Dr. Ericka Behrisch Elce RMC

Speaker: Dr. Erika Behrisch Elce, RMC Title: Lady Franklin and the Franklin Expedition

Synopsis: In the 1850s, the search for the lost Franklin Expedition was considered England’s “Modern Odyssey,” and Lady Franklin nothing less than the “Penelope of England.” Today, she is still often portrayed as a symbol, but now also as a conniving strategist whose own ambition propelled her husband to his tragic end. This presentation considers the life of one of the Victorian period’s most compelling women in a new light: not as Penelope or conniver, but as a master of narrative.