Art Informs Narrative in Eliots Middlemarch - Essay Example

Art Informs Narrative in Eliot’s Middlemarch In an essay written in July of 1856, George Eliot writes “Art is the nearest thing to life; it is a mode of amplifying experience and extending our contact with our fellow men beyond the bound of our personal lot” (in Maertz, 2004: 658). In making this statement, Eliot is arguing for the use of realism in all things, as a means of capturing the transcendent sympathetic qualities of the normal, actual human being in all his daily reality. “Falsification here is far more pernicious than in the more artificial aspects of life. It is not so very serious that we should have false ideas about evanescent fashions – about the manners and conversation of beaux and duchesses; but it is serious that our sympathy with the perennial joys and struggles, the toil, the tragedy and the humour in the life of our more heavily-laden fellow-men, should be perverted, and turned towards a false object instead of the true one” (Eliot, 1856 in Maertz, 2004: 658). It is clear that Eliot makes a connection between the world of art and the ability of the artist to depict the sublime nature of man within the realm of reality. Rather than attempt to disguise the truth of existence behind a smoke screen of shallow description and surface paint detail, Eliot acknowledges the ability of an artistic view of the world to more fully engage the attention of the reader, observer or audience, but that this effort should be engaged as a means of discovering the deeper nature of mankind, not just the pretty parts or the parts that work well, but the inner natures and desires that affect each and every person on the planet in different ways and to different effects. At the same time, she recognizes the ability of nature to more accurately and fully furnish the imagery of events, providing readers with a more accessible understanding of events. Perhaps the best way to understand what Eliot intended when she talked about art is to examine how she applied this principle in her work, particularly as it can be seen in her most popular and widely-read work, Middlemarch. Middlemarch is a novel of epic proportions as it is seen through the eyes of a woman rather than a man. In other words, rather than following the heroic and sometimes highly exaggerated struggles of a single character as he strives to save his world from certain destruction of some sort, Eliot presents her epic as a struggle by a variety of people to survive in a world in which not all elements of the game are knowable or controllable. Although the novel opens with an introduction to Dorothea Brooke and her sister Celia, this does not necessarily mean these are the main characters of the story. As the novel progresses, the reader is introduced to a host of other characters, all of whom the narrator is able to know to a more intimate degree than the typical omniscient point of view, which tends to focus on the thoughts and activities of a single character. These other characters comprise the majority of the upper echelons of the Middlemarch community, a rural village well removed from the bustle of the big cities that were then springing up in response to industrialization. Thus, Eliot’s epic is an epic in terms of the numbers of characters it encompasses as well as the numerous dreams and disappointments that make up their lives. In keeping with her statement regarding the comparison of art with life, Eliot illustrates the complexity of provincial life in her inability to contain a clear image of it within a single individual, instead inventing a new form of experimental novel in terms of form and content. Her narrative style links the story to art through its unique use of the picturesque, particularly as links are made between the people and the landscape, through naturalistic metaphors and even as connections are made between the characters and major figures of poetry. Through this depiction, a deeper connection between art and narrative form are made, illuminating the characters within frameworks of major artistic approaches debated at the time such as art for art’s sake or as a revelation of the sublime. Narrative linked to the picturesque The narrative technique employed in the novel provides a realistic means of viewing the characters that eliminates the self-delusion under which the characters operate so as to provide the reader with a more succinct understanding of their motives and desires while also understanding how these serve to hide reality from the characters. For instance, in one of the descriptions offered regarding the community, the narrator says, “In the prosaic neighborhood of Middlemarch, May was not always warm and sunny, and on this particular morning a chill wind was blowing the blossoms from the surrounding gardens on to the green mounds of Lowick churchyard” (Eliot, 1992: 292). This approach completely avoids the popular approach to literature and the picturesque during this era. “While the narrator calls this a ‘prosaic neighborhood’ which alludes to romantic ideals common in Victorian fiction by women writers, this narrative beauty is offset by the reality that everything was not always ‘warm and sunny’ thus indicating that life for the characters, unlike the ‘prosaic’ settings of other novels does not depict warm happy days or even the promise of romance – it is chilly and the blossoms fall victim to unforgiving winds” (Narrative Voice, 2007). Through the use of this nature imagery, the narrator is able to illustrate the exterior beauty that is seen within the characters dreams and aspirations in terms of the typical considerations of spring as well as the dangers of the unknowns and self-delusions in terms of the ‘unforgiving winds.’ “While it might have been simple and conventional for this unorthodox narrator to relate a tale of marital bliss, the narrator first offers a sentence akin to traditional Victorian romances and immediately negates it” (Narrative Voice, 2007). This is a consistent pattern seen throughout the novel on many levels. Use of Landscape As in her use of the picturesque as a means of providing insight into the action and events that are to affect her characters, Eliot allows the narrative to digress into consideration of the landscape as was expected during this period of literary history (Witemeyer, 2002). However, Eliot uses it to different means in terms of allowing it to further inform the reader. In passages such as that found in Chapter 12 as Fred and Rosamond travel to Stone Court, suggest a deeper connection to nature than that typically found in Romantic literature of the period, particularly that written by women. The passage reads, in part: “Little details gave each field a particular physiognomy, dear to the eyes that have looked on them from childhood: … and the stray hovel, its old, old thatch full of mossy hills and valleys with wondrous modulations of light and shadow such as we travel far to see in later life, and see larger, but not more beautiful” (Eliot, 1992: 93). In this passage, one finds all the traces of the picturesque and landscape description expected in a woman’s book of the Victorian period, but also something that runs deeper. There is a connection to scientific precision in the description, particularly as the unique physiognomy of the individual fields are depicted, as well as an acknowledgment of the deep human connection to such scenes through the element of time as our affections are increased by memory and familiarity (Witemeyer, 2002). At the same time, Eliot includes several important elements from the artistic vocabulary, such as balance of shape and form, texture of smoothly manicured and roughly wild, light and shadow and the peculiar effects of contrast and chiaroscuro. Web metaphor One particular natural element that Eliot employs as a major metaphor within her novel is the metaphor of the web, with threads reaching into every nook and cranny of society and whose owner and center are unknown and unknowable. Because of its far-reaching abilities, the image that immediately comes to mind when Eliot uses the term ‘web’ is that of the intricate patterns of the spider’s web, in which some strands are relatively predictable, such as the strands of family relationships, but others are less so, such as the strands of money and political power. While each individual character of the story appears to occupy a specific segment of the web, with many emerging as the possible spider, none are quite able to locate the center strand. Peter Featherstone, for example, can be seen to pull on various strands as he uses the promise of an inheritance to manipulate Fred and several other citizens both in and out of Middlemarch. Fred himself is seen to manipulate threads as he forces Bulstrode to write a letter of surety to Featherstone and in getting Mr. Garth to sign for his loan. Bulstrode also uses his monetary power to manipulate people in the town. However, none of these characters has enough ownership in the web to maintain control at all times. Fred is controlled by Featherstone, Bulstrode must answer to the actions of his past as well as remains constrained by his familial connections. In the end, even Featherstone is incapable of utilizing his power, dying with the key to his iron cask in one hand and a bag of money in the other, neither capable of changing Mary’s mind. The web metaphor runs much deeper than this cursory look. Gillian Beer (cited in Regan, 2001) illustrates its numerous manifestations including the spider’s web, the web of fabric and the composition of human tissue. However, this is sufficient to indicate “how, at every opportunity, the novel emulates the image of the web, promoting ‘a sense of inclusiveness and extension’” (Regan, 2001: 289). Compared to poetry While the author makes undeniable appeals to art and aesthetic sense through the narrative style, she also makes obvious connections between the novel and the works of past literary masters. This is particularly evident in her treatment of the character Casaubon and his relationship with Dorothea. When Casaubon is first introduced, he is done so in a way that immediately links him with Milton. His looks are compared with an image of Locke with a spare frame, pale complexion, precise nature and preoccupation with the ancient past. As Casaubon’s relationship with Dorothea develops, his character traits, particularly his fading eyesight and his despotic dependence upon a young woman become further recognizable as a parody of Milton. He is “the father-figure, steeped in classical learning, using up his eye-sight working on a project of epic proportions, desirous to have a talented reader, convinced that he is dedicated to truth but misunderstood by his contemporaries” (Martin, 2004: 215), all of which make him recognizable particularly to Eliot’s contemporary audience. However, in the delicate balance of parody, Eliot also presents Casaubon as distinctly unlike Milton. He is not comfortable with intimate conversation, is not interested in politics at all and confines his interests to questions of the Church in which he practices a ‘wide conformity’ (Martin, 2004: 215). In making this connection, as well as this distinction, Eliot is able to connect her narrative voice to the poetic traditions while making an argument for her own form of expression as being equally expressive and thought-provoking. Taking it deeper A discussion regarding how the narrative voice links the work of Middlemarch to the artistic tradition cannot be complete without a look into how the work compares the artistic theories of the time, such as the debate that raged between art as a tool of the sublime or art for art’s sake alone. Dorothea Brooke can be seen as a manifestation of the sublime. She is all about the deeper meaning, the greater connection and all that makes the sublime something transcendent from the real while attempting to remain grounded through a connection with the real. She does this by defining her desires as much as possible in socially acceptable terms. While dividing her mother’s jewelry with Celia, the deep color of the emeralds appeals to her aesthetic sense, but her sense of duty and decorum prevent her from being able to contemplate wearing the bracelet and ring in public. While she longs desperately for higher learning simply for its own sake, she is incapable of admitting that this desire is a selfish wish, but must couch it in terms of being properly useful as wife to a scholarly husband. Despite her attempts to adhere to socially acceptable roles and interests of women, Dorothea can’t help but place importance on emotional response rather than abstract reasoning in keeping with the sublime approach to art. Rosamund Vincy, on the other hand, exists as art for art’s sake. She is couched in terms of the picturesque, the obvious image splashed across the page with an absence of depth. She is trained at an expensive finishing school to be perfectly suited for life as the proper wife and hostess for an important man. She is intended to be little more than a useful ornament and has very few aspirations beyond fulfilling this role. However, upon acquiring it, she finds it to be empty, brittle and stale. While she tends to blame Lydgate for this failing because of his refusal to leave Middlemarch and his unwillingness to appeal to his wealthier relatives, the reality is that her position as what would today be referred to as a ‘trophy wife’ prevents her from being able to assist her husband in attaining the wealth and prosperity of her dreams. Had she been capable of bringing her own social contacts to bear in his favor through appropriately feminine means, things may have turned out differently for this couple. Conclusion Through this novel, Eliot continues to illustrate in numerous ways how art is capable of amplifying and extending contact with our fellow man in a way not found in any other way. By incorporating elements of art into her narrative form, she is able to explore the harsh realities of the small provincial town she envisioned as well as demonstrate how the entire truth remains hidden from those who live through it. She does not ignore the conventions of her time, such as an emphasis on the picturesque and landscape, yet she manages to imbue these concepts with deeper meaning than most female writers of her time. Through artistic metaphors and comparisons, she emphasizes the transcendent meanings, which are brought into even greater relief when one compares the characters of Dorothea and Rosamund. References Eliot, George. (1856). “The Natural History of German Life.” Westminster Review. Vol. 66, (July): 28-44 in Gregory Maertz (Ed.). (2004). Middlemarch. Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press. Eliot, George. (1992). Middlemarch. New York: Bantam Books. Martin, Catherine Gimelli. (2004). Milton and Gender. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. “Narrative Voice in Middlemarch.” (2007). Article Myriad. Available 28 January 2008 from Regan, Stephen. (2001). The Nineteenth Century Novel: A Critical Reader. London: Routledge. Witemeyer, Hugh. (2002). “Landscape and the Beholder in George Eliot’s Works.” Victorian Web. Available 28 January 2008 from Read More