The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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Wyllard's Weird
Mary E. Braddon Collection
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Wyllard's Weird - Vol III, Ch 8 (The Last Link) to the end.
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At some point after finishing, I remembered that Heathcote had children. I thought it a bit strange that he never really mentions them or thinks about them, as far as we get into his head.
I liked the way Braddon handled the Hilda/Bothwell thing. Hilda didn't shut herself away and cry when she heard about Valeria (though, as mentioned last week, she probably should have spoken to Bothwell). She took the opportunity to do something she really wanted to do. And Heathcote, instead of freaking out about it, trusted to his sister's good sense. Bothwell, back home, started his work and was well established by the time Hilda returned. I wonder if Braddon had been rolling her eyes at the way female protagonists were often portrayed by male authors.
My only criticism on the "character" count is that Dora and Heathcote may have been written a bit too perfect.
I haven't read any other Braddon novels, but this one impressed me and I've added more to the list.
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Good point about the children-he was willing not only to miss Hilda's wedding but also left his children in the care of their governess for a very long time when he decided to extend his stay in Paris to pursue the mystery.
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Lori wrote: "I liked the way Braddon handled the Hilda/Bothwell thing. Hilda didn't shut herself away and cry when she heard about Valeria (though, as mentioned last week, she probably should have spoken to Bothwell). She took the opportunity to do something she really wanted to do. And Heathcote, instead of freaking out about it, trusted to his sister's good sense...."While I’ve mentioned that I wasn’t a big fan of Hilda running away, I agree with Lori, I was impressed with the way it was handled once she was in Paris. For a woman to be on her own fulfilling her own desires and for her brother to trust in her ability to take care of herself and make intelligent choices was ahead of its time.
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My only concern was that I wondered if she might fall in love with one of the sons of the household, but this being a Victorian novel I guess no heroine (other than Dora!) could be untrue to her first love.
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I have so much trouble keeping this straight from The Claverings that when Florence was mentioned, it took me a moment to realize it was the city and not a woman's name!
There is a certain feminism in this story in that Hilda sets the terms for the marriage and decides what will be good for their relationship, rather than just being grateful a man has proposed to her. Also she pursues her own interests, as mentioned above. Trollope probably wouldn't have given as much agency to a woman. I was a bit annoyed that after Hilda was discovered by her brother, he had to review her situation and make sure he approved of the family and her endeavors.
Frances wrote: I'm hoping that Dora will get pregnant if and when she marries Edward...I hope so too, and I expect she will. I think the barrenness of her marriage to Julian is supposed to somehow symbolise its essential hollowness because of his long deceit. Although it will obviously be a long wait for Heathcote, I think that Dora's loyalty to her flawed husband underlines her essential goodness.
Until Lori mentioned it, I hadn't noticed that Heathcote never mentions his children. Yes, that is a little disturbing...
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And I think Heathcote would be the type to like Dora less if she showed any disloyalty to her husband, even if it were in his favor. This might include being too quick to marry again after Julian's death. But hopefully she doesn't wait too long. They deserve to be happy.
Everything wrapped up satisfactorily for me. Ultimately, I was happy that Dora found out what her husband had done. I think that was probably very hard to reconcile with the fact that he was her husband that she loved, though. Perhaps trying to recover from such a shock, and not only losing her husband, was a cause of Dora taking so long to come back to Heathcote. I do think that they will ultimately marry, though, and I had been thinking while reading the book (and assuming they would find their way to each other again) that Dora might end up bearing children with Heathcote. I am also happy with Bothwell and Hilda's ending, that Bothwell was able to live for himself with the hope that Hilda would come back to him, but that was not the only reason he was building his house and taking on students. It seemed he was finally doing it for himself and not simply because he had a wife on the horizon.
And good riddance to Valeria!
This was my first book by Braddon, and reading it was such a pleasure that it will make me take notice of her other books for future reading. Thank you for this great moderator pick.
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I really enjoyed the ending of this book, even though I had guessed much earlier than Wyllard was the murderer (when they found the door in the Paris apartment). I did find Dora's reaction a little contrived, as someone said earlier just too perfect. I would have expected either more shock or anger at discovering that the man you have loved faithfully for 7 years had been guilty of murdering three people.The final scenes reminded me a great deal of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, the same confession while the virtuous have built lives for themselves beyond reproach, their former slight sins having been forgiven.
This is the first Braddon novel I have read and I think that I might read more, but not immediately. Considering the volume she wrote I worry that the themes might be a bit repetitive.
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Agreed-even if she continued to love and look after him for the remainder of his life, i would have expected some shock and anger. This is something that really seems to permeate so much of 19th century lit-the feminine ideal that loves wholly and completely and subsumes itself in it's object of love-I remember noticing this so strongly in Dickens-wives and sisters and daughters and granddaughters who would devote their lives with apparent complete self-sacrifice and no resentment at all to often quite unworthy recipients. We see this in both Hilda (who is otherwise a very strong and independent character) and Dora. Only our "bad" female character, Lady Valeria, shows any sense of having some importance in herself beyond serving her husband, and of course in her case it becomes a betrayal of a good man.
How have our characters fared? Bothwell put in his hard work and dedication to his life's plan, and won back Hilda by proving his loyalty and his worth.
As for Lady Valeria
That winter of widowhood at Monaco, with her staunch ally Sir George Varney in constant attendance upon her, had made a curious change in Lady Valeria. It had vulgarised her with that gratuitous vulgarity which has become of late years one of the leading notes in English society—the affectation of clipped words and slang phrases, the choice of vulgar ideas, the studious cultivation of vulgar manners. Naturally this acquired vulgarity of Mayfair is not quite the same as that of Brixton or Highbury. There is not the genuine ring about it. The accent is the accent of Patricia, but the words are the words of Plebeia. It is, however, all the more offensive, because of that blending of aristocratic insolence—that Pall Mall swagger which gives ton to the idioms of Hoxton and Holloway.
Harsh words for this character and for aristocratic society in general.
What did you think of Dora's long recovery? Will she marry Edward, or be a perpetual widow? What do you think of their prospects if they do marry?
What did you think of the novel overall? Would you consider it an early mystery or a character-driven novel, or something else? Had you read other Braddon novels, if so how does this compare? if not, are you inclined to do so now?
Please share your final thoughts as this read wraps up.