Book Review: Wives & Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell

[olde_fashioned]

Title: Wives and Daughters
Written by: Elizabeth Gaskell
Genre: Fiction, Classic Literature

Wives & Daughters is something I’d never even heard of until I caught the end of the mini-series on PBS once. While Elizabeth Gaskell appears to have somewhat of a following (at least in Japan and amongst N&S fans), when I tried to locate a copy in my local library branch there wasn’t a single book written by her on the shelves. (and no, I do not live in a one-horse town with a teeny tiny library.)

The edition I read was a wonderful Penguin paperback with tons of footnotes, (oddly enough purchased in the Library’s friend’s used bookstore!) and I was grateful for them, especially with Gaskell’s seemingly frequent habit of alluding to other literary works.

Unfortunately, Gaskell died suddenly before finishing W&D, which was being published as a serial in Charles Dicken’s publication in the 1860s.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I'd read it again and recommend it to anyone, especially those who are fond of Jane Austen. :-)

Now it's off to Netflix the mini-series...

(ETA: Would you believe it's got a long wait?!? Arg!!)
(Edit: Netflix finally delivered, and so I've seen all the mini-series now. Of course I loved it, and it's definitely something I recommend. Not that I didn't know that before, however!)




Postitive Elements:

~ All in all I thought it was a very sweet story. I loved the down-home country feel to the whole book, and despite it’s tendency to gossip Hollingford seemed like a pleasant place to live.

~ Molly Gibson is likeable as a heroine, despite her somewhat Fanny Price-ish timidity. (It‘s very interesting that Mrs. Hamley referred to her as “Fanny“…hmmm…) She is steadfast, loyal, and longsuffering. Her devotion to her family and friends is admirable,

~ Roger Hamley is, to quote Mary Poppins, practially perfect in every way. ;-P I’m not aware of a single flaw EG gives him -- except for the fact that he fell for Cynthia, of course. He was always so sweet and kind to Molly, and faithful and reliable to Osbourn. I loved how he kept his brother’s secret, but he still urged him to do the right thing and admit his marriage on his own.

~ Lady Harriet Lady Harriet Lady Harriet!!! Need I say more?? ;-P



Negative Elements:
(okay, this is somewhat of a stretch, but I can hardly put Cynthia in the "positive" category!!)

~ Hyacinth Clare Kirkpatrick Gibson -- she’s as ridiculous as her name. I couldn’t STAND her!! She is so utterly selfish, so completely out-to-lunch, that she really makes you want to smack her.

~ Cynthia -- I don’t know that she really fits in either category, but since I disaproved of so much of her conduct, I didn’t know where else to put her.

~ Mr Preston was quite creepy in my opinion. His possessiveness of Cynthia, and his threats showed him for the rat he really was. I’ll give him a teensy tiny bit of credit for eventually giving up the letters, but really, once threatened with Lady Harriet (!) who hates his guts anyway!! I wonder how it felt for a worldy man of 30-something to be outsmarted by a teenaged girl. ;-)

~ While I really kind of liked Squire Hamley as a character, the way he treated his family, and his selfish demands of his sons and their future choice of wives really irked me. Plus I think favouritism amongst one’s children is abominable -- look at where that got Joseph in the Bible! Lucky for the Squire that Roger bore no malice towards his older brother for their parents’ preferences. The same holds true for Osbourn once circumstances became reversed.

~ The Evolutionary allusions that I’ve heard about are (IMVHO) nowhere near as clear as I thought. The only “big” one was Roger’s paper that he wrote that was recognized overseas, and his meeting various famous naturalists. The editor in my edition insisted every other sentence was a Darwinian reference or a feministic jab. (According to the idiot editor Dr. Gibson’s pet name “Goosey” for his daughter is sexist as it implies a lack of mental capacity on her part. *rolls eyes*)

~ Osbourn’s secret keeping was wrong, IMO. It was rather cowardly of him to be too afraid of disinheritance to stand up to his father. I would have liked to know more about the entail -- would it have prevented the Squire from disinheriting Osbourn in the first place?

~~~

Comments

[iane-grey.livejournal.com]

I agree with your likening Molly Gibson to Fanny Price, though the former was far less... base. I too wondered about the name, though it was a common one then I think; do you think it would be foolish to presume Gaskell had read MP?

Did you not think that Roger's 'broadness', and his square face (the full description of which I do not perfectly recall) were intended to be unattractive? Molly did call him ugly to one of the Browning sisters. I wonder now if that was not meant to be read as childish foolery.

And now you are the liberal one! Our opinions differ, as mine is far more old fashioned ;) To be born into privilege is to be born to obligation... I believe the popular coinage is nobles oblige. Were I Mrs. Hamley, while I would have no favorites, I could not deny the father's right to pick between the two, and would certainly expect my children to find partners of whom I approved. It bites, but that's the price you pay for wealth and status. IMO, Osborne should not have married Aimee.

I'll be interested in hearing what you think of Hard Times' Harthouse, if you don't like Preston... ^_^

I agree... I my editor exaggerated the Darwinian references; I found many more from the famous 18th century philosophers.

The entail? I think the Squire was within his legal rights to disown Osborne, so long as he was in full possession of his mental faculties. I am thinking of the present Duke of Marlborough. But then there are acts of Parliament to decide these things, and I really don't know much about them. If I were in the Squire's place I'd have done it, and given the lineage to Roger's heirs. Having meditated on the state of things, I find in fact that I hate Osborne more then any other character!

This is fun! I love discussing books!! 8-)

[olde-fashioned.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's foolish to imagine that EG read Mansfield Park. I suppose it could be just a cooincidence, but come on, when the whole novel is chock-full of literary allusions, do we really think this one Austenian reference is by accident?

Yes, I do think Roger was supposed to be physically unattractive. Why else would all the characters keep saying it? But I for one don't care a whit about what he looks like, so long as he has a good heart. Childish foolery, yes. Molly (in the begining) preferred Osbourn the Heir to Roger the Stupid, and I think it was a bit silly of her, IMVHO. Just because someone writes poetry and happened to be born first doesn't make them a first-rate person automatically. ;-)

Hmmm...this is unusual! Me having a liberal opinion! hee hee. ;-P I agree with you somewhat; let's say my philosophy meets yours halfway. I do think that, in early 19th C. England (heck, even in modern England, if you've got blue blood) someone with a pedigree should at least try to "honour" the traditions, and marry someone suitable. By suitable I also mean respectable, though. I don't think bloodlines qualify one for a marriage any more than morals and values, (Camilla is a good example here!) and if a king wanted to marry a scullery maid (so long as she was a good Christian woman) I wouldn't see any problems with it, do you? Having said so, I do understand your statement that O. should not have married Aimee. I didn't like that she was French, but hey, perhaps he fell in love with her before he knew it. I really think the Squire was being a tyrant by demanding his children marry to please him. I mean, who was going to have to live with the women?? The sons!

Do you really think it's reprehensible for someone of "noble" blood to marry beneath them? I think this is an interesting and compelling topic, and I'd love to understand your more old fashioned viewpoint better.

I started HT, but I paused until May, so I don't know who Harthouse is yet. As you know I'm full of opinions I'll let you know as soon as I know! ;-P

Yes, yes! Roger talked more about Pliny and whatnot more than any dumb ol' Darwin stuff.

I've read stuff on the Longbourn entail, but I don't know anything other than that. I'm assuming we're talking different types of entails here? Or could Mr. Bennet have disinherited Mr. Collins?

Yes, Roger would have treated the estate with great respect, and I really don't think Osbourn cared three straws about it. Roger acted more like the firstborn son than Osbourn did. Plus I'd get a kick out of Molly being the lady of Hamley!!! Ha!

Osbourn is a kind of love/hate character. One pities his medical condition but one also wants to smack him over the head with his poetry book because of the blundering mess he makes with his idiotic secrets. *shakes head*

[yeshua-myprince.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed the book! :)

My opinion of Roger is much the same as yours...and this is where my Mom and my long talks about him come in. :)

We came to conclude, that he need to fall for Cynthia to grow in character...to learn to treasure Molly and see her for what a gem she is. Otherwise he took her faithfulness for granted, but after being hurt by Cynthia his eyes were opened. So however much I hate that he fell for the silly girl, he needed to in a sense to completely make him 'perfect'. *grin*

What do you think?

Lady Harriet, is indeed lovely! :)

Have a gorgeous day!

~Anna

[sabrinafair2.livejournal.com]

I haven't been on livejournal in ever because my computer broke! I'm at an internet cafe right now, do you know what book is next on the list for olde_and_grey?

[olde-fashioned.livejournal.com]

Oh you poor THING!!!! I sincerely pity your predicament! I don't know what I would do without my computer. 8-\ I was missing you; now I know where you went. ;-)

Hard Times by Charles Dickens is next -- we're supposed to start sometime in May. Hope this helps!!

[olde-fashioned.livejournal.com]

So am I! ;-P

That's neat that you and your mom talk about Roger! And I think you raise an interesting point.

I think Roger got carried away by Cynthia's charms, so that he overlooked the "diamond in the rough" that he had in Molly.

I wish I could help someone out like Lady Harriet did for Molly!

Have you seen the mini-series yet?

[yeshua-myprince.livejournal.com]

Hi,
Sorry it took forever for me to reply. I haven't gone on LJ in ages. :)

Yes, I did see the mini-series, and love it.

Your thoughts?

~Anna

[olde-fashioned.livejournal.com]

That's okay! Some of us have a life outside of LJ!! ;-P

I've only seen the part right about where Roger proposes to Cynthia, and everything after that, so I can't say anything about the beginning, but I think Netflix is messing up big time by not having disc 1 available!!!! *hmph!* Maybe I'll write up a review of the mini once I've finally gotten to finish it.

How have you been, anyway?

[rosa-cotton.livejournal.com]

Wives and Daughters was my introduction to Elizabeth Gaskell. While it really does not have much "action" or a passionate love story like North and South, Gaskell's uncompleted novel is my favorite of her works.

It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did I was swept away. The characterizations were all well developed. I loved all the interaction between the many characters. I really connected with Molly (I was reminded of Fanny Price as well, another of my favorite literature heroines) and cared about how things affected her a lot. Cynthia, to like her or dislike her... While I got annoyed with her, I was touched by her genuine fondness for Molly. Hyacinth was worse than Mrs. Bennet IMHO; I wanted to smack her at times. Dear Roger, what a gentleman; I just wanted to knock some sense into him when it came to Cynthia (like Edmund Bertram). Mr. Preston I loathed.

P.S. I saw the miniseries right after I read the book and loved it. It had a very satisfying ending.

[olde-fashioned.livejournal.com]

Same here! Thank goodness for PBS, eh? ;-P

Cynthia is certainly a puzzle. ;-) She's fascinating, IMO, as is Mr. Preston. One half of me wants to hate him, while the other pities him for what he's endured for Cynthia.

P.S. Yes, the ending is very satisfying, except that we're cheated out of a kiss!!!