Castle Rackrent
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THE DOUBLE-VOICED NARRATIVES OF MARIA EDGEWORTH, SOMERVILLE AND ROSS, AND ELIZABETH BOWEN By SARAH MARGARET MALLONEE A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2009 1 © 2009 Sarah Margaret Mallonee 2 To my grandparents 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My acknowledgements are many and heartfelt, but they start with three people who make every day better than the one before. I start with my parents, then, who most recently reminded me, with a kindness and graciousness unique to them, that they were in this with me ―for the long haul.‖ That it has been. What they signed on for took some time to see to its completion, but for their unwavering, unimaginably strong support, I am totally humbled and forever grateful. John D. Mallonee, M.D. and Elizabeth Heard Mallonee, M.A. set high standards for their children and this has always helped me keep a strong work ethic, a dedication to my goals, and an enthusiasm for all that I endeavor; I thank them for that. In the same breath that I thank my parents, I thank my constant companion, Elliott N. Gamsey, who brings the ―make it so‖ attitude to our lives and readily shares the tenderness, strength, and joy that emanates from his heart and his hands. What I should be most thankful for, I suppose, are the many songs, videos, comics, articles, and bits of news Elliott has used over the years to keep me sane along the way. My genuine gratitude goes to my committee for ushering me through the challenges and celebrating the triumphs. I am especially thankful to Julian Wolfreys for getting me started on this project and to R. Brandon Kershner, my chair, for ultimately taking on a greater responsibility than he planned. I would most like to acknowledge Dr. Kershner‘s gracious and insightful guidance that improved my work tremendously. I thank Judith Wallick Page for helping me to believe that I could finish this project and realize my goals. Chris Snodgrass, I must say, saved the day, and I am so grateful for the way he came to my aid just when I needed it the most. And, I thank Jessica 4 Harland-Jacobs for helping to keep this project historical and accurate, and for an early recommendation that stayed with me and informed the project immensely from the first ideas to the late stages of development and composition. It has taken substantial contributions from many throughout the Department of English at The University of Florida to see this project to fruition. I am grateful, especially, to the following: Kenneth Kidd and Phil Wegner, Graduate Coordinators, and Kathy Williams, Graduate Secretary, for keeping up with me, my forms, my status, and my progress, even when it felt like my path was uncertain; I thank also, Sidney I. Dobrin, Pamela K. Gilbert, Peter L. Rudnytsky, Malini K. Schueller, and Jeri White. I also owe a special word of thanks to John Van Hook, research librarian at the George A. Smathers Library at The University of Florida, for helping me to navigate the archives, databases, print, and electronic resources at many stages in this project. Having found a home at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida has brought with it a whole host of helpers and much-appreciated members of my support team. I am deeply indebted to the administration at the college, including Dr. Edwin Massey, President, and the Board of Directors for approving my sabbatical; Dr. Henri Sue Bynum, my Vice President; and Dr. Fontly Corrodus, my Dean. I am deeply thankful for each and all in my department, and would also like to give a special nod to Matthew Brooks, John Carpenter, Ray Considine, Lori Fry, Rick Hofer, John Kennedy, Ana Ozuna, and Tammy Powley. I saved April Van Camp and Steve Knapp for last in order to honor the pivotal role they play in my day-to-day life and in my successes— small and large. For April, I can say only that this is a matter of the heart where admiration and adoration mixed fortuitously and helped me see how to get this PhD 5 done. For Steve, it is a matter of grand proportions who as a mentor, coach, and supporter worked some magic to get me through the rough stuff and to the good stuff. There is another small cadre of IRSC faculty and staff who offer me so much in the way of friendship and guidance: Robin Britton, Christin Ranne Hunter, Marta Kendrick, Dennis Loehr, Dr. Jack Maxwell, and Quan Zheng; my thanks to all. My faithful friends have been amazing confidantes, counselors, and cheerleaders all along the way; from the first heady days of college at Tulane to the determined days in the summer of the dissertation, I have leaned on one and all to get me through. My friends really did see me through it all: Ben and Tonya Bain-Creed, Bruce and Beth DeVane, Maya Dodd, Wendy Schwartz Donohue, Michael Furlong, Emily Garcia, Traci Klass, Phil Lounibos, Meg Norcia, Lorraine Ouimet, Patrick Rickerfor, Nishant Shihani, Keara Sodano, Harun Thomas, Margarida Tree, the Victorian Studies Forum group, all the quilters, and my many comrades on the grads@english listserv. For three consecutive summers, I had the great privilege of hiding away in Gainesville with just my books, my laptop, and the library. The fabulous crews at the Residence Inn and Lakeshore Towers took care of the rest; I am most grateful for the comforts and conveniences of these homes away from home. I owe a special acknowledgement to the bats that lived in the balcony walls at Lakeshore Towers; I thank them for reminding me to appreciate the everyday wonders of the wild. My own domesticated wild things, Samson, Blue, and Gypsy, too, have been my comfort and joy throughout, never leaving my side, and putting in the long hours right along with me. 6 And lastly, to explain my dedication of this project to my grandparents: like the Irish ghosts who haunt the authors within this dissertation, these four amazing people live eternally through my adoration and my devotion to their legacies. My greatest mission and my greatest delight remain to honor the unique embodiment of Keith- Heard-Hobbs-Mallonee that I am. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 11 2 MARIA EDGEWORTH‘S IRISH NARRATIVES: WHERE CONTRADICTIONS MEET ...................................................................................................................... 34 Castle Rackrent ...................................................................................................... 37 Ennui....................................................................................................................... 47 The Absentee ......................................................................................................... 60 Ormond ................................................................................................................... 74 3 NARRATIVES NEGOTIATING DEMISE: SOMERVILLE AND ROSS .................... 92 An Irish Cousin ....................................................................................................... 92 Some Experiences of an Irish R. M. ..................................................................... 109 The Real Charlotte ................................................................................................ 124 The Big House of Inver ......................................................................................... 137 4 CROSSING THE THRESHOLD: ELIZABETH BOWEN‘S CREPUSCULAR NARRATIVES OF A CULTURE IN DECLINE ....................................................... 151 Early Stories and Ann Lee’s .................................................................................. 153 The Last September ............................................................................................. 164 The Heat of the Day .............................................................................................. 178 A World of Love .................................................................................................... 186 5 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 197 LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 202 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................... 205 8 Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy THE DOUBLE-VOICED NARRATIVES OF MARIA EDGEWORTH, SOMERVILLE AND ROSS, AND ELIZABETH BOWEN By Sarah Margaret Mallonee December 2009 Chair: R. Brandon Kershner Major: English In this dissertation I trace the double-voiced nature of the narratives of Edgeworth, Somerville and Ross, and Bowen. These Anglo-Irish authors transmit the intricacies and complexities of their shared socio-historical culture. As daughters of the Protestant Ascendancy conquering class, Edgeworth, Somerville and Ross, and Bowen lived in the Big Houses of Ireland, and many critics claim they hid behind the simplistic, single- paned perspectives their Big House windows offered them. By reevaluating