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Ellen Glasgow and the Victorian Morality in the South W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1930 Ellen Glasgow and the Victorian Morality in the South Margie Pitman Clements College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the American Literature Commons Recommended Citation Clements, Margie Pitman, "Ellen Glasgow and the Victorian Morality in the South" (1930). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539624422. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-3660-1527 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WXRW GlASGOt A® 2H£ TICIGBIAt BOEAim I t fBS 30OTH muss s la s s o w Am m VICTOBlAJff M0KA1ITT XJT THE SOTTTH Margie Pitman Clements m m m m tm m p ab tiae m m t m m m OF THE BSOTIEEMiHTS OF the mimm m Am mm for. ttedegree of U&&TBB. OFAHTS THE PURPOSE OP THIS THESIS IS TO SHOW THAT ELLEH GLASGOW IS NOT IN SYMPATHY WITH THE VIC­ TORIAN MORALITY AS IT EXISTED IN THE SOUTH. SUMMARY Yhis thesis contains concretemodern definitions of morality by Friedrick Paulsen* Wickham Steed* Walter lipp- man* and James fruslow Adams; it contains a list of Vir­ ginia conventions which were affected by Victorian Morality — conventions concerning democracy* family tradition* the church* woman *s work* divorce* the double standard of morals* and keeping up appearances. Following this is a discussion of the rise of the middle class in the South* through popular education and the gaining of wealth after the War between the States; and the effects on morals of the World War. fo show that Bllen Glasgow is interested in morality, there is next a list of the phases of morality treated in her novels* followed by a connotation of the usage of "mor­ ality w and kindred words in all her books* with exact use and page reference. Since Miss Glasgow is a Virginia by birth and tradi­ tion* there follows a list of reasons that show she is un­ usual in the attitude she takes in her novels—an attitude opposed to sentimentality and the following of the Victorian tradition in the South. Yhere follows a discussion of the general ideas of morality stressed in each novel, fhis is done in chronological order so that the development of Miss Glasgow's theories may be noted. At the end is a short con­ clusion, summarizing Miss Glasgow* s belief in truth and hon­ esty as opposed to hypocricy and sham. X COKSHWS A* Some modern definitions of morality !• Definitions by Friedrick Paulsen 2# Definitions by Wickham Steed 3ft' D e fin itio n s by W alter Xippman 4# Def inttions by James Iruslow Adams B. the effect of Victorian morality upon Virginia conventions 1# limits of the period treated 2« list of Virginia conventions a* Conventions concerning democracy b* Conventions concerning family tradition Oft Conventions concerning religion A* Conventions concerning business for women A. Work for married women: housekeeping S. Work fo r unmarried women 1* Housekeeping 2« School teaching 3* Marriage a# Conventions concerning the marriage bond A* Divorce Bi Continence Conventions concerning keeping up appearances Oft Steps * in the change of conventions in the South 1« Effect on convention of the War between the States a. Bise of the middle class b* Popular education o.« Materialism 2ft Effect on convention of the World War B. Statement of the thesis I, Phases of morality treated in her books 1# Democracy 2ft Family tradition 3* Heligion 4« Emancipation of women Si. Marriage 6ft Divorce 7* f r u th as opposed to sham Ft Usage of morality and kindred words in all books 9ft Connotations of "morality" and kindred words P a rt I I A. Ellen Glasgow's background,; unusual for her attitude S. General idea of morality stressed in each book I* (the Descendant 2# Phases of an Inferior Planet 3* fhe Voice of the People 4# ihe Battle-Ground 5ft The Deliverance 6« fhe Wheel o f l i f e 7* The Ancient law 8. fhe Romano© of a P lain Han 8# The Miller of Old Church 10ft V irg in ia lift life and Gabrielis 12. The Builder© 13. On© Ban in His Time 14. Yke Shadowy fh ird 15. Barren Ground 16. fhe Romantic Comedians 17. they Stooped to Folly 18. fhe Freeman and Other Poems P art I I I Conclusion 1 In the early nineties, Friedrich Paulsen, at Berlin University taught "that the moral I m is the social law »• a law contingent, changing ant changeable, as circum­ stances might ordain—Commmities set up standards of mor­ ality, some hearing upon the preservation of the community Itself* Custom enjoins upon individuals the observation of these standards* the standards themselves may vary from time to time, from class to class, and from community 1 to community." Mm no longer considers the soul as the ruler of the passions* Saeh impulse may conquer all other impulses if they will let it. Bertrand Bussell says: *A sin g le desire is no better and no worse, considered in isolation, than any other; but a group of desires is better than another group if all of the first group can be satisfied, while in the second group some are inconsistent with o th e r!* n M orality i s th en © t r a f f i c cop to he op many desires going at the same time without collisions* through human experiences "men acquired their knowledge of the value of courage, honor, temperance, veracity, faithful­ ness, and love, because these qualities were necessary to 1* Steed, Wickham, "Watchdogs and Morals,n Outlook* May 7, 1S30. 2, lippman, falter, A Preface to Morals. p* lid* 0 survival and to the attainment of happiness,” It can easily be soon that "In a world whereno man desired what ho could not have* there wo aid he no need to regu- 4 late human conduct and therefore no mod for morality.” fames TtubI ow Mams defines morality as "that por- tion of human thought that stew from and Is controlled by *1 ought" as opposed to either *1 want" or "I must*" He says man is not a creature of reason, but one of "im­ pulse, emotion, action*” therefore there are two codes of laws for morality* one—the oivii,—telling "you must;” 6 the other—the moral—telling "you ought*" the hipest aim of the moralist has always been "to procure the great* 6 eat happiness for the greatest number*” fhe church, in teaching morals from dogmatism that does not rest on ra­ tional grounds, causes its members either to stifle the conscience or to disregard it utterly* A stifled con­ science causes certain inhibitions which react unfavor­ ably upon the mental and physical man. fhe sexual appe- tits—even when it is lawfully gratified—has always been looted upon as a thing to be hidden from sight; "411 that is known under the names of decency and indecency, concur 0. Ibid* p* 227. 4 , fM S* p# 14b. § . I3S 5s, James fruslow , "Why Be Good?” Forum* Hay, 1920, p* 294. 6* lecky* William, History of Euroipean Morals* ¥ol*I, p* 0 to proving that we tow an innate* tofcuitiwe perception that there is something iagtodtog. t o the sensual part of f ............ m r mtuxQ*1* something o t which one it* ashamed* mm&thing which one doesm t attribute to a perfectly holy totog* PessibXy toeamw of Ibis feeling* six great leaders of morel teaching—Xiice Socrates* ^ m -9 eat St# ?auX~~taught the raXao of asceticism to a good Xif#—and possibly the pr&ct ice of asceticism let to a prejudice ag&inet the habits of the heap* & content for its natural sad neces­ sary function, which in turn loft toa shame for bodily passions* In m age of moral confusion*-an age in which ■ a sort of indirectness end hfpooriof mao pmotieed—each a# the reigh of Queen fietorlo^iimm thought that they «•«** ooa<itt«p the paaslans hy covering thee«f. *hi« l » s led to ridicule of the period celled the Victorian* which la now always associated with the Idea of atom* this condition of Victorian morality existed, mot only la toglaai, tot also to'toeriea* ant especially to the South, where the inhabitants inherited the elegant,and feat idioms manner of the toglito court# this tofXmemcti known as the T lot or lan* tooted mot only through Queen 1fie~ torla,e life time, tot to seme parts of the South it Is ¥* Ibid* p* 5, S« ISf^ws*, Walter, on.cit* p* 165; the Deliverance* p* 381. 4 living today; its Influences w ill die only with tbs passing of ths present oldest living generatlon-relloe of tbe regime of tbe old aentiiBent&l South. the ehar- acterlsttos of morality in tbe Victorian period is tbe South were sot always tboee of direct affeotios and de­ ception; bat a ten&enoy to put tbe best foot foremost, to make tbe best of things—sometimes wben there was no best—to make tbe desired and expected Impression of g e n t ilit y . Victorian morality—tbe gentle art of hypocrisy practiced in tbe South daring the latter part of Queen Victoria's reign—affected every phase of tbe Souther­ ner’s life. Only a man of "blue blood" could aspire to high office in tbe state—no matter what his ability-, and on rare occasions, when a man of tbe lower classes did rise politically, be was put la by a ring who wished him 9 as a tool to further their own ends.
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