Meghan and I chose this as a monthly read before we were aware of either its girth or the fact that it was unfinished. I was not amused upon learning this last tidbit especially, but thanks to a rigid sense of duty (and money already spent) I didn’t back down. I was buoyed by my one and only other experience reading Gaskell – her contribution to the collaborative novella titled A House to Let. Hers was the major bright spot of the project for me - leading me to conclude I really must try more of her and so naturally I selected this one to start with....
So, let’s just cut to the chase – is this nearly 700 page unfinished behemoth of a Victorian novel worth tackling? My answer is a resounding YES! On the face of it this is a genuine and endearing story of domestic and romantic affairs in a small English town – more specifically how daughters became wives circa 1830s England. But beneath its surface it is a work which also examines and critiques that era's social conventions – albeit ever so gently. And in focusing on the minutiae of the ‘every-day’ Gaskell has evoked a very specific time and place - which was truly a complete delight for me to inhabit over the course of the past three weeks.
Gaskell’s work has neither the biting wit of Austen, nor the galvanizing commentary of Dickens (she is often compared to both authors). And I agree with Henry James’s assessment that: The book is very long and of an interest so quiet that not a few of its readers will be sure to vote it dull. (It is important to note that James does go on to praise the book’s merits). However, this novel is truly notable for its superior character development – keen, subtle, and infinitely nuanced. No one in Hollingford is wholly good or evil, nor profoundly wise or foolish. And what’s even more remarkable is that the fate of our characters are not exclusively linked to their choices or perceived morality. Gaskell's touch is so light that one often forgets she's there gently guiding us through this little maze of manners and mores. It's really a fantastic thing to behold.
But, for all its originality Wives and Daughters doesn’t completely avoid all Victorian storytelling conventions. It is (obviously) long and excessively detailed in spots. And, of course everyone knows that the Victorians tended to have outmoded and offensive notions about race, but knowing it doesn't make encountering it any less less jarring or unpleasant. Also funny, that for all of its superior characterization, I never completely warmed to the novel’s chief protagonist Molly Gibson. She had some admirable flashes of gumption, but was a bit too mild and good to be completely engaging. And finally, the fact that the novel was unfinished actually bothered me far less than I would have ever imagined. The implied outcome is obvious and satisfying and I actually found the unintended terminus to be quite funny and oddly fitting.
So, let’s just cut to the chase – is this nearly 700 page unfinished behemoth of a Victorian novel worth tackling? My answer is a resounding YES! On the face of it this is a genuine and endearing story of domestic and romantic affairs in a small English town – more specifically how daughters became wives circa 1830s England. But beneath its surface it is a work which also examines and critiques that era's social conventions – albeit ever so gently. And in focusing on the minutiae of the ‘every-day’ Gaskell has evoked a very specific time and place - which was truly a complete delight for me to inhabit over the course of the past three weeks.
Gaskell’s work has neither the biting wit of Austen, nor the galvanizing commentary of Dickens (she is often compared to both authors). And I agree with Henry James’s assessment that: The book is very long and of an interest so quiet that not a few of its readers will be sure to vote it dull. (It is important to note that James does go on to praise the book’s merits). However, this novel is truly notable for its superior character development – keen, subtle, and infinitely nuanced. No one in Hollingford is wholly good or evil, nor profoundly wise or foolish. And what’s even more remarkable is that the fate of our characters are not exclusively linked to their choices or perceived morality. Gaskell's touch is so light that one often forgets she's there gently guiding us through this little maze of manners and mores. It's really a fantastic thing to behold.
But, for all its originality Wives and Daughters doesn’t completely avoid all Victorian storytelling conventions. It is (obviously) long and excessively detailed in spots. And, of course everyone knows that the Victorians tended to have outmoded and offensive notions about race, but knowing it doesn't make encountering it any less less jarring or unpleasant. Also funny, that for all of its superior characterization, I never completely warmed to the novel’s chief protagonist Molly Gibson. She had some admirable flashes of gumption, but was a bit too mild and good to be completely engaging. And finally, the fact that the novel was unfinished actually bothered me far less than I would have ever imagined. The implied outcome is obvious and satisfying and I actually found the unintended terminus to be quite funny and oddly fitting.
*More soon as I plan to compare and contrast the film and book versions!
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