12.1. Brontes, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy.

In order to understand the works of the next English novelists, some words should be said about the Victorian Age. Victoria, daughter of the Duke of Kent, one of the sons of George III, succeeded her uncle, William IV, in 1837 when she was a girl of 18. She died in 1901 a fabulous old lady, having celebrated Jubilee in 1887 after 50 years on the throne, and then her Diamond Jubilee in 1897, after 60 years as a sovereign. Queen Victoria was extremely popular in the opening years of her reign and during her marriage to Prince – Consort, Albert, a minor German Prince. But after Albert’s early death, the Queen remained in morning for years, and virtually retired from public life. But the two Jubilees, her return to public life, and the great courage and character of the little old lady brought Victoria’s to a close in a blaze of popularity.

The Victorian Englishman felt himself to be “on the top of the world”. Compared with men of today, he was self-confident and very energetic. He was ready to sweep aside all obstacles, to understand anything anywhere. Wherever he went, he felt benefits must follow him. He never doubted that he was the representative of progress and civilization. Everything with Britain serving as a shining example, is surely, if slowly, getting better and better, the world had only to be sensible to assure itself forever of peace, prosperity and progress – this is the typical Victorian outlook, the Victorian spirit.

The chief Victorian Novelists were also social critics, and did not hesitate to show much of the contemporary society in a very unfavourable light.

Apart from the common protest against Victorian complacency and hypocracy, the major writers of the Victorian age have very little in common. We have seen how the 18^th century writers, especially in the early years of the century, famed a compact group which shared the same outlook and held the same values. And later, the Romantics, though by no means a compact group, were at least members of the same general literary movement. But now, in the Victorian Age, writers do not seem to be moving together in any particular direction. The major Victorian writers cannot be viewed as a literary group; they are only individualistic almost to the point of eccentricity. At the same time the Victorian reading public as a whole had certain tastes which writers respected on neglected according to their desire for popularity. The middle class Victorians, who made up the bulk of the reading public, had a very definite liking for what they called “family” literature. There was a good deal of reading aloud in the evenings, and even when the custom was not observed parents preferred books that could be read and enjoyed by all the family.

In this regard we should turn to Yorkshire where a girl, Charlotte Bronte was brought up in poor surroundings. As a result of a stay in Brussels, she wrote “The Professor” (written in 1846 and published in 1857), which describes events in the life of a schoolmaster in that city. Villette uses the same material; it reflects the personal experiences of the writer when she was in Brussels, without beauty or money, the heroine becomes a teacher and wins respect by her fine character.

Her finest novel “Jane Eyre” also describes the life of a poor and unbeautiful girl who is brought up by a cruel aunt and sent to a miserable school. After that she goes to teach the daughter of Mr. Rochester at Thornfield Hall. Although she is not beautiful, Rochester falls in love with her, but when she discovers that his mad wife is still alive, she runs away. Later the Hall is burnt down and the mad wife is killed. In trying to save her, Rochester is blinded and loses all hope of happiness. On hearing all this, Jane marries him and so is able to bring comfort into the remaining part of his life.

The book was very successful, although the heroine was neither beautiful nor rich. It is an honest description of strong feelings at a same time when some feelings expressed in books were shallow. The power of the writing made it sell fast, and in an few months two more editions were printed.

Charlotte’s sister, Emily Bronte, wrote one of the greatest of English novels, “Wuthering Height’s”. The passionate Heathcliff falls in love with Catherine Earnshaw, but he hears her say that she could never marry such a low sort of creature, and so he leaves the house. Three years later, when he returns, he finds that Catherine has merried Edgar Linton, a man of weak character. Yeathcliff then begins a life of cruelty and revenge. Catherine dies, and Heathcliff marries Edgar’s sister, and threats her very badly. The novel has been compared to Shakespear’s “King Lear”, chiefly because of its immense and uncontrollable passions. In the opinion of some critics, no woman couldn’t have written all the plays of Shakespeare!

Another woman novelist, known as George Eliot, writes books than this. her real name was Mary Ann Evans. She lived abroad in Europe from 1854-1878 and married J. W. Cross a short time before her death. Some of her early stories were collected under the title “Scenes from Clerical Life” and her first novel “Adam Bede” which was influenced by memories of her childhood. She showed at once that she could draw character and describe scenes with great skill, and that she had pity and humour. “Middlemarch” appeared in 1871-1872and “Daniel Deronda” in 1876. To say which is her finest novel is not easy, but probably it is “Adam Bede” or “Middlemarch”. This latter novel is set in a provincial town where Dorothea Brooke, a girl of noble qualities, marries old Mr. Casaubon, but the marriage is a failure. There is another plot, in which young Dr. Lydgate marries the beautiful but rather ordinary Rosamond Vincy.

In the novels of Thomas Gardy nature plays an important part; indeed Nature is herself a character. Hardy’s scenes are set in Wessex (the country of Dorset), among trees, farms, fields, and low hills. Hardy believed that the past has built up a mass of conditions which remain to influence people’s lives; and he also thought that being chance has a very important effect. The best way of life is therefore to accept calmly the blows of fate. His novels spread over the years 1870-96 are mostly pictures of human beings struggling against fate or chance.

Far from the Madding Crowd is the story of patient love on one side, and selfish passion on the other. Gabril Oak, a shepherd loves Bathsheba Everdene with a true heart and serves her faithfully for many years; but sergeant Try, an attractive but cruel soldier, marries her and treats her badly. He is murdered by an angry farmer, and after many troubles Bathsheba marries Oak. Another sad story affairs and jealousy is the Return of the Native. “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” is a tale of a poor girl, Tess Durbeyfield whose misfortunes are so great that in the end she murders a man and is hanged. Her poor father’s life is upset when he learns that he is descended from an ancient family, the D’Urbervilles. Tess is wrongly treated by Alec d’Urberville, whose family do not have a clear right to their name. Misfortune follows Tess through her life and she dies only when fate has lost interest in her.

Hardy’s last novel, “Jude the obscure” is extremely miserable. Jude is a poor stone-worker, who wants to educate himself; but though he has a fine spirit he has little control of his passions and he doesn’t learn much. Fate is against him. His marriage is a failure, and he falls in love with a clever teacher. Sorrow follows their life together; their children die; then Jude begins to drink and dies unhappy.