Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
I had been thinking that there was a class element in this book that I didn't really recognize. The better class men were all reprobates, reformed or pure as the driven. You had to look to what for want of a better word I'll call the middle class to find people who could handle their drink. I wonder if that was a subliminal element for Anne, that of the noble gentleman farmer (Gilbert's father's comments about their calling come to mind). Even as I read it, I found Gilbert's willingness to work with his laborers in the field to be the single most likable thing about him. No false pride there, no matter how he behaved in people's parlors.
There's also the setting of the book, in the 1820s. A time of reaction to the excesses of the Regency era as the Hanover dynasty played out, leading up to the moral and religious revival of the Victorian era, when the book was written and when Gilbert set down to write to Halford. The dissolute gentry were the last gasp of wanton world, as a new order took place, where the noble farmer and family values took sway. Arthur's death was symbolic of that.
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Great insight! Your words have given me some ideas that aren't fully formed yet. I do think there was a class element - not just subliminal but intentional. Perhaps Anne's execution of the narration technique has prevented us from realizing it. Here are my rough thoughts.
Gentleman like Arthur and his friends were perceived to be not just financially but morally superior in this time period compared to middle and lower classes. Anne was criticized for showcasing their terrible behavior so honestly.
Gilbert was not of the same class as Arthur or Helen too. He is concerned that Helen cannot marry him because her friends won't approve. However she believes he is worthy of marriage becaush she is more concerned about his moral character than his social standing.
I've just realized that the book is split roughly equal between Gilbert Letters Part 1 @ 25%, Helen Diary @ 50% and Gilbert Letters Part 2 @ 25%. I have been focused on the book as being about mostly Helen. However, with Gilbert narrating 1/2 of the book maybe his character has a greater significance (besides convenient narrator) than we realized.
When Gilbert starts writing to Halford at the beginning of the book, it's the 1840s and we get the impression that he is a gentleman. The tale that is told in Gilbert Letters Part 1 emphasizes the youth and immaturity of Gilbert, such as succumbing to the gossip of the community to falsely perceive "truth" and his terrible treatment of Lawrence and others. The tale that is told in Gilbert Letters Part 2 is about his growth in maturity and recognizing (mostly) the errors of his ways in Part 1. So, we are witnessing a transformation in Gilbert too between these 2 parts and that's what makes him worthy of marriage to Helen. In Part 1 you wouldn't have been convinced that Helen deserves him as a match, but in Part 2 it is more acceptable has he proves himself changed by developing a friendly relationship with Lawrence and respecting Helen's wishes to let her be. So this middle class farmer has a better character than the noble gentlemen in the stories. In that way he marries Helen and achieves a gentleman status like the impression we get in the beginning of the book.