1
Snowed Up

• Feminine Desire vs.
• Patriarchal and Class Relations

2
Outline--Snowed Up

• General Introduction
• Questions
• The Issues of Class
• Patriarchal Control
• Ediths Position and Desire
• The Snow its Influences on the Others and Edith
• Historical Backgrounds
• Summary
• For Next Week
• Reference

3
Richard  Jefferies (1848-1887)

• Hard to categorize, he is an essayist (on natural
  history, rural life and agriculture in late
  Victorian England), a novelist (with futuristic
  fantasy After London) and a childrens book
  classic, Bevis .
• After London (1885) a futuristic England in
  barbarism with only a few outposts of
  civilization remaining. London in poisonous
  swamps much of southern England is covered by a
  large lake some city states along the shores
  ruled by petty tyrants and their corrupt courts.
• Having a short life--38 years, he died in penury.
   

Image and info
4
Snowed Up

• The story was sent to London Society once for
  publication but was rejected.  
• The manuscript was probably purchased by Sir
  Hugh Walpole at Sothebys, or from a bookseller,
  during 1920 or early 1930s. It has, since
  Walpoles generous donation, remained in the
  Walpoles collection at Kings school.
• With inconsistencies and gapsreasons unknown
  (intended or due to health)

5
Snowed Up

• What are the binary opposites in the story?  
• How is Edie related to the men around her?
• What gets "snowed up" in the story?
• What do you think about the ending? Is Edie
  finally subject to both the control of her
  society and the belittling of her author? 

6
Characters in Binary Opposites

• class and appearance (pp. 20-21)
• --gt Aurelles' playing chess -- "trying oh, so
  hard to play chess--which he does not
  understand--with papa and all just because." 
• father's position in financial trouble, to be
  saved only by being appointed by the government.

Lord Bilbrton political power "wizened" Mr. Alderman Thrigg money stout
Philip Aurelles "strong, tall, noble-looking no social grace Somebody (p. 21)
7
Patriarchal Order and Ediths Position

• The fathers desire
• play chess with me as the queen (20)
• to be an ambassador, to save his estate, to keep
  the family name (20-21)
• The suitors come to the point with her father,
  not with her.
• like a shuttlecock or tennis ball

8
Edie in between these men and in Social Order

• She prefers Aurelles over the other two suitors,
  though she is aware of the former's clumsiness in
  social games. 
• reflected in her terms of address--gt Aurelles or
  Phillip or Phil (p. 20) Lord Bilberton cannot
  call him Charlie, such an old thing
• Rebellious, she is not to be sold. (20)
• find them laughable (20)
• (22) I wont, no I wont
• order vs. Edie's giddy head (p. 20)
• She is self-contradictory
• not aware of her real desires

9
Ediths Desires

• Unnamed or Vague Desires
• Luxury and fun at remote places
• Go to Nice (20)
• pp. 21-22 run away with "Philip or somebody
  (21)
• Romantic/sexual love tired of someboby be loved
  forever.
• Power of Language Will be a poetess someday(20)
  laugh at Thriggs language 21

• Contradictions
• Fur jacket (with money from Thrigg) penniless
  soldier That was just what I wanted.
• If the guardsmen would only manage to be rich
  but Im not to be sold exactly.
• Freudian slips?  
• p. 20 Thrigg, who I believe has been lending
  paper (papa) money, and now I think of it
• snowball Aurelles (21) ?

10
The Snow A Test of Humanity and Human Values

• The Characters Views,
• its Influences and Implications

11
The Other People The Helpless and Helpful

• 1) Lord B
• 1/5 -- courting E. with his "poor shivering
  ancient body the snow as his best friend to
  imprison him with her (22) half silly with
  fright (23)
• 1/14 completely helpless
• 2) Papa, cynical
• 1/5 a judgment
• 3) Mr. Thrigg
• 1/5 -- "I shall perish with an angel!" is not
  good at using metaphors
• 1/6 in despair, afraid of losing his business
  regret how he could have made a fortune
• 1/14 helping in the kitchen (23-24) Theres
  some good in him.
• Buried in snow (24)

12
The Other People Physical Force and Courage

• Mostly helpless
• 1/14 -- All the servants left but the maid,
• papa an invalid, Bilberton helpless
• Thrigg trapped in snow
• 1/17 -- Papa and the Alderman may die. 
• Brutal Force and Basic Survival
• 1/14 -- the arrival of Phillip and his brutal
  threat (25)
• 1/15 -- eat the cat
• Courage Philip is the only one active to get
  food.
• 1/18 the last try by Phillip 1/19  a feast The
  Alderman eats a long time. (27)

13
Edie's changing views of the snow and the others

• 1) Pleasure 1/3 snow like death "Why it is
  beautiful!  I wish I was snowballing Aurelles."
  (21) fun (22)
• 2) Discomfort but Still Able to Laugh? No Fun
• 1/4 nothing to do hate the snow (21)
• 1/5 - 6, laughs at her suitors.  
• 1/10 "we shall be starved."  Misses "Phillip." 
  --a very short entry.
• turning point 1/14  "Nothing but snow." 
  "Such fun!  The Alderman has been helping me in
  the kitchen." ? no laughing matter ? Thrigg
  buried in snow? Philip arrives he is willing to
  rescue Thrigg only if he gives up his pursuit of
  Edie.  Edie changes her tactics.  p. 26

14
Edie's changing views of the snow and the others
(2)

•  3) Writing to Survive, Submit to the Larger
  Forces
• 1/15 must write to pass away the time (26)
• Edie's weakness and incisive comment on the
  "weakness of the snow"  1/17 cries
• comments on the snow.  "the weak, feeble
  despised flakes of snow.
• 1/18 waiting
• turning point 1/19  he has all my heart

15
Edie's changing views of the snow and the others
(3)

• 3) Submit herself to the Larger Forces
• 1/22 the roughs invasion nice to have a soldier
  around. 
• Hope for us at last--fog. 
• 1/15  Is aware of her being a commodity between
  two men.  Will be a good girl and make Phil a
  first rate wife. 
• 4) Failure of her Language
• Gaps appear when the snow becomes a serious
  matter (22) on 1/14 when they use up the coal
  and are afraid
• As quiet as a dormouse (28)
• The end of her diary/female subjectivity.
• 5) More to analyze the dashes.

16
Snow Meanings?

• Snow
• Romantic beauty, fun, used in courting.
• effects of global warming as a consequence of
  industrialism the story as an apocalyptic
  allegory
• the physical and brutal, the most powerful, next
  to which is economic (Thrigg), the patriarchal
  (father) and political power (Bilberton)
• weak
• Question the physical-brutal, sexual and
  military (gun) courage (25, 26, 28)

17
Historical Backgrounds

• Jeffries tries to get Disraelis endorsement
  wins public attention through becoming an
  authority on agricultural economy (though he is
  not really equipped with the knowledge).
  (textbook p. 33)
• Expresses anti-Darwinism and theories of social
  degeneration (in the tradition of Hardy, Wells,
  Forster and WoolfLawrence, too). (34)
• around 1870s national pride and fears
• 1875??,??????,????????Suez Canal ????
  ????????(Disraeli)????
• the absent presence of national anxieties in
  1870's over the wars, the end of protected
  market which opened Britain to the import of
  foreign goods, over whether the nation can still
  dominate the world market

18
Snowed Up Contradictions Embodied in Phillip
and Edie

• Although Jeffries writes a cautionary take about
  what happens when society is deprived of
  technological support (e.g. transportation),
  there also appears to be an unarticulated desire
  for such a catastrophe to occur, a desire for
  devastation and for reversion. 
• He expresses liberal anxiety but also a
  reactionary 'back to nature' impulse.  (Meynard
  139)
• Back to social patriarchal order

19
Summary Theoretical Issues

• Factors influencing/forming our personalities
• Childhood (development of sexuality, Oedipus
  complex, incest taboo)
• repression and re-channeling of desire
  (reactionary symptoms, neurosis, psychosis,
  sublimation, need-demand-desire) ? Unstable and
  insatiable desire
• Entry into the Imaginary order and then the
  Symbolic order
• Sense of lack and splitting of identity

20
Summary Womens Experience of Love since the
19th Century
psychic social
"The Trial of Love" Angelineself-sacrificing without success? contradictions Romantic irresponsible vs. the convent
Snowed Up Edie desire for somebody, going somewhere and for writing Repressed under larger social/natural forces
Wide Sargasso Sea Antoinette split among different mirror images and ideal ego? fatalism or trying to socialize symbolic order Patriarchal colonial
21
Summary Womens Experience of Love since the
19th Century
psychic social
The Piano Ada a strong will and inner voice in discovery of her sexuality symbolic order Patriarchal colonial
Eveline Suffering from Oedipal neurosis, loving the father and taking the mothers role Dublin as a symbol of paralysis
The Blind Man Isabel split between her rational mind and appreciation of Ms sensual world ? constrained to the wife/mother role. WW I and the Modern World of rationalism and technologies
22
Next Week from the Psychic to the Social

• Major Input (1) due
• Karl Marx (Reader chap 5 to p. 79-85)
• American Beauty de-construction of masculinity
  in some nucleus families in American suburbia in
  the 90s
• (review The Great Gatsby if you like)

23
References

• Maynard, Jessica. A Marxist Reading of 'Snowed
  Up. Literary theories a case study in
  critical performance.  Eds.  Julian Wolfreys and
  William Baker.   London Macmillan Press Ltd ,
  1996