The Victorian Winter

Without further ado, here are my reading plans for the so-called 'Victorian Winter': three delicious piles, judiciously selected from twice as many possibilities.  Of course, my preferences are likely to change half-a-dozen times before Spring and, hopefully, I'll read more than I've chosen, but these are my intentions.  If only I had a blanketing of snow and an open fire to go with them, but alas I'll have to make do with this mild autumnal Monday.

It took me the longest time to choose which poetry and fiction I would read. I didn't want to overburden myself with long, involved novels, so much so that I would loose out on all the great non-fictional possibilities.  Nor did I want to weight the selection too much towards certain authors or certain types of fiction, or authors I have read and loved before.  In the end of I chose fours novels and two poetry collections, fancying that this would be a manageable agenda. I now realise that they all come from a relatively limited period in the mid-nineteenth century but so be it:

1. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1860-1):  This was one of the first ever 'classic' novels I tried to read. I was just turned 12 and had devoured most of Austen, but failed miserably with Dickens. I just couldn't get into the rhythm and have been put off ever since.  But I read A Christmas Carol last December and loved it, so I think its time to give the great man another go.  I'll also be interested as to whether reading this will enhance my waning appreciation of Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip. [read December 2007]
2. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (1859): I bought this immediately after reading Lady Audley's Secret and discovering the world of the Victorian 'sensation novel', of which Collins is often considered the father.  My eagerness to read it was later reinforced at work: I happened to mention it one breaktime and half a dozen of my colleagues erupted in an animated, enthusiastic conversation about it.  I take it as a good sign that they all liked it - I work with lots of avid readers, but they hardly ever agree on what is good or bad. [read January 2008]
3. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell (1848) : This had to fight very hard for its place on the pile.  At one point I had Ruth on instead because it sounds such an interestingly controversial book (tis about an unmarried mother taken in by a clergyman and his wife).  But then I changed my mind, a) because I have had my copy of Mary Barton for much longer, and b) I thought it would be nice to read Gaskell's first novel.  I love that she is an industrial novelist, concerned with the plight and poverty of the burgeoning urban centres of the north of England and particularly Manchester. I will be interested to see how it compares to North and South.
4. Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope (1864-65) - I had no idea which Trollope novel to read first. His ouevre is so confusingly large, with what seem like several series of linked novels. I went with this one for no better reasons than because it appeared to be the first of the 'Palliser novels', and because it had a female protagonist, Alice Vavasour.  I now learn that it has been satirised for its length (Stephen King quipped it should be called Can You Possibly Finish It?) and for Alice's unbearable vacillations on the point of marriage (Punch renamed it Can You Stand Her?).  So maybe I made the wrong choice... Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to trying a novelist about which I know almost nothing.
5. The Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1856-85) : I'm cheating a little here since, technically, I've read the Idylls before. Several years ago I sped read them for half a class on Victorian Medievalism, the other half of which was devoted to the writings of Carlyle and Ruskin, but what I remember (apart from that I enjoyed them) is negligible.  They form a cycle of twelve linked, but not consequetive, narrative poems retelling the Arthurian legend (based primarily on the events in Malory).
6. Poems and Ballads (1866) and Atalanta in Calydon (1865) by Algernon Charles Swinburne : I considered lots of other Victorian poets - Christina Rossetti, Matthew Arnold, George Manley Hopkins and William Morris not least amongst them - before I settled on Swinburne.  In the end I choose him because he was highly controversial in his day for his thematic content: lesbianism, sado-maschocism, irreligion and the eroticisation of death. I'm most familiar with Dolores ('Lady of Pain'), which certainly embodies all of these themes, and which I very much like.

The non-fiction pile was easier to whittle down since I seemed to have a (not entirely unexpected) preponderence of literary biographies and thought it unwise to bog myself down in, say, a life of Trollope or Dickens when I haven't even read their novels yet.  Thus:

1. George Eliot: The Last Victorian by Kathryn Hughes  -  My one concession to literary biography because I find Eliot fascinating and because I couldn't fit one of her novels into the fiction section.  Although it wasn't until I took the photograph that I realised this meant I had two biographies by Kathryn Hughes in the pile...
2. The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton by Kathryn Hughes  -  I'm bemused by the phenomena that is Mrs Beeton - the way her name has become synonymous with a certain kind of English cooking, completely obscuring the woman herself.  I also thought this was a nice nod to Victorian home life since I had no room left for a social history tome. (I decided against one, having read A.N. Wilson's The Victorians earlier this year.) [read December 2007]
3. Empire Writing: An Anthology of Colonial Literature, 1870-1918, ed. Elleke Boehmer  -  I know this takes me slightly beyond my 19th century remit, but I thought it was really important to have some writing about colonialism and from the colonies.  After all, the idea of Empire was hugely formative for the Victorians, particularly for their conceptions of manhood, spirituality and race. This selection seemed perfect and came recommended by Esther. 
4. A Circle of Sisters: Alice Kipling, Georgiana Burne-Jones, Agnes Poynter and Louisa Baldwin by Judith Flanders  -  This is my rather circuitous way of approaching the Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts movements (kind of). It is a biography of the four Macdonald sisters, daughters of a Methodist preacher, all of whom married extremely well: Georgiana and Agnes to famous painters, and Louisa and Alice to men of some importance (although they later became better known as the fathers of Rudyard Kipling and Stanley Baldwin). I'm hoping that it will shine a light on the wider community of which they were a part.
5. Essential Writings by Ralph Waldo Emerson  -  I'm not sure if this is a cheat or not.  Emerson was not a Victorian - in the sense that he was an American - but he did live in the 19th century and so I'm sneaking him in, entirely inspired by Stephanie's weekly posts on his essays.  No doubt I won't read every since page of this gargantuan anthology but I mean to take a substantial sample. [reading Dec-Jan 07/08]
6. Praeterita by John Ruskin  -  Ruskin is one of my favourite Victorians and I find his writing on art, architecture and industry very inspiring, although I have only read it in bits and pieces.  This is his unfinished autobiography, begun in 1885 and written spasmodically, during his more lucid intervals (he had dementia), until he died in 1901.  It is an account, mostly, of his childhood and youth, as well as his travels through Europe and his friendship with the painter J.M.W Turner.  The Everyman edition also contains Ruskin's own selection of letters and journal entries for public consumption.

You may (probably) add to the above Rosemary Hill's book, God's Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain [read Dec-Jan 2007/8], which has recently been shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.  It is one of those large expensive hardbacks that I can never afford but York Library has (once again) come to my aid in a time of need: I have a copy on hold.

And, finally:

I limited myself to three contemporary novels set in the Victorian period, although I was sorely tempted by others.  The D.J. Taylor I have been meaning to read for ages - since it first came out in fact; I have had it booked out from the library for nearly 6 months in anticipation.  I promise myself that I will get round to it sometime in November.  The same could be said of Affinity by Sarah Waters [read December 2007].  I have had a copy lurking about for years, waiting for the perfect moment to be read, and now is most certainly the time. (Serendipitously, it is also the book for November's Lesbian Reading Group.)  Last, but not least, there is that massive tome, This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson, a novel so sexy in dimensions I have to take it down from the shelf and stroke it at intervals.  It is the perfect weight and width; it has the most decadent 'book' smell. The premise doesn't sound half bad either, being a narrative built on Darwin's first voyage on the Beagle and his friendship with its captain, Robert FitzRoy.

So, 15 books in total.  I don't rate my chances of finishing all of them by spring, but my intentions are good. What do you think of the selection?

~~Victoria~~

Comments

[Dorothy W.]

Oh, I think your selections are lovely. I've only read the first two, the Dickens and the Collins, so I'll be learning a lot from your posts.

[Lisa the Librarian]

It seems we have very similar reading tastes. I absolutely loved Mary Barton. I don't think you'll be disappointed in this one. I also have The Woman in White on my list to read in the near future. I just bought Mrs. Beeton for our library after watching a PBS broadcast based on her life. She was a fascinating person. Happy Reading!

[tara]

I love Victorian, all the types you have represented here and do look forward to your reviews.

[tara]

I mean to say Victorian literature. oops!

[Caroline]

What a great selection! As a huge fan of Victorian fiction, and an avid reader of your blog, I'll be very interested to read your reviews. I hope you might tempt me to branch out into some Victorian non-fiction and poetry, too!
I love all the authors in your fiction section, but especially Trollope, and I think Can You Forgive Her? is one of his best (and also the start to his best series, IMHO), so I hope you won't be put off by the negative comments and the length. Having said that, I only finished it the third time I tried it! (Although since then I must have read close to 20 of his novels.) Perhaps he's an acquired taste?
The Mrs. Beeton biography was fascinating - and I only read it because I enjoyed Kathryn Hughes' George Eliot so much. It is a really great look at the lives of middle-class Victorian women, as well as the interesting life story of a woman who is quite different from her image.
And finally (sorry for the incredibly long comment, but I get so enthused I can't help myself), I'm sure you'll enjoy Affinity - it's my personal favourite of all Waters' great novels, and I'll be eagerly awaiting your verdict on Kept - I've been wondering whether or not to read it for a long time. Happy reading!

[Kirsty]

Ooh ooh ooh! The Woman in White, yes! I'm reading it at the moment for the MA I'm doing in Victorian Studies, and it's *fantastic*. Also, Affinity is glorious. Enjoy! Sounds like a marvellous winter's reading.

[Sandra]

My mouth is watering just looking at those marvellous choices! I have read all four of the Victorian novels you've chosen and every one of them is a stunner. Kept is really marvellous as well.

I'm amused to see how many of the rest of your choices I own as well but haven't yet read. I hadn't been planning to join any more reading challenges but oh, your post is severely tempting. The Victorian period is one of my favourites. Now I'm going to have to agonise all day over whether to join in as well!

[Fay Sheco]

Vic, I may follow your lead on Tennyson. This book has been on my shelf forever, and it has reached the now-or-never point.

I'll be curious to hear what you have to say about the Trollope. Henry James, when a young lion nipping at the heels of the established writer, said of _Can You Forgive Her?_ that he "could forget her, too, for that matter." He was wrong about the book, I think, but we'll see what you think of it.

[Litlove]

ooooohh wonderful selections! I have A Circle of Sisters that I've been meaning to read for ages so I might read along with you. Ditto for Sarah Waters' Affinity, which looks fantastic.

[Marianne]

My mouth is watering looking at all those lovely lovely books.

If you get a yen for a little more contemporary Victorian novel indulgence, Elizabeth Hand's Mortal Love is brilliant and yummy.

[Danielle]

Wonderful selection! Wasn't there are proper challenge being planned for this? If not, do you mind if I join you in spirit? I am in the mood for some Victorian Lit--this is the perfect time of year for it! The Woman in White is one of my favorite books, and I read and thoroughly enjoyed the DJ Taylor--a very convincing pastiche. I'd like to read Affinity, too! I'll have to think about which books to choose now...

[elaine]

Great selection and right up my street and feel very tempted to start the same thing, but I have designated this winter time to read all my biographies that are piling up in a corner so must resist.

Great Expectations not my favourite Dickens, wonderful thought it is, not very keen on the characters of Pip and Estella but Joe gargery is a wonderful creation.

The Woman in White I have never read and I simply MUST

Can you Forgive Her? - well, Alice is annoying but she suffers for her inability to make up her mind though at times you long to shake her. The Palliser novels of Trollope are magnificent - no other word will do!

[Stefanie]

I'm so behind on my blog reading. The Essential Emerson is good. It's what got me started on reading everything he wrote. I hope you enjoy it. I look forward to hearing what you think!

[Kaite]

That sounds like the most delicious idea ever, and I think I shall do that this winter...

I try to re-read 'The Woman in White' at least once a year, since it's quite possibly my favourite book in the whole universe, and it still has me guessing over some plot point or another every time.

[DrMama]

Dear Victoria, If you want a change from Kathryn Hughes, especially if you want a more informed discussion of George Eliot's writing (see Barbara Hardy's review of the Hughes in the 2000 edition, no 31, of 'The George Eliot Review'), then try Rosemary Ashton's 'George Eliot: A Life' pub. Hamish Hamilton 1996.