Week 21: Belinda by Maria Edgeworth (Pocket Star, 2001, paperback)
I read this novel in preparation for the Advanced Placement (AP) reading that I’m attending this week. We read AP English Literature exams and assign them points based on a point scale. One of the possible 3 questions that I’ll read is on a prose section. This year the prose section was from Belinda so I like to try to read it before I attend, in case I am selected for that question.
This “English Society novel” as the introduction categorizes it, is a romantic comedy surrounding a young woman, Belinda. She has been sent by her Aunt Stanhope to the attendance of Lady Delacour, with the Aunt’s hope that Belinda will quickly achieve a fortuitous marriage proposal. Belinda approaches love very rationally, looking not for emotional connection but for more pragmatic, long term respect. Her refusal to accept her growing affinity for Clarence Hervey, because she does not trust emotions, is the underlying “romantic” conundrum of the novel. I found this gave her character some depth, coming before (and setting a path) for Austen’s similarly cool heroines.
However, much of this novel (the first half) is taken up more with Lady Delacour’s troubles than with Belinda. Lady Delacour suffers with a misdiagnosis of cancer (apparently breast cancer); her tragic approach to her life and eventual recovery (it is simply a bruise) dominates her relationship with Belinda and the reader. I couldn’t quite figure out how I responded to her, particularly in this first half. Once she’s healed she reconciles with her family and becomes an advocate for Belinda’s happiness—she’s much more likable, but it takes a lot of pages to get to this point.
What makes this novel so intriguing though, is the role race plays. Mr. Vincent is east Indian, courting a white woman. There are few characters of color in these English society novels, much less playing a prominent role. There is also a side story of his black servant marrying a white country girl. Vincent is accepted into this social strata with little racial struggle, and his cultural background is presented respectfully. However, he has been raised by an English family, and is in most aspects an English character. Ultimately, Belinda drops her engagement to Mr. Vincent because of his gambling problems, and she marries white Hervey. Edgeworth apparently toned down these stories in future editions of this novel, which is disappointing; it is worthwhile, though, that this edition (1802) takes a step toward breaking this racial barrier.
In reading novels of manners like this, you have to appreciate the leisurely pace—of dialogue, of plot, of description. In many ways, Belinda’s in the background for the other characters while we are working our way through their stories. She remains cool and steady, to show the struggles of others. This makes her less interesting, and, after page 300, I was ready to get to some point about Belinda the character. Overall, I appreciate the intricacies of character in this novel, but I did grow weary of how much Edgeworth tries to pack in it.
Next week . . . I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear’s Journey for Justice by Joe Starita.