Riassunto esame Cultura e letteratura inglese, Prof. Perletti Greta, libro consigliato The Moonstone, Wilkie Collins

Victorian age and detective fiction

Victorian age 1837 - 1901

Victorian Age 1837 - 1901: transformation in social structure and city structure.

The "hungry 1840s" (early Victorian time): famine: people couldn't afford bare necessities (high costs) (bad harvest); progress and prosperity not for all classes (bad working conditions); lowest classes (working class) not afford even food = were hungry (corn laws); all over Europe social unrest: perception of danger.

"Condition of England" novels (from the question of Thomas Carlyle) to underline costs of life / oppressive economy: Elizabeth Gaskell, Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Dickens.

Portrait of characters losing jobs / living in slums, focus on middle class because reader and writer from it: raise awareness, stimulate change to avoid revolution or insurrections, see things from middle class point of view.

"The Moonstone" set in 1846 / 1850 (published 1868). 1848 in Europe social unrest: revolutions (not in England).

Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations 1851

Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations 1851 (may - october): designed and sponsored by Prince Albert (husband of Queen Victoria).

Celebration of progress, show-off of British industries: Britain as leading force for progress and civilisation.

Crystal Palace in Hyde Park: 6 million visitors. Diamond of Moonstone exposed and worn by Queen Victoria, cut and placed on queen's crown.

Reform acts and education act

First and Second Reform Act 1832 / 1867 and Education Act 1870: extension of right to vote: people enfranchised.

Linked to possession of land (aristocracy). After protests vote to people who hold house = middle class men. 1867 transforms society = some working class men depending on income.

Victorian age and detective fiction

Victorian age 1837 - 1901

Victorian Age 1837 - 1901: transformation in social structure and city structure.

The "hungry 1840s" (early Victorian time): famine: people couldn't afford bare necessities (high costs) (bad harvest); progress and prosperity not for all classes (bad working conditions); lowest classes (working class) not afford even food = were hungry (corn laws); all over Europe social unrest; perception of danger.

"Condition of England" novels (from the question of Thomas Carlyle) to underline costs of life/oppressive economy: Elizabeth Gaskell, Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Dickens.

Portrait of characters losing jobs/living in slums, focus on middle class because reader and writer from it; raise awareness, stimulate change to avoid revolution or insurrections, see things from middle class point of view.

"The Moonstone" set in 1846/1850 (published 1868). 1848 in Europe social unrest: revolutions (not in England).

Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations 1851

Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations 1851 (may - october): designed and sponsored by Prince Albert (husband Queen Victoria).

Celebration of progress, show-off of British industries; Britain as leading force for progress and civilisation.

Crystal Palace in Hyde Park; 6 million visitors. Diamond of Moonstone exposed and worn by Queen Victoria, cut and placed on queen's crown.

First and second reform act and education act

First and Second Reform Act (1832/1867) and Education Act 1870: extension of right to vote; people enfranchised.

Linked to possession of land (aristocracy). After protests vote to people who hold house = middle class men. 1867 transforms society = some working class men depending on income.

• Education Act of 1870 possible thanks to 2nd Reform Act.
• Obligatory school for children until 12 (when there are schools in city districts).
• Leads to right to education for all children.
• Passed because lower classes could vote.

Woman question and domestic ideology

• Woman question and domestic ideology (theory of separate spheres): condition of women, belief that men and women should have different spaces: women at home with family while men outside and work.
• Married Woman's Property Act 1882.

Expansion of the empire and sinister aspects

• Expansion of the Empire and sinister aspects: power and wealth (goods from colonies) but source of anxiety because danger in expansion.

Indian Mutiny 1857 - 1858 and betrayal of the sepoy (army of British and Indian soldiers) who rebelled against Britain.

Setting of "the Moonstone" before, publication 10 years after: heart of the book.

East Indian Company ruled India for Britain: change of ammunitions with animal fat which was problem for Muslims and Hindus - disregard of British for their religions.

Many deaths also women and children.

Neglect and disrespect towards local religious beliefs and paternalistic attitude towards Indians: important aspects for Moonstone.

The anxiety of reverse colonization.

Distinction between detective and crime fiction

• Distinction between detective and crime fiction: limited, more general, just mystery.

Solve and explain mystery.

In Moonstone many detective-like characteristics.

Came out like series in Dickens‘ periodic every month.

Business of detection involving reader, desire to solve the mystery.

Golden age of detective fiction - 1920s but becomes stereotypical and more related to reader than detective.

Victorian detective fiction

• Victorian detective fiction: foundation of London Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard, Criminal Investigation Department 1878.
• Plainclothes agents 1842 called spy.

In contrast to sensation fiction which explores mysteries but setting, characters, descriptions, mysteries different. Arthur Conan Doyle intrigued by family secrets mostly.

Need to involve reader (like detective) and has to do with fear and horror, suspense, ironical descriptions.

Insists that involving readers by inspiring reasoning abilities, rational and logical thinking, not fear nor horror.

Wilkie Collins, father of sensation fiction but Moonstone is both convenient for writers to adapt some features of it to detective one because sensation sells more.

Linked to gothic fiction.

The Whitechapel Murders (Jack the Ripper) same dates of publication of "The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" = behind respectability there was something sinister.

"Protocols" to define detective fiction consistent elements (also during Golden Age): a crime unsolved (usually a murder), detective figure(s), investigation detailed to make sure readers follows step by step, puzzle element; problem to be solved (also in limited way).

Reader must have equal opportunity with detective for solving mystery (1928).

Importance of "induction": reasoning process starting from evidence we arrange theory of what happened.

Clues and evidence (sometimes even marginal).

Before was deductive reasoning which is reversed to demonstrate theory.

Sherlock Holmes combines both.

Todorov: reader of story of detection encounters "not one but two stories: the story of the crime and the story of the investigation".

Literary sources classical and renaissance "Revenge Tragedies" (Shakespeare): crime committed that needs to be revenged + solve mystery and culprit punished by dead (in 1930s detective) ex "Hamlet" 1604.

Professional case: fake story presented as authentic mystery becomes secular and scientifically solvable, replacing God. Professional man takes up an almost God-like task.

Victorian popular fiction: not novels, target working classes because cheap, not refined literally, successful and influential "Newgate calendar" and "Penny Dreadfuls", interest in crime.

NC: London prison, stories about criminals, focus about one prisoner with details about them and crime, short stories, repentance of criminal and personality, complicated system of justice, injustice of system.

PD: lowest classes, stories of adventures, initially pirates, later crime and detection, lot of details and sensational language, short stories collected crime, influenced detective fiction, detective plots important for interest on detective fiction.

Novels presenting London as character: transformation (railway, transport…), (overcrowded: slums in East End (Charles Dickens).

Walter Benjamin (scholar): when city becomes metropolis interest in crime and detection and police anonymity: live with people you can't know, are in the crowd, creates suspicion and feeling of being with strangers, system of surveillance: everyone becomes a potential criminal/enemy.

William Wilkie Collins and the moonstone

Lyn Pykett: Collins as liminal figure (in between two things).

Family: father painter and mother actress turned respectable; had connections with aristocracy but social ladder career: between aristocracy and high middle class (gentry).

Travels to Italy and France.

Financial struggle but penility and social notoriety but aristocratic snobbery.

Education: cultured but not formal (also law studies).

Italian and French culture, fluent in both languages.

Personal values: respectability important but was unconventional.

Example for: lifelong relationship with woman without marry, 3 illegitimate children with other woman, came back with 1st woman.

Didn't care about reputation but more work and writings women shouldn't be submitted to men.

Writing sensation fiction ("The Woman in White") with nervous and physical reaction, also in Moonstone through detective fever; newgate stories type of writing with perspective of criminal; class related plots ("Basil") like wills and inheritance or legal injustice towards women; persona in structure with dialogues even when 1st person narrators, lot of movement and way characters interaction, book divided in periods and narratives like acts, predilection for incidents (not related episodes), medical experiment staged.

Structure of moonstone

Structure of Moonstone (problematic and uneven) different narratives, letters, extracts from journals.

Prologue from family paper belonging to (colonial) past.

1st period with Gabriel Betterdge.

2nd period with Miss Clack, Mr. Bruff, Mr. Franklin, Dr. Jennings, Mr. Franklin, Sergeant Cuff, Dr. Candy, Mr. Betteredge.

Epilogue with Cuff's man, Captain, Mr. Murthwaite.

Prologue: cousin of wicked Colonel Herncastle.

1799 historical event: Storming of Seringapatnam (Indian wanted French help) so English attacked) and consolidation of British Empire and East Indian Company.

Cryptic with East Indian Company, progressive attitude.

Why Colonel Herncastle is evil, disrespectful.

Stole Diamond from Vishnu head in sacred temple.

1st period narrated by Mr. Betteredge who must preclude events until Rachel's birthday and then tell story of stolen Diamond.

Colonel's Will curses Rachel's legacy.

Target of suspicion: Rosanna Spearman because of strange behaviour and past.

Clues given by narrative: Rachel Verinder with help of Rosanna.

Diamond to pay debts?

Fail but also success of Sergeant Cuff end narrative.

Prophecies come true.

2nd period solved every mystery.

Epilogue how Moonstone gets back to India and curse stop.

Mr. Betteredge and narrative perspective

Mr. Betteredge = servant's perspective with comic register.

They deserve attention and sympathetic treatment.

(Politically) conservative outlook: likes order of society, deference for (aristocracy) and dismay of its crumbling.

Patriarchal attitudes: marriage and female characters.

Suspicious of foreigners: Indians, Dr. Jennings, Mr. Franklin's foreign personalities.

Not voice of Wilkie Collins.

Hyperbolic language, not to be taken seriously, balance in writing, clinical pictures, keep reader alert.

Difficulty in understand fully Rachel = not transparent like Diamond which is symbol of her virginity(?).

Inspired by real cases: trial "Rugeley poisoner" 1856 with multiple witnesses and multiple narratives, case of "Road Murder" 1861 where main evidence is a stained nightgown.

Focus = search of truth: Verinder = verum inder, whence truth.

Word used in 2nd period title.

Rational and irrational methods of investigation

Rational and irrational methods of investigation.

Mr. Cuff is rational investigation vs E Era Jennings and I Indians are irrational investigation (hocus-pocus and unconscious mental processes).

At beginning competition but in the end collaborate to get to truth.

Sergeant Cuff: Rosanna and Rachel remain mystery.

Model of detectives in future: importance of interviews and how he obtains clues without asking directly, contrast between local police and passionate intelligent detective, perceptiveness revealed in attention to trifles, emotionally detached and eccentric (in hobbies).

Despite everything is not completely successful because doesn't find out truth.

Rachel has crucial role in failure but he understands Rosanna was involved and that main evidence is nightgown + 3 prophecies dismissed by Mrs. Verinder.

The Indians: irrational revenge plot.

Era Jennings: irrational and unconscious human mind.

Revenge plot is Indian subplot: evident in prologue when Moonstone is stolen.

"The Moonstone will have its vengeance on you and yours" course on Colonel Herncastle.

Moonstone must be restored so Brahmins give up everything to bring it back.

Investigation through mesmerism to locate Brahmana (aka-losthorizon) since they are always near it.

Dismissed by Mr. Betteredge as superstitious, but he bibliomancy.

Feared because of reversed colonization: English boy "used" by Brahmins.

By Penelope but Mr. Betteredge says is something not serious.

Not magic but mental phenomenon (later on to solve the case) (Dr. John Elliotson).

Determined to bring Moonstone back and to revenge.

Admiration for their firmness vs English lack of self-control in pursuit of happiness.

Epilogue: restoration of Brahmana = triumph of revenge = murder will out.

Faith in justice.

Mysteries of human mind: interest of Victorians in physiological and pathological processes of mind, locate different parts of brain and their functions.

E Era Jennings gains credibility through quote texts of 19th-century mental science.