I've read quite a few things recently, yet somehow being home for the summer has made me less likely to write about them. This review of Gaskell's novel is not very well thought out because I'm still trying to define what I'm trying to think about. You hear a lot about "biblical manhood." Groups like Promise Keepers and movies like Courageous have helped bring that to the forefront of church culture. But what about biblical womanhood? Victorian literature (at least the literature written by women) wrestles a great deal with what a woman should be like, where is her place, what are her virtues. So, here's some thoughts on that...
Wives and Daughters was Elizabeth Gaskell's final novel. She died before finishing the last few chapters. A few years back, BBC did a lovely miniseries of it which helped bring back some of Gaskell's popularity (though not enough in my opinion).
I watched the miniseries before reading the book. And while I enjoyed the miniseries as a lovely Cinderella romance, the depth of the characters was lost to me until I found the book in print.
Molly Gibson, raised by a widowed father is disappointed to find her father has chosen to remarry. He does so with Molly's best interest in mind, to protect her and guide her into womanhood. The irony of this decision is that his new wife and her daughter are the cause of scandal and gossip that later revolves around poor innocent Molly.
Molly's step-mother is manipulative. Her speeches can be almost nauseating to read. But part of this is because it is so easy to see this in myself at times. "If I say this they will respond like that and then I can say this and get my way." Over and over again she portrays her selfishness as self-sacrifice.
Molly's step-sister Cynthia is a flirt. She craves admiration and attention. She does truly love Molly, as much as she truly loves anyone. She seems to feel things less deeply. And yet, the fascinating thing about Gaskell's portrayal of her is that you don't dislike her. She wants love. She just doesn't know how to love. And this is largely due to her mother's relationship with her. Mrs. Gibson always seemed to find her daughter an inconvenience. Cynthia's mother even seems to be jealous of her own daughter's beauty because it draws attention away from herself.
And contrasting these two women is good little Molly. Loving. Constant. Forgiving. Selfless.
What does biblical womanhood look like? Perhaps Gaskell gives an opportunity to look at that question by exploring its opposites. I believe God created women with a talent to see emotional needs. If so, then that also enables women to be more emotionally manipulative. If you can see what people need, you can use it against them. I also believe that God created women to want to be loved. But unredeemed, that can result in a desire for attention and nothing more.
Was Gaskell thinking of these things when she created these characters? Perhaps she was just trying to create good foils for Molly. But the truth is there.
I feel that many would read this novel and merely see Victorian attitudes towards women in it. I've barely scratched the surface of what I want to articulate about this issue. I also recently finished Charlotte Bronte's Shirley and was struck with the power of those two main characters and their friendship. Feminine friendship is still a novel idea. Just look at any TV show with a largely female cast. There are always rumors of jealous and gossip and backbiting. Why? Is that what broken womanhood looks like?
Again, I'm just sort of thinking through these things. I am trying to explore what the Bible defines as redeemed womanhood. Victorian literature seems to be giving me a lot to think about in this regards.
If you have any thoughts on redeemed or broken womanhood, I'd love to hear them.
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