As you may have seen, according to the schedule it is my week to post my Online Artifact Analysis. I found this more difficult than I initially thought it might be, that seems to be a theme so far with Irish novels...Enjoy!!
Marie Brick
English 263
9 February 2010
English 263
9 February 2010
Understanding Maria Edgeworth and Castle Rackrent
While reading Maria Edgeworth’s Castle Rackrent, it was difficult to completely grasp the position of Edgeworth with regard to Irish and English relations. The writing seemed ambivalent at times; in one section you would feel sympathy for the landlord and at other times sympathy for the tenants. There were no clear hero or villain roles. It seemed as though Edgeworth was writing this novel as a representation of an Anglo-Irish landlord with Irish tenants; however, she clearly states in Thady’s introduction that the Rackrent family is native Irish. “The family of the Rackrents is, I am proud to say, one of the most ancient in the kingdom. Every body knows this is not the old family name, which was O’Shaughlin, related to the kings of Ireland – but that was before my time” (Edgeworth 66).
Despite this family’s position as native Irish landlords, Edgeworth spun a tale of almost constant dissatisfaction and failure since the death of Sir Patrick; while consistently displaying the loyalty of the Irish peasant turned server to the family, Thady. This, almost implied, classification of roles and descriptors seemed to me to possibly be representative of Edgeworth’s personal feelings, opinions, and perhaps even life story. Therefore, in order to get a better understanding of Edgeworth herself, I looked for essays, criticisms and biographies about her.
The main website I used as my online artifact was an extremely interesting essay/criticism of Edgeworth’s work. The article, “Disowning to own: Maria Edgeworth and the illegitimacy of national ownership - Irish nationalism in the works of Maria Edgeworth - Critical Essay” was written by Sara L. Maurer. In addition a biography was reviewed from the online literature network. In reviewing this information provided in the biography, Edgeworth’s personal life became more understood. Knowing that Edgeworth’s father was an Anglo-Irish landowner, her mother died when she was six, her first step-mother, Honora, died when Edgeworth was 14, her father remarried Honora’s sister shortly thereafter and then moved the family to their estate in Ireland; helped to formulate an idea of who Maria Edgeworth was and her background (Merriman). Despite her own somewhat tumultuous personal life, she seemed to have an extremely close relationship with her father seemingly to the point that some of her opinions were likely strongly influenced by him or overruled altogether. For example, “It's often said that he was too heavy-handed and interfering, that the moral tone and preachment she sometimes affected was not genuinely hers and stunted her expression” (Merriman).
When reflecting on Edgeworth’s background as the daughter of an Anglo-Irish landlord, I initially assumed that because of this background, she had developed somewhat of a bias towards Irish landlords and Irish tenants as being less than their English counterparts. I thought this was evidenced by the portrayal of the Rackrent family as inept landowners. The Irish tenants, in my initial opinion, were portrayed as lazy and silly people as evidenced by the glossary definitions for quotes such as “Monday morning” (Edgeworth 123), “fairy mounts” (Edgeworth 129) “And so should cut him off for ever, by levying a fine, and suffering a recovery to dock the entail” (Edgeworth 132), “a raking pot of tea” (Edgeworth 135), and “we gained the day by this piece of honesty” (Edgeworth 136).
However, at the end of Castle Rackrent, it was an Irish tenant, Jason- Thady’s son, who appeared to have bested the Irish landowner seemingly by having obtained an education and worked meticulously. Although, there was still no resolution in the end since even Jason was left fighting for “ownership” of what he “rightfully purchased”. At first glance, I thought that the main point of Jason’s story was to show that through hard work and education, social class was merely a title. I thought that this point was simply a reflection of Edgeworth’s father’s influence on her writings as she had collaborated with her father on Essays of practical education, which in a way, related to that ideal.
Nevertheless, my initial opinion appeared incorrect again due to the lack of resolution at the end of the book. Therefore I turned to the online essay, “Disowning to own: Maria Edgeworth and the illegitimacy of national ownership - Irish nationalism in the works of Maria Edgeworth - Critical Essay”. In reading this fascinating essay regarding Edgeworth’s work in comparison to many other 19th century novelists, I was able to develop some new opinions regarding the possibilities of Edgeworth’s perceptions and meanings behind her works.
A major concept that I took away from this essay was the idea that most novels that had been written at the time of Castle Rackrent had a theme related to physical ownership and property which belonged to a family; past and present. This theme did not work as nicely in an Irish novel because of the discourse in history as evidenced by the following comments, “Yet unlike the paintings, romantic ruins, and "recovered" manuscripts that can belong both to past and present in Scott's novels, the objects of the Irish national tale are the subject of current property disputes that an appeal to the past only complicates. If the nation is an inheritance, perpetually owed to its descendants, Ireland's problem lies in being owed to more than one line” (Maurer). This concept reminded me of the constant feeling of ambivalence I had felt while reading Castle Rackrent, as to who I should side with in the story and in my opinion, was Edgeworth’s way of portraying the actual instability of Ireland at that time. “The paradox of inheritance in Ireland, then, is that it can not be owned by its Anglo-Irish holders, since they illegitimately seized it from the Irish children to whom it was owed. On the other hand, Ireland cannot be given up by its Anglo-Irish holders, who already owe the land to their children” (Maurer).
Another concept that was discussed in Maurer’s essay was the idea of resolution or a “happily ever after” ending to a novel. As stated above, this is a difficult concept to deal with in the Irish novel because of the angst over who rightly owns the inheritance; however according to Maurer, many Irish novelists at the time wrote a simple resolution involving marriage between the Irish and the Anglo-Irish family in dispute. “In these novels, desire and deservingness coincide, suturing over the paradox at the center of inheritance. Edgeworth's Irish fiction, on the other hand, confronts this contradiction and refuses to end with Irish and Anglo-Irish neatly united in possession” (Maurer). This concept is seen throughout Castle Rackrent in the form of the failed marriages of all the Rackrents.
Maurer’s essay goes further in depth into additional issues and relationships regarding Edgeworth’s writings, all of which were quite fascinating, but too much to discuss in this particular assignment. However, Maurer’s essay and a better understanding of Edgeworth’s background provided a little insight into the extremely complicated undertones to Edgeworth’s Castle Rackrent. I am still not completely sure of which side she is “cheering for”, but I also think she herself struggled with understanding her true identity as an Anglo-Irish descendent living in Ireland at a very tumultuous time.
Works Cited
Edgeworth, Maria. Castle Rackrent. London: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Maurer, Sara L. “Disowning to Own: Maria Edgeworth and the Illegitimacy of National
Ownership - Irish Nationalism in the Works of Maria Edgeworth - Critical Essay.” Criticism.
22 Nov. 2002. FindArticles.com. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2220/is_4_44/ai_102981644/?tag=content;col1
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2220/is_4_44/ai_102981644/?tag=content;col1
Merriman, C.D. “Maria Edgeworth.” (2005). Online-literature.com. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.
Hi Marie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing such a good literary analysis. It really brought to light some things in understanding more about Edgeworth's life. I really relate to what you said: "I am still not completely sure of which side she is “cheering for”, but I also think she herself struggled with understanding her true identity as an Anglo-Irish descendent living in Ireland at a very tumultuous time." I also had a hard time trying to understand or decide what "side" Edgeworth was celebrating or what statement or philosophy (whether it be politics, gender, race, culture, idenitiy) she was trying to agree with or promote.
I also made assumptions that Jason is supposed to represent a somewhat heroic figure in that he uses education, effort and opportunity to rise into a higher class. Like you said though, "Nevertheless, my initial opinion appeared incorrect again due to the lack of resolution at the end of the book." When I read this and what you researched about Edgeworth, I feel like my initial perception could possibly be a little too post-modern. I'm still somewhat mystified as to what exactly Edgeworth's economic philosophy or what point she is trying to make.
After reading your analysis, I feel as though she wrote in such a way as nor to endanger her own situation in life and because of how paradoxical the issue of ownership and wealth through inheritance is so complicated in Ireland. It reminds me of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in that it raises the question of who has rights to a land that has been under colonial rule for so long? The situation is so complicated and intertwined that there can't be a "happy ever after" solution or end.