Download
1 / 16
160 likes | 319 Vues
George Egerton's short story "Wedlock," published in 1894, offers a poignant examination of marriage's impact on women, set against the backdrop of the Victorian era. Through the character of Susan Jones, the narrative explores themes of unfulfilled promises, emotional turmoil, and societal constraints. Egerton, a voice for the "New Woman," unveils the deep-seated criticisms of marriage and class roles, revealing how such bonds can lead to destructive consequences. This tragic tale remains significant in feminist literature for its exploration of gender and social class.
E N D
Understanding ‘GeorgeEgerton’s’ "Wedlock" A tragic short story written in Feminism’s earliest years
Contents • BiographyBiography (contd.1) • Egerton’s Works • Historical Context • “Wedlock” • PlotPlot (contd.1) Plot (contd.2) • Themes and IdeasTI1TI2TI3TI4 • Importance to Feminist Literature
Biography of ‘George Egerton’ • Mary Chevalita Bright: nomme-de-plume of George Egerton • 1860-1945 • Intended to be an artist; finances prevented schooling • Traveled extensively in youth • Chose to write
Biography (contd.) • Married three times: 1888: H.H.W. Melville; 1891: Egerton Clairmonte; 1901: Reginald Golding Bright • Labeled the voice of the “advanced” New Woman of the Victorian Period • Considered controversial writer and “erotomaniac” • More information on ‘George Egerton’
Egerton’s Works • Keynotes: 1893 • Discords: 1894 • Symphonies: 1897 • Fantasies: 1898 • Wheel of God: 1898 • Rosa Arorosa: 1901 • Files in Amber: 1905 • His Wife’s Family: 1908 • The Backsliders: 1910 • Camilla states her Case: 1925
Historical Context • Victorian period, rising theory of “New Woman” • Darwin’s Origin of Species, 1859 • Struggle for woman’s suffrage • Reign of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert • British empire expanding rapidly
“Wedlock” • Printed in Discords in 1894 • Known for its “trenchant pathos” • Read “Wedlock”
Plot • Setting: English suburb, site of new residential development • Family: Mr. & Mrs. Susan Jones and Mr. Jones’ three children from previous marriage • Mrs. Jones has child who, because of misfortunate circumstances, lives with her sister • Mrs. Jones struggles with alcoholism
Plot (contd.) • Mr. Jones has promised Susan to get her child, if she agreed to marry • They married; he failed to keep his promise • Wife embittered • Her daughter became deathly ill • Husband purposely intercepted correspondence telling of child’s sickness
Plot (contd.) • Wife finds hidden letter • Rushes to child, who has recently died • After attending the funeral, she rushes home • Kills Mr. Jones’ three children
Themes and Ideas • Title • Character of female writer • Significance of setting and introduction • Purpose of woman’s actions
Title • “Wed” + “lock” • Bond of marriage • Abuses of bond • The unfulfilled promises of the “lock” • The influences of the poor marriage on the woman’s alcoholism
Character of Female Writer • Epitome of feminist, “New Woman”? • Significance of Susan Jones’ life as “material • The impact of class on the relationship between Susan Jones and the woman writer • The writer’s insensitive apathy
Setting and Introduction • Poorer suburb: employment of slang English • A new development settled by old ruins • The intelligence of workers: alcoholism can be hereditary • The relationship, because of setting, between woman and writer
Woman’s Actions • Why kill children? Why not kill husband? • The hierarchy of control • The disassociation with motherhood
Importance to Feminist Literature • Dissected both class and gender • Reveals possible inadequacies of the Feminist movement • Discusses the bondage of a bad marriage on both partners-- its destructiveness
