Supplementing Meaning Through Illustration - Essay Example

Supplementing Meaning Through Illustration Poets and in the late 18th and 19th centuries utilized woodcut illustrations in the presentation of their works as a means of increasing their audience’s understanding of the theme or subject matter they were addressing. Poet William Blake, for instance, regularly used painted illustrations for his poems to assist the less literate make the deeper connections with the text he intended. In poems such as “London” he includes illustrations that convey a world of meaning regardless of whether the viewer was capable of deciphering the text on their own or had to await the privilege of someone reading it to them. In this poem, Blake conveys the idea that the Industrialized London controls and chains the human spirit through his decision to illustrate the poem with a stooped old man robed in the blue of purity, dejected, defeated and walking only with the aid of a cane. Although the man’s eyes are open, he is led by a small child as they move down an empty street. They are going nowhere and coming from nowhere, seemingly forgotten and doomed to wander for eternity in search of dignity. The overall impression thus conveyed is that of someone completely helpless to fend for himself in any way, which is exactly how Blake envisioned the people of Britain oppressed by both government and religion. This means of conveying meaning to the reader through the visual world of illustration was also helpful in the series publications of novels by authors such as Thomas Hardy. To understand why this was so and how it was accomplished, it is necessary to understand the social and economic conditions of London at this time in history as well as Hardy’s major concerns. With this background, it is then possible to more closely analyze illustrations published with Far From the Maddening Crowd (1874) in The Cornhill as expressions of Hardy’s ideas. Victorian London was still in the throes of the Industrial Age, just beginning to address the problems brought about by a sudden shift in the firmament. Everything that had previously existed as the foundations of living had shifted in the past 50 years. Economics shifted from an agrarian, land-based economy to one of business and commerce; socially ingrained concepts of class and position were eroding, allowing commoners to quickly escalate to the wealth and power of the elite and the elite to fall to the poverty and disgrace of the peasant; religious ideals were in turmoil as the Catholics and the Protestants continued their fight; and lifestyles were fundamentally changed as more and more people found themselves imprisoned within the walls of the ugly, dirty and polluted city thanks to poor working conditions and lack of adequate education. The implications of these changes became the subject of many novels written during this time period because, “until the advent of the television age, literature shared with print journalism the task of telling people things they didn’t know” (Salman, 1996: 18). During this period in time, despite evidence to the contrary, many people thought of poverty as a ‘moral judgment’, and sincerely believed that those in need of aid or support were in the state they were in because God saw fit to have them punished for their imperfections. “A preacher could spend his life surrounded by the squalor of a manufacturing town without feeling any twinges of socially radical sentiment, when he believed that many poor people were suffering for their own sins, and that the plight of the rest was the result of spiritual ordinances which it would be impious to question and of economic laws which it was foolish to resist; charity could alleviate the suffering, caused by these laws, but in any case the poor had only to wait until death” (Inglis, 1963: 251). It is difficult to look back from the modern perspective and gain an understanding of how these changes might have appeared to the people who lived through them. However, by carefully reading through some of the literature produced in that era, it is possible to gain a glimpse of their impressions regarding these changes. While some considered the changes to be positive signs of a prosperous and growing England, with an exciting increase in worldly importance, others viewed the bustling city in a much more negative light, in which individuals became lost members of a crowd and social ills became much more apparent (Kreis, 2006). The darkness that emerged in this time period, in the atmosphere of the cities and the disappearance or containment of the country, gave birth to a reactionary literary movement now referred to as the ‘Romantic Period,’ of which Hardy was a direct descendent. “The trio, Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey, are recognized as the founders and, as time progressed, Byron, Shelley and Keats were added in spite of the fact that this new group of poets denounced the older for political reasons” (Welleck, 2003). During the ‘Romantic Period’, the writers took part in a movement against the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment, where they protested (with their work) the ideals of those Europeans who sought to bring reason and ‘Enlightenment’ to the world. Grob, for instance, argues that Wordsworth’s purpose was to challenge the present social order that was focused on the “disorganized and directionless” (1973: 19) mode of existence found in “the fretful stir / Unprofitable, and the fever of the world” (Wordsworth, 52-53) and present a more favorable development. The Romantics expressed their defiance of the so-called ‘reason’ that both the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment brought to society. Hardy followed this tradition to some extent in his novel Far From the Maddening Crowd. The theme of the novel follows the changes that had been taking place in England. Gabriel Oak represents the common man who was able to make his own fortunes in the ownership of his sheep farm, but also the sudden reversals of fortune that could occur during these trying times. Bathsheba Everdene also serves to represent this type of reversal in the opposite direction as she suddenly finds herself with property, education and intelligence, all three of which were not typically provided to the woman of the day. Within the characters of Boldwood and Troy one can find vestiges of the common man made lesser elite through his own efforts and the lesser titled now down on their luck after spending their fortunes and desperate to continue the lifestyle of the gentry. In the relationships between Bathsheba and her many admirers, one can discern the Victorian debate regarding marriage – whether it should be something more akin to a business arrangement or the new ideas of a marriage founded upon sentiment. Throughout all of this is a trace of the Romantic desire to preserve a piece of the past in some form, even should it be merely the literary record of it. Hardy provides numerous country settings within his tale and had a keen sense of the idyllic in such scenes. Although he didn’t illustrate the story himself, he had definite ideas regarding how it should be depicted. He indicated “a hope that the rustics, although quaint, may be made to appear intelligent, and not boorish at all”, offering “a few correct outlines of smockfrocks, gaiters, sheep-crooks, rick-‘staddles’, a sheep-washing pool, one of he old-fashioned malt-houses and some other out of the way things that might have to be shown” (Hardy cited in Morgan & Russell, 2003: 416). Fortunately, the artist selected for the series was perfectly suited for the job. Helen Paterson shared many of Hardy’s ideas regarding the country and the ‘rustics’ or peasantry as it then was conceived. “An enthusiastic follower of the Idyllists, Helen Paterson had a profound love for the way of life of the English countryside and a sharp eye for rustic detail” (Morgan & Russell, 2003: 416). Her work is characterized by an often humorous approach to the subject as well as a sharp understanding of the individual’s placement within their familiar workspaces. This relationship between the human figure and the environment is explored in great detail within her work both in Far From the Maddening Crowd as well as elsewhere. Paterson provided twelve full-page illustrations and initial-letter vignettes for the story, most of which focus on Bathsheba and her admirers in groups of two or three and in active pursuits. There are two illustrations, however, that seem to present only a single character and are thus made to stand out within the text, focusing the reader’s attention on these two individuals. These are the depictions for July and September. Each of these illustrations focuses on a single female character and the emotions of her situation. At the same time, each manage to evoke deeper meaning regarding the common situation as it was experienced in these times as compared to how it might have been a century earlier. The illustration provided for the July issue is intended to illustrate chapters 30-33 and, specifically, is referenced to the incident at the end of Chapter 31 and beginning of Chapter 32 when “Bathsheba flung her hands to her face” as Boldwood takes his leave of her. In the illustration, the figure of Boldwood can be discerned in the distance, heading down the road and around a bend. He is a dark shape on the edge of awareness as he slips into the shadows and faces away and down from where Bathsheba stands. This downplay of his character suggests to the reader that Boldwood, despite his allegorical name, will soon be out of Bathsheba’s consideration but will remain hidden in the shadows until the appropriate time for his action arises. He disappears from Bathsheba’s life for the time being, but the reader cannot shake the feeling of a menace in the darkness. At the same time, the very darkness of this figure that serves to help it blend into the shadows also serves to provide the reader with an initial glimpse of Bathsheba alone in the image plane. This is striking enough in comparison with the other images that have featured two or three characters boldly that the reader finds it necessary to search the scene for the other character. Bathsheba’s white gown tossed in a wind against a darker, brooding background further helps her to dominate the scene and forces the reader’s eye to return to her again and again. A black bodice crosses her chest and emerges as the darkest point in the image, thus providing a visual clue that Bathsheba herself is the source of the extremes in her fickle dealings with others. Her struggle to contain these extremes is the source of the strong emotions she is experiencing and her confusion in the various battles she has had with her various ‘advisors.’ As the story indicates, at this point in her life, Bathsheba is torn between the words of her oldest friend Gabriel, her female friend Liddy, her heart that is infatuated with Troy and her practical logic that tells her the smart move would be to secure her financial and social future through an alliance with Boldwood. This is represented in the twisted skirt blowing about her ankles, the brooding forest behind, the head-high wild grasses to the side of the road and the dark clouds shown up above. Without the strong constraints of society upon her as a result of her country setting and her independent wealth, Bathsheba has the luxury of following her heart, but does not have the benefit of wise counsel. Here, again, the black bodice comes into play to indicate to the reader that Bathsheba is making an unwise decision by following her infatuation despite the advice of her head, which ultimately knows her other friends are correct. This is emphasized by her hands, which are held up to her head as if trying to keep what she knows internally from becoming known externally and preventing her from indulging in her desires. The September plate presents the first truly single image in the series as Fanny lies slumped against the side of a haystack. Her presentation is the opposite of Bathsheba in that she is dressed all in dark colors, complete with a hood to cover her head, from which peeks the blonde curls that distinguish her as Fanny rather than the more common star of the illustrations. This juxtaposition between the two women is significant in that Fanny is heading to the workhouse as her last resort while Bathsheba enjoys her wealth and independence. Fanny desires nothing but to marry the father of her child, yet this father intends to marry Bathsheba as a means of continuing his carefree lifestyle and in retribution for her ignorant misunderstanding in going to the wrong church on their wedding day. Bathsheba is presented as having too much education to have ever allowed this to happen to her. While Fanny is fertile and pregnant, thus already an experienced woman, Bathsheba, in spite of her name connotations, is presented as being virginal and innocent in love and politics. Finally, Fanny is heading for death, with nothing productive coming out of her efforts at life while Bathsheba is eventually provided the opportunity for life, and happy life, although no more fertile with Troy than Fanny had been. This is because Bathsheba was able to let go of Troy following his death where Fanny continued to hope until the end that she would be reunited with him. The difference in background scenery between the two images is also significant in helping the reader identify with the characters and understand their different positions in life. “Mrs. Allingham [nee Paterson] fills her engraving frame with haystack, wooden fences, farmyard and tall trees as background, making the slumped, pathetic figure of Fanny seem like a bundle of discarded clothing” (Jackson, 1981: 80). This is in direct contrast to the dominant image of Bathsheba only two months earlier, whose body is barely contained within the frames of the illustration, only allowing small segments of the background be seen around her. The white of Bathsheba in July seems to burst out from its small space while the folded black form of Fanny seems to shrink in on itself to the smallest dot. In this small, crumpled form of a woman destroyed by the gambling habits of an uncontrollable would-be husband, the artist is able to capture a sense of the woman’s plight as well as the hopelessness and lifelessness of the workhouse. Through her artwork, Helen Paterson Alingham is able to convey to the reader a strong sense of emotional connection with the female characters of the novel in such a way that deeper connections can be made within the story itself. The way in which the characters are illustrated, large or small, dominant or passive, black or white, active or inactive and in what way, all serve to highlight the deeper concepts of women’s issues, social issues and economic circumstances all within the framework of a somewhat nostalgic look at less complicated times and simpler living. It is a haystack that provides comfort to Fanny in her exhaustion and a roadway that brings distress to Bathsheba. At the same time, Fanny is seen within an enclosed space as the fence encircles the field while Bathsheba is without boundaries, surrounded by the wildness of the open grassland. Only by understanding the conditions of England when Hardy was writing this novel can one begin to understand how his first readers might have understood the images presented, but upon analysis, these images reveal that they convey much more about the story than one living in today’s modern world might at first imagine. Works Cited Blake, William. “London.” Favorite Works of William Blake: Three Full-Color Books. New York: Dover Publications, 1996. Grob, Alan. “The Empirical Phase: Tintern Abbey.” The Philosophic Mind: A Study of Wordsworth’s Poetry and Thought, 1797-1805. 1973. Hardy, Thomas. Far From the Maddening Crowd. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. Inglis, K. S. Churches and The Working Class in Victorian England. London: Routledge, 1963. Jackson, Arlene M. Illustration and the Novels of Thomas Hardy. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1981. Kreis, Steven. “The Origins of the Industrial Revolution in England.” The History Guide. (October 11, 2006). February 13, 2008 Morgan, Rosemarie & Russell, Shannon. “Appendix IV: A Note on the First Illustrator of Far From the Maddening Crowd: Helen Paterson.” Far From the Maddening Crowd. Thomas Hardy. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. Salman Rushdie. “How News Becomes Opinion, and Opinion Off-Limits.” The Nation. Vol. 262, N. 25, 1996. Wellek, Rene. “Romanticism in Literature.” Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia, (2003). February 13, 2008 Wordsworth, William. The Major Works Including the Prelude. Stephen Gill (Ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Read More