Thursday, May 31, 2007

The Fate of Lady's Maids

I've spent the past two weeks with the Brownings while reading Margaret Foster's Lady's Maid and now that I've finished the book, I feel the pangs of withdrawal. I keep waiting to traverse the rooms of Case Guidi, or learn of Mrs. Browning's disposition, or see Pen's frolics, and then it takes a while before I register that it is "all over."

Though I flipped the last page of this book only this morning, I still feel like there is more I'll come home to. The book was long, but I never found it tedious, which surprises me. It was an easy read, and nothing too convoluted or dense like other novels in the same genre that I've read recently. Forster centers the story around Lily Wilson, Mrs. Browning's maid, and so most of the story is told from her perspective. Not being an inquiring sort, or an intellectual, Lily Wilson's life revolves around caring for her own family and her mistress. Thus, the book chiefly, and rightly, deals with the concerns of a servant: we are given insight into the Barrett household, Mrs. Browning's illness and medications, the landscape of different places in England and Italy, and the carnal desires that drive all people, both the learned and the uneducated. In many ways this novel is a study of the 19th century, with a focus on class, especially with regard to that of the working poor.

The novel pays little attention to Mrs. Browning's poetry, or her role as an artist of her time. All we are told is that she is famous, and it ends there. Mrs. Browning also does not discuss her poems with Wilson, and I suppose this is expected as the latter was quite a simpleton compared to the former. But was this so? The novel does not offer easy answers. Lily Wilson, though uneducated, feels a lot more than she is given credit for. She is attuned to the suffering of others, especially that of her mistress, whom she adores. She is not immune to needing companionship and makes a few lasting friendships. She does have maternal feelings and does what is best, in her eyes, for her children. But above all else, she is loyal, and never wavers in her loyalty, even when she is no longer hired by the Brownings.

The fate of Lily speaks to the fate of all women of her class: where does the lady's maid stand in the social ladder? How intimate are her relationship with her employers? How can she continue to be loyal at the price of her family's suffering? Who is to provide for her if she became ill, and more importantly, if she had children?

All these questions point to the "woman question" that was vital to 19th century discourse: What are women to do when they have lost all? How could a single woman surivive if she is barred from advancing professionally like her male counterparts? To what extents would women be driven to stay out of the workhouse and what impact does this have on the rest of the society, let alone the women themselves?

Hortense, Lady Dedlocks's maid in Bleak House, is publicly dimissed by her mistress and struggles to find another suitable position. Unlike Rosa, her submissive rival maid, Hortense is aggressive and unabashed. She is loquacious about her position in life, stressing that she would have no where to go if she were unemployed. This aggression of hers, motivated by the depravity of her situation, does not win her any friends, unfortunately. Everyone rejects her, including Lady Dedlock, who hides behind the veil of her iciness. When Hortense' faith in Mr. Tulkinghorn fails, she takes matters into her own hands. While patience and righteousness might have saved her, or at least prolonged her life, her drastic action, committed out of despair, speeds her downfall.

But I ask: Is the judgement on Hortense fair?

Can a woman, who has lost her employment and is denied help, who is on the verge of entering the poorhouse, only to possibly starve or be exploited there, be expected to make sane decisions? Would it have been far better for Hortense to die than for Tulkinghorn, whose evil deeds wreck havoc on the lives of many more innocent people?

And more importantly, while we cannot esteem Hortense' temper, can we do the opposite for mute submission? Does Lily Wilson's endless sacrifice to her mistress trump over Hortense's efforts to escape poverty?

Who is the better woman?

6 comments:

Cristina said...

I love - love - LOVE Lady's Maid (and I adore Margaret Forster) and it's fantastic to have your insight on this book. Such a fascinating story. I know perfectly well what you mean at the beginning of your post.

I can't answer your questions, since I know nothing about Hortense's ordeal. In the Victorian Era servants and the lower clases had better be meek and obedient or else they were easily thrown out.

When I read Lady's Maid I sometimes got mad at Lily, and other times I pitied her immensely. It had mostly to do with her decisions - and the decisions of others - regarding her children.

Have you read Flush by Virginia Woolf? It's a 'biography' of EBB's spaniel, though it actually is so much more, as you can imagine. There's a note by VW where she mentions Lily Wilson and which might have been the source of inspiration for Margaret Forster.

Oh, and Margaret Forster has a bio on EBB. A proper one.

mysticgypsy said...

Hi Cristina,
I have heard of Flush and Foster's biography of EBB, and I might attempt to read them in the near future...perhaps once I get over Dickens' prolixity in Bleak House.

What would you recommend are the best books by Forster?
And is Woolfs' Flush in the style of her other novels, or is it more light-hearted?

Cristina said...

Are you enjoying Bleak House (the book)?

Oh, tricky question about Margaret Forster. I can't narrow it down more than this:

Diary of an Ordinary Woman
The Battle for Christabel
Shadow Baby
Hidden Lives (non-fiction)

Flush is apparently more lighthearted, though it's actually not. It depends on how you read it, of course, though it's different from her other books Knowing you I guess you'd draw some great conclusions out of it. But it's easy to read, and quite short. It has some funny passages and one of the most hilarious notes I have ever read :)

mysticgypsy said...

Hi Cristina,
Thanks for the recommendations. I'll give them a try :)

I am enjoying 'Bleak House' very much, and I don't mind its length. It isn't a dense read (perhaps because I've seen the film and know the plot well enough) and has many engaging characters. Dickens is so adept at taking you into all levels of Victorian society. It's quite a treat.

Have you read "The Waves" by Virginia Woolf? It is one of her best, and most experimental, works.

Cristina said...

You know, I've never been drawn to Dickens for some reason. I might after all suffer from that unfounded fear of thick books. I'll give him a try some time.

I haven't read The Waves YET. The book's not even on my bookshelf but I like a yearly (at least!) read of a work by VW and I think that's next. I like what you say about it.

mysticgypsy said...

Hi Cristina,
Dickens, while he has a lot of characters and sub-plots in each novel, makes for a surprisingly easy read most of the time. His characters tend to be more "types" than complicated, with a few exceptions, of course, and he does place a lot of emphasis on plot so it's relatively easy to follow.
A long book can be a good thing :), provided it claims your interest. It's like wishing the Brontes had written longer ones, if they couldn't produce more in numbers than they already have.