I'm always amazed at how some of the themes currently at the height of interest were also touched upon by classic books. Case in question The Making of a Marchioness, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Written in 1901, it talks of financial peril, marriage of convenience and death plots for inheritance purposes...
I came upon it having watched "The making of a Lady" (I assume because the title of Marchioness is not well-known), a slightly rom-com set in a Victorian context - easy for a gentle afternoon watching, while knitting / cross-stitching / petting your cat, or whatever Victorians would do in the afternoon...
Burnett is primarily known for children's books, which means it's no wonder that the main characters are devoid of any "flaws". Of course Emily Fox-Seton is a second-youth single woman, pure and respectable. Working as a lady's assistant, she is content to live on her own, waiting to marry for love. This lack of slyness on her part (for lack of a better word) is really what makes this book miss a wonderful opportunity to make a statement: it's ok to be on your own, being able to work for a living and lead a self-contained life even if one is disowned by their family. We are not to see this - instead, Marchioness gives us an insight into the way of marriage procedures in Victorian age. No marrying for love if one (woman) is beyond their first youth and with insufficient financial means - she would have to make do with any solution proposed. If one is a man, however, every available girl with means will be paraded during a dinner occasion and careful sitting order in the table will ensure further arrangements...
Following a series of misunderstandings, Emily agrees to a marriage of convenience to a slightly elder, but polite and caring Lord James Vanderhurst, a widower who has to produce an heir if he is to maintain the family estate (even though I've read plenty of books on this, it still amazes me to see how inheritance rules were in Victorian time, so glad all this is over!)
Life in the countryside is fine for the couple, who enjoy each other's company in a peaceful and quiet manner. It would most probably also fit with the "lived happily ever after" of the romantic novels of that era. The author, however, tries her pen in a gothic experiment. I really appreciate her courage to go beyond an easy solution and instead show a darker side to an otherwise uneventful story plot. James feels obliged to go back to India and leaves Emily alone in the vast house...
Enter Captain Alec Osborne and his Indian wife. Alec is next in line to inherit the family estate and while he produces a letter from James asking him to look over Emily, something is not right. We are slowly introduced to a series of little incidents that aim at hurting and eventually do away with Emily (who is pregnant...). While the idea is "refreshing", its execution is little more than bearable. Yes, we are at a period in time where women were meant to be submissive and sub-par in almost everything, but I just can't buy that. Emily has taken care of herself in the real world for a fairly long time to be unaware of tricky situations around her. I'm not convinced by her inability to just show the door to her guests and seek support from the staff around her for protection. I'm also not in favour of having to rely on exotic India for all the different concoctions to end Emily's pregnacy and life - surely these are known to everyone in the world? It gives me the impression of a scapegoat - and yes, I know it was easier to keep unpleasant matters away from proper society and blame "outsiders" for all evil. Still, I can't feel sorry for poor Emily fighting for her life... because it's all too convenient and short-lived. A happy end completes the story and a pragmatic, yet loving and caring family life is restored.
With my modern-day eyes, I see the failings of a story that, to my mind, has plenty of potential. Still, I recognise the limitations of literature in that era - and for that I applaud Burnett for daring to stray from an all-too-sweet Cinderella story and introduce a dark element. I would even go as far as say that the story highlights how adversity can lurke around even the most cynical, down-to-earth relationship and show the true feelings we have for each other...
Following a series of misunderstandings, Emily agrees to a marriage of convenience to a slightly elder, but polite and caring Lord James Vanderhurst, a widower who has to produce an heir if he is to maintain the family estate (even though I've read plenty of books on this, it still amazes me to see how inheritance rules were in Victorian time, so glad all this is over!)
Life in the countryside is fine for the couple, who enjoy each other's company in a peaceful and quiet manner. It would most probably also fit with the "lived happily ever after" of the romantic novels of that era. The author, however, tries her pen in a gothic experiment. I really appreciate her courage to go beyond an easy solution and instead show a darker side to an otherwise uneventful story plot. James feels obliged to go back to India and leaves Emily alone in the vast house...
Enter Captain Alec Osborne and his Indian wife. Alec is next in line to inherit the family estate and while he produces a letter from James asking him to look over Emily, something is not right. We are slowly introduced to a series of little incidents that aim at hurting and eventually do away with Emily (who is pregnant...). While the idea is "refreshing", its execution is little more than bearable. Yes, we are at a period in time where women were meant to be submissive and sub-par in almost everything, but I just can't buy that. Emily has taken care of herself in the real world for a fairly long time to be unaware of tricky situations around her. I'm not convinced by her inability to just show the door to her guests and seek support from the staff around her for protection. I'm also not in favour of having to rely on exotic India for all the different concoctions to end Emily's pregnacy and life - surely these are known to everyone in the world? It gives me the impression of a scapegoat - and yes, I know it was easier to keep unpleasant matters away from proper society and blame "outsiders" for all evil. Still, I can't feel sorry for poor Emily fighting for her life... because it's all too convenient and short-lived. A happy end completes the story and a pragmatic, yet loving and caring family life is restored.
With my modern-day eyes, I see the failings of a story that, to my mind, has plenty of potential. Still, I recognise the limitations of literature in that era - and for that I applaud Burnett for daring to stray from an all-too-sweet Cinderella story and introduce a dark element. I would even go as far as say that the story highlights how adversity can lurke around even the most cynical, down-to-earth relationship and show the true feelings we have for each other...
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Project Gutenberg has published this book, together with its sequel under the title "Emily Fox-Seton: Being the Making of a Marchioness and The Methods of Lady Walderhurst". This is a great opportunity to gain access to numerous titles in the public domain. If, on the other hand, you prefer the paper version, I cannot recommend enough the Persephone edition (Persephone Press publishes neglected and out-of-print works of literature).
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