unit 8 - Jane Austen, William Thackeray, Walter Scott, George Elliot

Novel of education, Bildungsroman

Shows the moral, psychological maturation and often financial development of their protagonist, the self-made man

Novel of manners

Subgenre in Jane Austen’s fiction. Shows the behaviour, values, customs, language and characters of a particular social class in a particular era.

Historical novel

Walter Scott is the founding father of the historical novel. His aim was to convey the spirit, manners and social conditions of a past age with realistic detail and fidelity to historical fact albeit in a fictional form

heteroglossia

The parallel presence of a diversity of voices, discursive styles, points of views in a single literary work

The Victorian Novel

• most popular genre of the era

• characterized ny popularity, variety, artistic growth

• distinguished by comprahensiveness

• aims to provide a panomaric picture of society

• Main theme: Man and Society, the interrelated destinies of private and public levels

• Bildungsromans, novels of education

• themes: urbanisation, industralization, inequality, socialism, death, prison, science vs religion, institutional abuses, nightmare vs fantasy, social mobility

• mass market, serial novels, cliffhangers

Jane Austen

• a woman writer of intellect and cultivation

• mixing social criticism and ironic sentimentalism

• novel of manner

• the individual desire vs collective social norms

• psychologisation of her characters

• critique of marriage market

• singular sense of humour

Austenian themes

• mixing social criticism with ironic sentimentalism

• reading, misreading, rereading emotions: to find a partner to gain social prestige

• the importance of interpreting emotions - Darwinism

• Things are not what they seem at first site - illusion and reality

• comedy of manners: proper conduct is based on social convention

• conflict of marriage for love and marriage for property

• bildungsroman

Lady Susan

Epistolary novel, inspired by a restoration drama about the ploys of a recently widowed, manipulative, sexual predator

Emma

She wanted to create a herione whom no one but herself would like. Spoiled, self-satisfied, rich girl Emma. Meddles in with everyone’s business, over estimates her matchmaking abilities, lets her imagination go astray

Northanger Abbey

Parody of the gothic sensationalism. Catherine Morland is tomboyis, naive and has an overactive imagination. Parodies the Mysteries of Udoplho. Failed detective with nothing to detect

Sense and Sensibility

Written under the pseudonym “A Lady”. Plays on the philosphy of the Cartesian Dualism in a double Bildungsroman. The sentimental sister ends up marrying based on reason, while the pragmatic sister finds true love. A dramatised conduct book and authentic portrayal of women’s patriarchal oppression. Initiated a new privacy with the personal viewpoints of Elinor.

Pride and prejudice

• Bildungsroman, romantic coming of age, novel of manners

• personality development of Elizabeth Bennet

• she learns to differentiate bw apperaences and actual moral values

• ironic depiction of genteel rural society’s manners

• witty commentary on social prejudice, marriage market, women’s limited possibilites, fashion, education

• quest for self

• importance of intimite relationship grounded in love

• drawing room small talk

Ambiguities in Pride and Prejudice

1. main topic is happiness - concerned w how difficult it is to attain happiness

2. light, omnipresent irony - irony illuminates disturbing things

3. no explicit mention of sex - a predatory rake seduces to minors

4. politically irresponsible - criticises bourgeois aspirations

5. funny, silly characters - subtext of anxiety

6. the triumph of Jane, Elizabeth - Charlotte, Lydia, Mrs Bennet in loveless marriages

7. feminism pervading the novel - ends with fantasy weddings to rich men

8. class barriers are overturned - class barriers are never overturned

9. love story - cold economic are at the root of actions

10. happiness triumphs - happiness comes at a cost, if it comes at all

Vanity Fair

• first published in Punch, with the subtitle: Pen and Pencil Sketches of English society —> panoramic picture

• other subtitle: A novel without a hero - rejects literary convention of heroism

• fallibility of human kind

• domestic realistic genre

• two stereotypical woman figures: Amelia Sadley, Becky Sharp

• double (mock)Bildungsroman

• strange historical novel

Before the Curtain

The preface of Vanity Fair. The author identifies himself as a pupperteer rejecting the prestigious role of author. Calls his characters puppets implying they cant be held responsible for their vices

Temporal levels in Vanity Fair

1. timeless, universal, allegorical statement about human pride and selfishness

2. novel of the 1850s: satire on bourgoise snobbery, social climbers

3. novel of the 1815s: aftermath of Waterloo

Walter Scott

• founding father of historical novel

• moved by patriotism and desire to revive former glory of Scotland

• counter-reaction to gothic fake medievalism

• inspired by Scottish legends, tales, folk songs

• ambiguity, irresolvable conflict

• huge cast of vivid characters, historical settings

Scott’s novels

1. Stories of English history - Tudor, Stuart

2. Stories of English, European history in the Middle Ages

3. Stories of Scottish past, near present

George Eliot

• Mary Ann Evans

• novelist who developed the method of psychological analysis characteristic of modern fiction

• novel a serious artform - no sentimentalism

• transalated serious philosophical works

• psychological realism

• like Wordsworth’s poetry

• panoramic picture of sociery

• life as a labyrinth