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Wives and Daughters
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Wives and Daughters: Week 1: Chapters 1-7
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One of the first themes that stands out in this instalment are the social structures and dynamics in Hollingford, nothing surprising for its time of course. The Cumnors of course are at the top of the pyramid and all the others in town are ever pleased to oblige at any request/command. Mr Gibson is welcome at the Towers, even invited to meals and strikes up a strong friendship with Lord Hollingford but otherwise than matters of medicine and science, distances are maintained.
Likewise is the case with the Hamleys. Mr Hamley may not be educated and somewhat not socially outgoing as a result but shares a friendly relationship with Mr Gibson. While that extends to having Molly over to visit, no thought of anything deeper is acceptable—and so Molly must be kept out of Osborne’s way at all costs.
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Family relationships and those between parents and children are another. In the Gibson home, with Molly as the only child and that too a girl, things are both simpler and more complex. Her father loves her and cares for her, but with his schedule as doctor and having to take on pupils, more for duty than need, he must send her away against his will to protect her when an unwelcome proposal from Mr Coxe is made.
At the Hamley house, Mr Hamley his been deprived of a proper education for his father was ‘plucked’ at Oxford. He does not wish the same for his own sons and despite Roger showing little promise academically is fair and makes sure that both Osborne and Roger get the same opportunities. Yet, it is clear that both Hamleys think little of poor Roger. While Osborne has been blessed with good looks and a good brain, and even writes poetry, it seems Roger is big built and comes across as clumsy, doesn’t read poetry and isn’t academically talented either. Yet he isn’t without talent—for he has strong knowledge of nature and is a scientific sort (at a time one couldn’t earn such degrees at Cambridge).
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Possibilities of love and romance stream through the book as well. We learn of Mr Gibson’s marriage with his former partner’s niece, Mary and her death very early which left him heartbroken, others who were perhaps hoping for a proposal and Squire Hamley’s suggestion that Mr Gibson might remarry (he is still only 43). Mrs Kirkpatrick seems to also be paying him some attention.
For the younger ones of course, at this point the focus in more on preventing than encouraging romance as with Mr Coxe and Molly, the latter still unaware of his feelings and at the Hamleys between Osborne and Molly at any rate. This is of course only the start.
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We’ve met a fair few characters in this first instalment:
Mr Gibson and Molly
Clare Kirkpatrick: former governess at the Towers and now back there
Mr and Mrs Hamley: landed family
Roger Hamley (heard about at least): scientific and interested in nature
Osborne Hamley: handsome, brilliant and a poet
The Miss Brownings (Phoebe and Lucy): spinster sisters, one a possible ‘match’ for Mr Gibson?
Lord Cumnor: Earl
Lady Cumnor, Lady Cuxhaven, Lady Agnes, Lady Harriet: Lord Cumnor’s wife and daughters
Lord Hollingford: Eldest son of Lord Cumnor, a widower and scientifically inclined
Betty and Miss Eyre: maid and governess, respectively at the Gibson home
Mr Coxe and Mr Wynne: Mr Gibson’s pupils
In these first few chapters Molly becomes one of my favorite female characters in literature.
Thank you, Lady Clementina, for the detailed and interesting summary and analysis. I've been enjoying Wives and Daughters a lot, more than I expected because it was a DNF for me at some point in the past, even though I had already loved a lot of Gaskell's other books. Now I'm loving the one too. I'm curious about how the events of the first chapter, when Molly was only 12, are going to be important as the book goes on. And I'm just generally curious what role all the people we've been introduced to are going to play. Gaskell has done a wonderful job of sketching out a lot of characters who I'm interested in spending more time with.
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I suspect we will soon see how the events of the first chapter shape up things to come. It especially helps us get an idea of one character who will begin to play more of a role later. The others of course do have a part too.
I was surprised to read the following thoughts of Dr Gibson:Don't teach Molly too much: she must sew, and read, and write, and do her sums; but I want to keep her a child, and if I find more learning desirable for her, I'll see about giving it to her myself. After all, I'm not sure that reading and writing is necessary. Many a good woman gets married with only a cross instead of her name; it's rather a diluting of mother wit, to my fancy.I wonder what is foremost among his fears: Having Molly educated beyond her social position, or having to come up with a dowry for a wedding of which he disapproves?
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Glad you picked up on that quote Jim; it's interesting to consider also vis a vis the time EG was writing about--set around 30 years prior to when she was writing--women's education/what is suitable was also quite a question of debate around the time of teh Reform Bill I recall from George Eliot's discussion of it in Middlemarch and this was even prior in terms of setting.
As for Mr Gibson, it might well have been a social thing. I don't think Dowry would have bothered him considering Molly was an only child and he seemed in no way (at least s far) concerned with money or miserly for that matter so it was may be more a question of the norm as also perhaps not wanting a daughter who might 'get out of hand'. But I liked that things turned on him with Molly turning our fairly well read even if she conformed to social norms.
At first sight, the quotation is sobering coming from Dr. Gibson who is otherwise presented as a rather liberal man. When re-reading it, however, this sentence began to stand out: "if I find more learning desirable for her, I'll see about giving it to her myself."
He may not be sure whether a woman should be "learned" at all, but if she is, he is quite sure that he does not want her to get the kind of learning usually provided by governesses. Which turns out not to be a bad idea, given the result.
The section where Dr. Gibson considers Molly’s education is shocking to modern sensibilities, but his thoughts would probably not be out of place in the time of the story. Dr. Gibson is a very complex character. He loves his daughter dearly and is protective of her (perhaps over-protective). He is well-thought of and can be quite amiable, but still keeps a part of himself in reserve. He is highly intelligent and enjoys the company of men of science. I think his decisions about Molly’s future and about his own marital status will be crucial to the story. I’m concerned that he may fall for Mrs. Kirkpatrick. She can be kind at times, but her careless behavior with Molly reveals her great self-absorption. She wouldn’t make a very good stepmother to a sensitive girl.
Even though this is another re-reading for me, I am already picking up on things which within the density of Elizabeth Gaskell’s meaningful writing might easily be missed. Here are a couple that sprang out at me this time. I have liked the way our author has compared and contrasted Lord Cumnor with his son Lord Hollingford.
’ so all the time the ladies were in the room he (Lord Cumnor) kept on his running fire at Molly, alluding to the Sleeping Beauty, the Seven Sleepers, and any other famous sleeper that came into his head. He had no idea of the misery his jokes were to the sensitive girl,..
The drivel that the ‘warm and generous’ Lord Cumnor spouts flows incessantly and is sometimes intensely hurtful. He may not have realised the harm he was doing when making an extended joke of Molly’s oversleeping, but his (and many of his family’s) lack of empathy for Molly’s plight terrified the young girl.
Lord Hollingford, however is seen as ‘cold’ and reluctant to engage with others, when in fact he is just being careful to ensure that what he says and does is understood and, to an extent, welcomed.
Molly’s ordeal that day made me think about the tokenism practised by the gentry when putting on such events, something which the author may have wanted to draw attention to. The whole charade of the visit to the big house by the ‘school visitors’ only emphasised the yawning privilege gap that existed then, and, for many, still exists today.
In these early chapters, Elizabeth Gaskell makes a great effort in describing and explaining the relationship between Dr. Gibson and his daughter. There are numerous examples of their interactions in the text and many reveal a complicated relationship which nevertheless is founded on absolute trust. Molly did have a formidable nurse as well as a governess and her father was out at work for long periods during her upbringing. What developed was a mutual respect that seemed to go beyond the usual Victorian father/daughter relationship. Although not explaining everything, this short quote comes closest to describing their affinity.
’ The child grew to understand her father well, and the two had the most delightful intercourse together—half banter, half seriousness, but altogether confidential friendship.’
Wikipedia provides concise accounts of the widespread and enduring ‘Seven Sleepers’ legend, of which I only knew fragments.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_S...
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Gaskell does a lovely job of introducing us to the characters with their personality quirks and flaws. They seem very “real” to me at this stage.
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That was my impression too-his ideas were probably in sync with the times. That was one reason why I thought of Middlemarch where 'proper' education for a woman also comes up.
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Lady Clementina, Moderator
(last edited Jul 14, 2024 06:44AM)
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Re the Tokensim, as you rightly say a lot of it goes on at present as well, in different forms perhaps. As long as gaps and class remain (and they can never really go away), I assume that this will too. Both the condescension on the one side and awe on the other contribute in a sense.
Though I don't think Lord Cumnor intended any harm (or as you say even realised he was causing it). I wonder if it was also meant to point to Molly's being unfamiliar with the fairy tales--re Mr Gibson's thoughts on her not needing to read at all.
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Glad you're enjoying it Renee, I remembered these as longer too. The insight they give us into Mrs Kirkpatrick's character is certainly telling.
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Lady Clementina wrote: "Social Structures and DynamicsOne of the first themes that stands out in this instalment are the social structures and dynamics in Hollingford, nothing surprising for its time of course. The Cumno..."
Lady Clementina wrote: "Social Structures and Dynamics
One of the first themes that stands out in this instalment are the social structures and dynamics in Hollingford, nothing surprising for its time of course. The Cumno..."
Lady Clementina wrote: "Social Structures and Dynamics
One of the first themes that stands out in this instalment are the social structures and dynamics in Hollingford, nothing surprising for its time of course. The Cumno..."
Thank you, Lady Clementina, for this detailed breakdown of themes. I noticed that Gaskell has a knack for creating main characters who can straddle multiple social tiers at once. In her first novel, Mary Barton. you have a father and daughter who can interact with all rungs of society, very similar to what is happening here.
I think the main commonality with both pairs is education, or rather, a progressive take on education. Also, both fathers have occupations that allows them to rub elbows with everyone (i.e., priest and doctor).
Thank you again for leading this read!
Jim wrote: "I was surprised to read the following thoughts of Dr Gibson:Don't teach Molly too much: she must sew, and read, and write, and do her sums; but I want to keep her a child, and if I find more learni..."Hey Jim, I also made a mental note when I came across that same passage.
I feel that Dr. Gibson is aware that Molly is a precocious child already and more education would make her a threat in the patriarchal structure. My other guess is that Dr. Gibson thinks she would feel confined in a formal education. In either case, I think it is her father's way of protecting her without voicing his emotions, which seems to be one of his leading attributes thus far in the book.
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One of the first themes that stands out in this instalment are the social structures and dynamics in Hollingford, nothing surprising for its t..."
Thank you Daniel; it's an interesting point you bring up re Mary Barton, since I didn't consider these in terms of common features one being her industrial/social novel and this being a family related one, but it is true. The Priest/teacher father was in North and South though. Mary came in contact with the upper classes by virtue of her job in the clothes shop.
Lady Clementina wrote: "Daniel wrote: "Lady Clementina wrote: "Social Structures and DynamicsOne of the first themes that stands out in this instalment are the social structures and dynamics in Hollingford, nothing surpr..."
Yes, North and South . I don't know why I was thinking of Mary Barton . In any case, thank you again for these themes and summaries.
We meet Molly Gibson, daughter of the Hollingford surgeon, the widowed Mr Gibson, who had arrived some years ago, with rather mysterious antecedents but strong credentials as partner to the previous incumbent, Mr Hall. The former soon secures his place in town and amongst men of science too, striking up a friendship with Lord Hollingford, heir to the Cumnor title and a scientific man himself which only deepens as the two exchange views and interact. Mr Gibson is also warmly received at Cumnor Towers where he attends the family. We also find that Mr Gibson is also good friends with another, far older, landed family, the Hamleys, comprising Mr and Mrs Hamley, the latter London-born, sensitive and well read, while their two sons are away at Cambridge, there being great expectations of distinction from the older, Osborne.
Molly when we meet her at age 12 is invited perhaps unwittingly by Lord Cumnor to the annual visit at the Towers at which ‘visitors’ to the school run by Lady Cumnor and her daughters are invited to spend the day. Excited and initially enjoying herself, she soon gets tired out and falls asleep to be ‘rescued’ by Clare Kirkpatrick, former governess at the Towers and now a widow, who might have ‘helped’ Molly but who isn’t the most considerate of women happy to shift the blame for her own errors onto poor little Molly.
Fast forward a few years, and when Molly, now 17, brought up essentially by the maid Betty and governess Miss Eyre (her father being busy and having to be away for much of the day) almost receives an unwelcome proposal from one of Mr Gibson’s pupils (he is obliged to take two) Mr Coxe, Mr Gibson decides to send her on a visit to the Hamleys. Mrs Hamley has been keen to have her and the initial part of her visit goes off well. Mr Hamley likes her and is welcoming too but when the visit must be extended on account of Miss Eyre having to be away longer than expected, things take on a different colour. It was to avoid the effects of ‘calf love’ that Mr Gibson sent Molly away and now with Osborne and Roger expected back home, Mr Hamley, eager to do the same no longer wants Molly there.
The danger is partially averted for now as the handsome Osborne has been invited to travel with a friend, and no one senses much danger from Roger (in any case, he is in no position to marry young).