by Amy Levy
G. & L. Lorimer, The Photographic Studio
20B, Upper Baker Street
London
Presentation
Allison, Text and Context, January 31
Reading
Thursday, Jan 31: Chapters 1-6
Tuesday, Feb 5: Chapters 7-end
Commenting
1st comment on/by Jan 30
2nd comment on/by Feb 7
21 comments:
So far, I have really enjoyed reading Levy's novel (even if the people in Perkin's looked at me like I'd lost my mind last night while I was reading). The sisters in the novel remind me a bit of the sisters in Pride and Prejudice, except that it's a lot harder to keep their roles seperated. By that I mean that it's easy to remember that Elizabeth is the strong-willed, mouthy one from the just the first 20 pages of the Austen novel. However, even now that I've read the first six chapters of The Romance of a Shop, I'm having trouble remembering which personality belongs to which sister. They seem equally well defined, but Levy doesn't do as good a job as Austen at making sure all the dialogue from each of the characters reinforces her "role" among her sisters.
I also thought it was interesting to note that almost everybody in this novel found absolutely ridiculous the idea of these sisters supporting themselves through business. Now we would consider burdening your family members the least respectable thing to do, but then, or so it seems from both this novel and Pride and Prejudice, that it was almost offensive to refuse the offer.
I really like the themes of this novel. The four sisters represent a changing in society of women leaving the domestic, private sphere, usually occupied by women, and moving out into the public sphere and entering the work force. All of the sisters seem to have different desirable qualities in a woman of that time. Gertrude is the clever and creative one. Lucy is the kind, down to earth sister. Phyllis is the beauty. Frances is the typical domestic woman and is seen as the least desirable and almost useless in the sisters' pursuit of success in their photography business. Phyllis is also not very helpful. She is portrayed as very childlike because she is so spoiled, being the youngest and the most beautiful. She seems very frivolous and more taken by the temptations of the fashionable world than the other sisters. Aunt Caroline reminds me very much of Lady De Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice. Both of the women are wealthy and think themselves superior to people of lower incomes and believe that because of their higher ranking they should have authority over others over lower ranking. I like all of the variations between characters and the emerging "new woman" presented in this story.
I love the fact that these "orphaned" women are attempting to make a life for themselves by opening their own shop. So far, I am enjoying the novel more so than I thought I would. The women seem to each bring something to the story, maybe just a little something that the others are missing. I love the fact that they are sisters and are running the shop together and managing a home together. Not sure I could take quite that much of my own sister though and we are best friends! I am also finding it difficult like someone else mentioned to keep the sister's identities separate. Although this is not as true for Gertrude. She seems to be the one with strong head on her shoulders. I absolutely loved it when she says,"I hope nobody is afraid; but that everyone understands that this is no bed of roses we have prepared for ourselves." She understands that this is not going to be easy for them, most specifically because they are women, but she has faith that they can be successful. I don't know, we'll see....
So far I am enjoying this book. I have noticed that it is very easy to read and moves quickly. Not much action has gone on in the first six chapters, so it is hard for me to comment on them. I like that the girls decide that they don't want to be separated from each other and will therefore do what they have to in order to stay together. It is nice that they aren't taking the easy way out by going to live with family or whatever else.
The part where they have to photograph the dead woman is a little creepy. Also when one of the sisters comments on the Chamber of Horrors and then the footnote describes what it is...um, that's creepy/freaky too.
I like all the quotes that are at the beginning of each chapter and all the allusions Levy writes into the dialogue.
Also, I think the title is interesting. I don't really know why, I just like it.
-Elizabeth Bowman Phelps
While I can't say I'm eagerly turning pages, this novel is a pleasant read so far. Like EBP above, I, too, enjoy the appropriate quotes that begin each chapter - they give a little something extra to learn and think about. I've felt sorry for Fanny from the very beginning because she doesn't seem to fit in anywhere, or to be particularly good at anything. It's like she's stuck between the old and the new, and she’s also lacking talent and good looks. Most pitiable of all, she seems to be aware of her "uselessness". So I really liked it on page 57 when the author suddenly takes on a different tone after she mentions Phyllis’ inconsiderate attitude toward her half-sister (the relationship is another indication of Fanny's "straddling"), stating “which, by the by, neither she, nor I, nor you, reader, have authentic grounds for doing”. I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like that in a novel before, and I think it’s great.
A small statement on page 79 also caught my attention: Gertrude uses the phrase “you long-sighted people” in the same way in which deaf persons refer to “the hearing”, as if we are a different people entirely, which, in a way, maybe we are. I suppose this struck me personally because I’ve been near-sighted almost all my life and there are issues involved that a person who has only known “normal” vision would probably never think about. Besides, it’s just a cute joke.
I think the community here is a mostly realistic one. As usual, the bulk of the work and responsibility naturally falls to those most capable, and, more importantly, most willing, to carry it. For instance, of course it was Gertrude who had to go and photograph the dead woman. I don’t find anything particularly gruesome about the act of taking the pictures, but agree that it must be a horrible circumstance to face the freshly bereaved afterward, especially so soon after the death of someone she (presumably) loved, and the “death” of all the sisters’ previous hopes for their futures.
Lastly, I found it both amusing and true-to-life at the end of Ch. 5 when Phyllis says, “I don’t know what it matters about being good when you are as beautiful as all that”. I’m curious to find out what happens to these women.
I, too, am finding this a rather pleasant read. Although I don't find myself as eager to finish it as I was P&P, I am still interested to see where it is going. I, like many others have stated, love the quotes and poetry that open each chapter. They manage to put elegant words to a story made up of mostly plain language.
I, as a woman, find a lot of pride in this novel. I love the fact that these women, against all odds, have decided to stick together and try to manage their own business. It is so inspiring to see the emergence of such forward-looking females. As someone else stated, sometimes I get the girls confused and forget which girls play which roles, but I wonder if the main reason for that is because I see so much of Elizabeth in them all. They are all somewhat rebellious against their expected roles in society. Even Fanny, who is the most plain and traditional of the sisters, finds the courage to stand up to Aunt Caroline. These women inspire me with their relentless pursuit to stick together and make their own living. Listening to the description of the shop they purchased, which was basically vacant rooms with absolutely nothing in them, made me realize just how much they had to do on their own in order to pull the whole scheme off.
In the very beginning all I could feel was pity for these women. But now I am starting to really appreciate their individual spirits, talents, and determination. I am very interested to see what happens throughout the rest of the story to these women, and I wish them all the best of luck! :-P
I love everything about this novel so far, but of course I'm partial to everything that is Victorian! I love that each sister has her own idea about what the photography shop is to be and how successful it will be and what it means to them personally. I love that there are such contrasts in the "new woman" and the "conservative" woman. Levy really paints the picture of Victorian life and how times are still progressing (even more so than in Austen's time). I think she does this best through Aunt Caroline when she says, "It is a pity that none of you has married; girls don't seem to marry these days!"(64). This may be in Aunt Caroline's mouth instead of the author, but it certainly seems to be a comment about the way times are changing. I found it also funny that after Aunt Caroline announces this, in Chapter IV she changes her mind as to why the girls shouldn't open the shop. It was dangerous next instead of improper.
I like that the narrator has a direct, different voice. It takes me back to the days of Fielding, which is familiar to me. I'm very excited to keep reading and see what happens with the girls and the romance which is undoubtedly soon to appear.
So, I finished the novel yesterday afternoon....WOW is all I have to say!!! I loved this book! The last half of it reminded me of the sensation fiction that I did my master's thesis on, so I felt right at home. The definition of "romance" most certainly did change as the novel progressed along with the idea of what "happiness" was to Gertrude along with the other sisters. It no longer seemed that love was left to only profession and that was sufficient. Especially in the chapter before the last Gertrude certainly realizes that her cry for happiness is actually the woman's cry for love.
I think the criticism for this novel would be, if one is thinking it would be more progressive than it is, that the sisters "sell out" in a sense. They start off with an ideal to stick together in this community and work for a living only to end up relying on men and being like the rest of society in the end. It is much more controversial than Pride and Prejudice I think. But if you look at it in terms that it is suppose to be a "romance" then the reader got exactly what was expected. I think it is a lovely little story that is realistic. After all, Lucy does still have her own success at photography. And Gertrude does elude to still having interests in the literary world. I found this ending to be much more pleasing than Millennium Hall. After Phyllis's death, I think it would have been hard for Lucy and Gertrude to run things as usual around the studio. I think it is nice to have them all fall in love and find well-suited gentleman that encourage them. Yet, maybe I'm just an optimist!
This novel was much more enjoyable than I expected, and it certainly got better in the latter half.
Gertrude makes a valid point (p. 97) when she compares business relationships with those formed in a ballroom and brings out the senselessness of claiming to or assuming that you "know" a person just because you've been introduced, a comment on the nonsensical nature of some of the "niceties" of the time and on the freedoms that come with being "poor".
I'm afraid I had little sympathy for Phyllis. Not because of her "wanton" behavior, but because she lacked kindness and consideration of others, even those who sacrificed everything they could spare for her. I liked the idea of her as an "unfinished portrait", first as a lady and later as the unchaste Cressida. I thought it remarkably clever when she says to Gertrude "I am so much taller" (p. 173). She underlines the irrevocable changes she has voluntarily undergone and also reminds us how she hated wearing mourning (somehow I can't imagine her sincerely "mourning" anyone). The remark also made me think of the line "Taller far than a tall man" from Sappho, so I was amused later when Conny quoted the fictionalized Sappho. (I realize that was a total digression, but where else am I going to say it?) I enjoyed the allusions to "Jenny", but they don't really seem to fit Phyllis, since, usually, the literary prostitute is good-hearted and kind to others.
Gertrude and Darrell represent the old, old battle between Good and Evil - of course Good triumphs, but interestingly, in this case, only after Evil has left an indelible mark. The whole Phyllis/Gertrude/Watergate situation smacks a little too loudly of "Pride and Prejudice", but since there are really only about a dozen original plots in the world of literary fiction, I'll not hold it against Levy.
I was especially diverted by the philosophical paragraph on page 182 that begins, "It was no personal favor. . .". It carries the concept of "noblesse oblige" into the most basic of human interactions.
My heartiest congratulations go out to Fanny; I am glad Levy allowed her what would make her most happy - her ultimate reward for her "ladylike" conduct. I don't feel that the author was turning her back on progressivism or feminism by letting Lucy and Gertrude find happiness in marrying men who realized their worth and respected and appreciated them. The only thing I don't like about Gertrude's engagement scene is when Watergate calls her "poor child". She should have smacked him for that, but married him anyway after he solemnly promised never again to refer to or even think of her as a child. Nor do I blame Gertrude for not wishing her child to inherit her "literary tendencies" - the world offers few "places" for such people.
The vows that the women made in the beginning proved impossible to keep because they left no room for changing and growing - it was inevitable that they be abandoned; "a bad promise is better broken than kept" or something like that.
Lastly, is it just me or did anyone else think that Fred Devonshire was gay?
In response to Alice:
I did sympathesize with Phyllis. She wasn't particularly considerate to her sisters but that seemed to be part of her childlike character that was brought on by her being constantly spoiled by everyone around her.
Phyllis running off with Darrell definitely reminded me of Lydia running off with Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. Phyllis and Lydia seemed to have a lot in common with their inclinations to fashion and vanity, and being easily manipulated and spoiled.
I'm not sure I liked that all the sisters (remaining sisters) ended up getting married when I had thought one main theme was women living independly from men. But I like that Frank and Watergate seem to fully appreciate the strong women they married.
I never considered Fred being gay seeing as he proposed to Lucy, but thinking back on it, it does seem possible.
@ mysticalli88:
very good point about the other sisters' culpability in "creating" Phyllis' superficiality. Like parents who, from either natural love or contemptible conceit, train their children to be socially and (more importantly) ethically substandard because of the desire to believe that anything that springs from their (the parents') sacrosanct bodies is above reproach. And quite an "apropos" (as the women of this novel are fond of saying) comment about the similarity of Phyllis' and Darrell's characters.
oops, I meant Phyllis' and Lydia's characters! I hate that I can't edit my own comments on a blog! :)
I finished this book over the weekend and I loved it. It was a whole lot better than I expected it to be, so I was glad for that. Whenever I was reading the part where Frank comes back and is proposing to Lucy but tells her that he is going to Africa I thought to myself "and that's the last we will see of Frank." I was SO MAD! I just knew he was going to die. However, the surprise ending was indeed surprising and I was very happy for it.
Another thing that was bothering me (but was also fixed) was Gertrude's situation. It looked as if she was going to be alone in the end and that really bothered me. I really grew to like Gertrude's character (and I came to believe that the woman on the cover is meant to be Gertrude) and I wanted her to have a happy ending. Of course she did, and I was so happy with it! Her relationship with Lord Watergate is the best love story in the book in my opinion.
As I read these books I'm deciding if I will keep them for myself or sale them back to the store. I'll keep The Romance of a Shop.
-Elizabeth Bowman Phelps
Okay so I haven't read anyone else's comments because I still have about 20 pages left of the book to read. I am so surprised at how much I am starting to like this novel. Up until the last several pages I found it rather boring and monotonous, it just seemed like it was describing every minute detail of the girls' lives. But now I am starting to see the reasons the narrator has for including the stories she has. I can't wait to see what happens in the end of this novel.
I am very happy with the characters presented in this novel. In many ways I can see some of myself in them. I am happy that Fanny was able to settle and marry and fill her desired role in the world. I am also happy that Lucy found pleasure with Frank, and although now he is thought to have died in battle, the romantic in me wants to wish for his surprise return- so I guess I'll have to see.
I'm very anxious to finish this novel and find out how it all concludes, and I'm sure our discussions in class will help me to gain even more insight to the story (as they usually do)!
After completing this novel, I was left a little distressed. I am not as happy with the novel as I was with the first six chapters. Levy seems to have gone backwards with her depictions of these womens, with the exception of Fanny. Fanny's fate fits her character. She is traditional and her fate is traditional-except she doesn't have a child. Phyllis seems to be the fallen woman. She commits sexual sin and is punished for it. This is disturbing. I thought Levy would be more progressive with Phyllis, but I guess you can look at it from the angle we did in class and say that Phyllis' fate is deciding by her sisters not by Levy. In any case, Phyllis still has too many characteristics of the fallen woman to suit me. Gertrude makes a complete change. She also has the traditional ending: She gets married. I was very disappointed with this. Gertrude had the chance to be an example for women and make her own living and not need a man. But the end of the novel implies she did need a man to help her let go of the "mean and petty and bitter" things in life. Only when she is looking into Watergate's eyes does she feel life can be "good and great and beautiful." Having finished the novel, had it not been for the introduction, I do not believe I would have thought the idea of the "new woman" would have applied to this novel as much as the introduction has us believe. The typical happy ending ruined it for me.
I agree with Cindy and other about the ending. I enjoyed this book and the whole "sisters are doin' it for themselves" theme immensely until I saw the inevitable doom of marriage by the end. UGH! Why do so many women authors feel like they have to compromise women's indepence by have an ending that is compeletely condradictory to the themes of the novel? I hate when they cater to the status quo and refuse to challege cultural trends like marriage.
Needless to say, the ending totally negated all the good in the rest of the book for me. I think it's interesting though that one of the other blog posts says that Gertrude deserved a happy ending and this implied a married ending. And had she not gotten married it would have "bothered" her. The class seems divided on the ending. So I guess we all agree to disagree.
I totally understand what some are saying regarding their disappointment in seeing marriage as a "happy ending" for these women, but what should they do instead? Should they live without that kind of love and companionship forever, just to prove a point? Or should they all become lesbians? I think the important message at the end of this book is that Lucy & Gertrude, instead of "chasing" marriage - any "prudent" (meaning profitable) marriage - as was the norm of the time, are not convinced this is the right path until men who are worthy of them and let them be themselves come along. While I heartily object to the "my child" comment (see above), I don't feel we should restrict the sisters to permanent "single blessedness". Part of independence is saying "yes" when you want to.
I completely agree, Alice. I've heard it asked before, and I think maybe Dr. Cajka even mentioned it in class, but do the women in these novels (or you know, real-life women like me) need to stay single in order to remain "progressive"? Personally, I don't really think that seems necessary. To me, a good part of the feminist movement(s) focused on one thing: making sure no obstacle prevented women from exercising their natural rights and acheiving happiness. In this novel, Gerty and Lucy represent a very early model of this. Even though they initially began producing art out of necessity, they kept producing it because they found it fulfilling, despite any negative stereotypes still associated with it. They stepped outside the boundaries of what was expected of women in polite society because they had to, but in the end, it led them to happiness. I'm rambling, but my point is this: these women fell in love with their husbands. Marriage made them happy, and it would be ridiculous, in my eyes at least, to say that this made them "sell-outs".
I enjoyed reading the Romance of a Shop, but I still found the characters in Pride and Prejudice much more realistic even though the setting of time and social mores and class is foreign to us today.
I think Austen's sisters were making a transition in their lives within a social structure which was absolutely unyielding. The Lorimer sisters were beginning a transition of women who ended with traditional marriages, but also were at the beginning of a social structure where women could have a balance of home life with a working life.
I thought Levy's novel was much more serious in tone, even ponderous, than Austen's. Although both Austen and Levy were possibly writing about life the way they thought it SHOULD be, Austen dealt with her characters with such a wry sense of humor and compassion that I felt I have known some of them even here in the mountains of TN. I also thought Levy's characters were much more melodramatic, and therefore less lifelike.
About the comment on the pictures of the dead: It is a little creepy to us today, but if you ever have a chance, go to the Kutztown Folk Festival held every July in Kutztown, PA. They have many beautiful and expensive crafts made by the PA Dutch and the Amish, but they also have a whole booth devoted to burial practices of that era. They have many photographs and caskets and a lot of decorative framed arrangements of intricate designs woven from the hair of the dead.
It breaks your heart to think that those may have been the only mementos of a loved one.
I made the comment in class about Amy Levy's Jewish background. I would love to read the story of her life. Although her book was applicable to "every woman", I know she must have had some uncomfortable experiences not only as a woman in that era, but also a Jew.
While I found the first few chapters to drag on for quite a while and have too much detail, The Romance of a Shop made up for it in the end. I really liked the concept of the sisters coming together and taking on the challenges of society. While reading I often wondered if I would be able to do the things they did in order to succeed. For example, I don't think I would have been able to take pictures of the dead.
In class some expressed disappointment in the ending of The Romance of a Shop. While I didn't like the way the ending was worded, I was happy that Gerty was able to find love. I don't think that choosing to be alone would have made her more of a role model to women.
I agree with Jeana, I also would like to know more about Amy Levy's life. Knowing how her life ended adds a twist to the "happy ending" of The Romance of a Shop.
-Rachel Layer
Post a Comment