Welcome to my first ever “Curl up with…” post. My first topic is something that is very dear to my heart – the Victorians.
Who are the Victorians?
Ah, that crinoline-clad lot who graced most of the 19th century and introduced us to the telephone, photography, coca cola, postage stamps, the electric light bulb, underground trains and gramophones. But more importantly (to me, anyway) is they are responsible for some of the greatest literature ever written. Under the rule of the mighty Queen Victoria from 1827 to 1901, beautiful and timeless novels were written by the likes of Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Thomas Hardy and Wilkie Collins to name but a few.
Why do I love the Victorians so much?
Interestingly, I didn’t until about a year ago. Yes, I had read a couple of Victorian books in school when we had studied them, but other than that I had little desire to delve any further into this world, imagining nothing but hard work and dryness. How utterly wrong I was! A couple of members of one of the groups I am in on Goodreads picked up Jane Eyre just over a year ago and started a discussion between themselves (interestingly they were the two friends who stayed with me only two weeks ago and I took them to Haworth to see the Bronte Village). I watched their conversation develop with interest and more than a mild dose of curiosity: these two friends were not massive classics readers either but yet they were using words like beautiful and fun. On a whim, I grabbed the tanned-paged copy that had been on my shelf for several years and flipped open to the first page. This was all it took! Page one of Jane Eyre is where I fell head over heels in love with the Victorians and I have never looked back.
What is my favourite Victorian book?
Jane Eyre. It has to be – this is where my love affair started. I was drawn so completely into that world and that place that it shot straight in at number 1 of my all-time favourite books. I read Villette, also by Charlotte Bronte, very quickly afterwards and my hero worship of this genius was sealed. I don’t want to dwell too much on the Bronte’s right now as I will be doing a separate Curl up with… about them in the future (I have too much to say).
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Which book surprised me the most?
Possibly East Lynne by Ellen Wood which I read only a few weeks ago. It’s not one of the well known Victorian classics but I was drawn to the cover and picked it up. I was expecting a nice read, with it not being so well known, but what I got was a GREAT read! What a fabulous romp through a 19th century English village, complete with adultery, murder, faked death, disguises and revenge. Brilliant!
East Lynne by Ellen Wood
Which book would I recommend for a beginner to Victorian literature?
There are so many! I remember being really surprised at how easy and accessible these books were when for years I had imagined dry and dusty. For a complete beginner then something like Lady Audley’s Secret is such good fun you can’t fail to love it. This is classed as one of the first sensation novels ever to be written and it’s full of swishing curtain and “DUN DUN DUNNNN” moments that are (in this day and age) really funny.
Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
What about something a bit grittier?
Anne Bronte’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a book that made me sit up and think. This is the book that her sister Charlotte wanted to burn as it was too scandalous. The book is way ahead of its time in terms of feminism, and it is also a really good read. Charles Dickens is one author that I haven’t spent nearly enough time on yet, having only read (and loved) two of his books. His books are pretty gritty in terms of plenty of questionable characters and they centre more around the working classes than the aristocracy of some other books.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hally by Anne Bronte
What is my favourite Victorian lit genre?
It has to be the sensation novels. I just LOVE them. They have me turning the pages, and making me laugh (maybe in places I’m not meant to laugh, but that’s part of the appeal for me – such melodrama!). I can highly recommend The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins as well as the two I have mentioned above.
Where did my new-found love of Victorian literature take me?
Not long after I read my first few Victorian books I set up my own group on Goodreads.com called Victorians! (funnily enough). A year later we have almost 700 members, I have another fabulous (and life-saving) moderator, Paula, to help me run the group. We discuss all things Victorian and we nominate and vote on monthly reads where we then have group discussions. It’s a lovely group and I’m really proud of how the group has grown and lovely the members who participate are. If you want to check us out, here is the link. We’d love to see you around.
Introducing the Victorian Geek
Please welcome the Victorian Geek! I found Catherine’s blog a month or so ago and I have been reading it ever since – it’s fantastic. Catherine is a Victorian scholar and really knows her stuff. She also has another website that is dedicated to making neglected 19th century novels available to the modern public. I asked her if she would like to guest blog on my Curl up with…The Victorians post and here is what she had to say:
Boof: Which book would you recommend for someone who hasn’t read any (or has read very little) Victorian literature to give them a taste for the genre and why?
Victorian Geek: That’s an interesting question. I actually asked it of the VICTORIA listserv last year and it was hotly debated. The results are on my blog although they’re certainly not conclusive. Many neophytes are simply overfaced by the sheer size of many Victorian novels (the three decker format is a menace, in many respects). Also, it rather depends on the genres to which the prospective reader is normally drawn.
My general recommendation would be Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’, as there is a strong plot and a powerful evocation of the Dorset landscape.
Boof: Which is your favourite Victorian book and author?
Victorian Geek: Well, there are so many Victorian novels I’ve loved, and for many different reasons. The one I hold in the greatest affection is Mrs Henry Wood’s ‘East Lynne’. I first read it about 12 years ago and it inspired my love of sensation fiction.
The greatest Victorian novel, in my opinion, is Sarah Grand’s ‘The Beth Book’: it’s clever, witty, moving, and compelling – everything I would look for in a book.
My favourite author would have to be Florence Marryat. Not because she’s a great writer (she certainly isn’t), but because much of her work is so engaging and her themes so varied. Fingers crossed this enthusiasm endures through the next three years of writing my doctoral thesis on her!
Boof: Which, out of the Victorian books that you have discovered during your studies that is currently out of print and really shouldn’t be?
Victorian Geek: Ah, there any many that have been unjustly neglected. I have managed to resurrect a few through Victorian Secrets, my tiny publishing house, and Valancourt Books (www.valancourtbooks.com) are doing brilliant work in this area, bringing us novels by Eliza Lynn Linton, Sarah Grand and Mary Cholmondeley.
I’d very much like to see new critical editions of ‘The Beth Book’, ‘The Heavenly Twins’ and Mary Cholmondeley’s ‘Red Pottage’. Pickering and Chatto are publishing a scholarly edition of the latter, but it will be a prohibitively expensive hardback.
Boof: What is it about the Victorians that fascinated you so much?
Victorian Geek: I was struck by the fact that they are chronologically so close to us, yet often referred to almost as an entirely different breed. I started out with many questions (some of which I’ve answered) and have accumulated more along the way. The term “Victorian” is often used pejoratively to refer to a particular mindset and I feel duty-bound to protect them and elevate their image. Of course, the Victorians did much that was bad and wrong (I could never forgive their imperialism, for example), but they also made many advances in science, welfare and the arts. Many Victorian women writers are truly inspirational, and they have created my insatiable thirst to find out more about the age in which they lived.
Thank you to Catherine for stopping by and some really interesting answers. I really want to read The Beth Book now!
What other websites / resources are there?
There are a few blogs and websites that I follow that I really like and give some fantastic information on all things Victorian. They are:
So now I would love to hear what you think about Victorian literature? Are you an addict or never really tried it? What are your favourites?
Up coming posts in Curl up with…. will be Favourite Childhood Books, The Brontes, Ghost Stories and Mysteries (to name but a few).
) and you have 5 years to read them. There are so many classics that I really want to read and I am loving the timeframe as it means I don’t have to panic-read them all this year (or fall off the wagon as I don’t think it will be do-able).
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