Understanding

1
Understanding GeorgeEgertons
"Wedlock"

• A tragic short story written in Feminisms
  earliest years

2
Contents

• Biography Biography (contd.1)
• Egertons Works
• Historical Context
• Wedlock
• Plot Plot (contd.1) Plot (contd.2)
• Themes and Ideas TI1 TI2 TI3 TI4
• Importance to Feminist Literature

3
Biography of George Egerton

• Mary Chevalita Bright nomme-de-plume of George
  Egerton
• 1860-1945
• Intended to be an artist
• finances prevented schooling
• Traveled extensively in youth
• Chose to write

4
Biography (contd.)

• Married three times
• 1888 H.H.W. Melville 1891 Egerton Clairmonte
  1901 Reginald Golding Bright
• Labeled the voice of the advanced New Woman of
  the Victorian Period
• Considered controversial writer and erotomaniac
• More information on George Egerton

5
Egertons Works

• Keynotes 1893
• Discords 1894
• Symphonies 1897
• Fantasies 1898
• Wheel of God 1898
• Rosa Arorosa 1901
• Files in Amber 1905
• His Wifes Family 1908
• The Backsliders 1910
• Camilla states her Case 1925

6
Historical Context

• Victorian period, rising theory of New Woman
• Darwins Origin of Species, 1859
• Struggle for womans suffrage
• Reign of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
• British empire expanding rapidly

7
Wedlock

• Printed in Discords in 1894
• Known for its trenchant pathos
• Read Wedlock

8
Plot

• Setting English suburb, site of new residential
  development
• Family Mr. Mrs. Susan Jones and Mr. Jones
  three children from previous marriage
• Mrs. Jones has child who, because of misfortunate
  circumstances, lives with her sister
• Mrs. Jones struggles with alcoholism

9
Plot (contd.)

• Mr. Jones has promised Susan to get her child, if
  she agreed to marry
• They married he failed to keep his promise
• Wife embittered
• Her daughter became deathly ill
• Husband purposely intercepted correspondence
  telling of childs sickness

10
Plot (contd.)

• Wife finds hidden letter
• Rushes to child, who has recently died
• After attending the funeral, she rushes home
• Kills Mr. Jones three children

11
Themes and Ideas

• Title
• Character of female writer
• Significance of setting and introduction
• Purpose of womans actions

12
Title

• Wed lock
• Bond of marriage
• Abuses of bond
• The unfulfilled promises of the lock
• The influences of the poor marriage on the
  womans alcoholism

13
Character of Female Writer

• Epitome of feminist, New Woman?
• Significance of Susan Jones life as material
• The impact of class on the relationship between
  Susan Jones and the woman writer
• The writers insensitive apathy

14
Setting and Introduction

• Poorer suburb employment of slang English
• A new development settled by old ruins
• The intelligence of workers alcoholism can be
  hereditary
• The relationship, because of setting, between
  woman and writer

15
Womans Actions

• Why kill children? Why not kill husband?
• The hierarchy of control
• The disassociation with motherhood

16
Importance to Feminist Literature

• Dissected both class and gender
• Reveals possible inadequacies of the Feminist
  movement
• Discusses the bondage of a bad marriage on both
  partners-- its destructiveness