaving him disoriented for

hours afterwards” (Goodman) is an example. If Goodman had not gone into detail about Bisland,

his audience would still have questions about who this woman even is. Readers would not have

been drawn into his article if he did not elaborate about Bisland. Along with the descriptive

wording, the pictures help draws people into the article. The pictures give details of Bisland’s

life. Also, the pictures helped the article by not overdoing it. Overall, if the article did not have

the pictures or even the detailed wording, Goodman’s piece would be uninteresting and boring.

In Goodman’s work, Elizabeth Bisland’s Race Around the World, he talks very highly of

Bisland. With Goodman’s detailed wording of Bisland, he leads his audience to believe he is
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charmed by her. With his fascination, Goodman states “She was tall, with an elegant, almost

imperious bearing that made her appear even taller; she had large dark eyes and luminous pale

skin and spoke in a low, gentle voice” (Goodman). Matthew Goodman also talks about her

beauty and charm. He makes her out to be such an amazing woman, but she lived way before his

time. I believe he had some infatuation with Bisland because if not, how would he know of her

beauty and charm without even living in her time? Without knowing her, Goodman had to make

his statements of Bisland on his own.

After reading and gathering information from Elizabeth Bisland’s Race Around the

World, I have realized how feminism ties into Goodman’s piece. Bisland was a strong,

independent woman. “She took pride in the fact that she had arrived in New York with only fifty

dollars in her pocket, and that the thousands of dollars now in her bank account had come by

virtue of her own pen” (Goodman). Goodman’s statement proves of her independence and

strength. Bisland did not rely on anyone but herself. Matthew Goodman made it as she was a

powerful woman, and she was a firm believer of herself and women. Bisland did not want the

fame that would come with the race. “She cared nothing for fame, and indeed found the prospect

of it distasteful” (Goodman). Goodman also states, “Unlike Nellie Bly, who upon her return to

New York immediately set out on a forty-city lecture tour, Bisland did all she could to avoid the

glare of publicity” (Goodman), which proves even more that Bisland is a strong believer in

herself. By the end of the race, Bisland learned that it was not about the race but the experience

she gained.

I enjoyed Matthew Goodman’s piece because it was nice to read about Goodman’s

perspective of Elizabeth Bisland. Although Bisland hated fame, I think Goodman talked highly

of her, so readers could be familiar with who she is. I felt as if Goodman wanted his readers to
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see how great she was. Overall, Goodman wanted to show his audience how strong and amazing

Bisland was. Although I would not have gone into detail of Bisland like Goodman did, but I have

gained respect for Bisland as a woman.

Works Cited

Goodman, Matthew. “Elizabeth Bisland's Race Around the World.” The Public Domain

Review, publicdomainreview.org/2013/10/16/elizabeth-bislands-race-around-the-world/.