Oh how I loathe thee, over verbose tacticians of written monotony. Seriously! Who has discussions like these? Why do they think anyone besides a college professor (no offense Teach) or other literary critics would appreciate this type of writing. Then again... maybe I'm just being cantankerous. (Yes I used that word in a sentence, correctly even.)
Although I plowed my way through, what I once again saw as unnecessary vocal drivel, I can't say that I was particularly enlightened by what was there. Seeing Edgeworth's writing characterized as little more than a vaudevillian tactic to drum up amusement and support was a bit disappointing. Seriously when Egenolf quoted Kenneth Lynn saying that "Edgeworth thus becomes a minstrel character, performing what Kenneth Lynn refers to as “a white imitation of a black imitation of a contented slave," I was slightly bothered. I've heard some people refer to the Irish as the blacks of Europe, but I can't imagine that a statement like this is being used without a slap in the face attitude. Then again I can only get so upset by it considering how much of America's own entertainment history shares such a common thread.
I think perhaps the most persuasive pieces in this article are those linking dialect and clothing to a subversive culture and attitude. I think one of the most amusing things presented for us is the story of Mary Leadbeater's friend "a loyalist officer, was able to safely travel by post in the midst of the revolution, “disguised in a round hat and great-coat over his regimentals." In my mind it just evokes series of amusing scenes from movies where the 'good guys' steal the 'bad guys' uniforms and sneak into places that they shouldn't be. To think that this tactic worked because someone at some point decided that a particular style of jacket was going to be considered quintessentially 'Irish' is absurd to me. Then again I wasn't living at that period of time so much of what I look back upon will seem rather foolish.
A lot of this article draws back onto my feelings that the level of English persecution and mockery truly harmed the culture of Ireland more than people give it credit. There seems to be a lot of poking fun or commenting on the ineffectual nature of the Irish rebellion of 1798, which to me, seems quite unnecessary. They seriously seems to trivialize the hundreds of reasons that the Irish had for rebelling with the although we get a glimpse that, indeed, some people did get it with James Alexander's “A Curious Letter, Supposed to Be Written by a Penitent Rebel" from Some Account of the First Apparent Symptoms of the Late Rebellion in the County of Kildare (1800). "Alexander offers a fairly scathing critique of the burning of Irish houses by the government and the practice’s certainty of creating more rebels," one which I had the pleasure of having on hand to point out the truth behind one of the largest unaddressed matters.
Then again these are just the random ramblings of a crazy college student, please discuss.
WS
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While you and I have some of the same conclusions about "Rackrent" and "Maria Edgeworth in Blackface" I have to say I disagree with some of your interpretation. You say "Seeing Edgeworth's writing characterized as little more than a vaudevillian tactic to drum up amusement and support was a bit disappointing. Seriously when Egenolf quoted Kenneth Lynn saying that "Edgeworth thus becomes a minstrel character, performing what Kenneth Lynn refers to as 'a white imitation of a black imitation of a contented slave,' I was slightly bothered. I've heard some people refer to the Irish as the blacks of Europe, but I can't imagine that a statement like this is being used without a slap in the face attitude." and I don't believe thats' what Egenolf was saying all.
ReplyDeleteI think the connection was more by using different characters and exaggerated dialects Edgeworth introduces you to the Irish farmers and peasants in a way that is "safe" and "comfortable" for the upper class. Similar how to blackface minstrelsy was used to make whites comfortable with blacks. The intention is to make that group, in this case the upper class Anglo-Irish, not feel threatened. So by making fun of customs, traditions, and classes of people Edgeworth was able to give a voice to a otherwise voiceless group, while at the same time removing the danger of her actions. Similar to blackface in 18th and 19th century America, where by over-exaggerating dark skin, big lips, and an over eager need to please, the threat was removed and those in power got to keep their power.
That being said, "Castle Rackrent" wasn't the novel for me either. Maybe the next one will be easier to identify with! :)
Hey Wicked Seraph,
ReplyDeleteReading your blog I found it very interesting how you believed Edgeworth’s blackface portrayal of Thady to be nothing more than a “vaudevillian tactic to drum up amusement and support.” While I completely respect your opinion I have to say that I think that there was a little more to her blackface portrayal of Thady than that. I honestly found her use of blackface to be quite clever in that she was able to interject all of her political views and opinions about the Irish rebellion of 1798 into the novel, though not directly, while still not having to deal with all of the backlash that usually comes with such claims. By using literary blackface and taking the voice of an uneducated, overzealous steward, Edgeworth was able to distance herself from the character, while making it easier for the reader to dismiss anything that Thady said without getting too worked up. “Set apart from society, believed to be mentally inferior and immature, black characters could express serious criticism without compelling the listener to take them seriously.” (864)
I found the point that you made about the level of persecution and mockery toward the Irish being uncalled for and causing a lot more damage to their culture than people realize to be very interesting. Though I completely agree with you that the level of persecution and mockery towards the Irish was far too high, I was curious as to what part of their culture you found to be affected by this mistreatment. I also agree with your statement about the British trivialized the reasons for the Irish rebellion. I feel like they made them seem like savages running around with torches and heads on sticks with nothing better to do than causing violence.
I really enjoyed reading your blog and hopefully you will find next weeks novella Carmilla to be more your taste, depending on your view of vampires that is☺
Fay,
ReplyDeleteThere was always something that bothered me about the Egenolf article, and I think you were able to articulate it in your post for this week. You write,
"Seriously when Egenolf quoted Kenneth Lynn saying that "Edgeworth thus becomes a minstrel character, performing what Kenneth Lynn refers to as “a white imitation of a black imitation of a contented slave," I was slightly bothered. I've heard some people refer to the Irish as the blacks of Europe, but I can't imagine that a statement like this is being used without a slap in the face attitude."
Perhaps you didn't intend this in your post, but you made me realize that while for a lot of the Irish their condition *was* akin to slavery, for many this was not the case. In _The Absentee_ Edgeworth makes this connection between slavery and Irish tenants, but in reality, the indigenous Irish were a complex group belonging to various social strata. Egenolf's analysis also doesn't take into account that the main campaigners of the 1798 uprising were not necessarily poor peasants, but middle-class to wealthy Anglo-Irish men who read John Locke and Thomas Paine and believed in the ideas of the Enlightenment. So, while I see how Edgeworth may be "signifying" with Thady and putting on a "minstrel show" to ameliorate the very real anxiety of rebellion, the signifying doesn't take into account the anxiety stemming from members of the Catholic middle class or the Anglo-Irish United Irishmen. Egenolf's analysis also does not take into account the differences between Thady and Jason who belong to the same class. If Thady is signifying, what is her intention with the character Jason?
In any case, thank you for pointing this out some of the fallacies hidden in Egenolf's argument. While I still think it's a strong essay, I think you're right to point out some of its issues.
Finally, be careful about bemoaning the difficulties of these texts too much. While I know that a lot of these books and essays are hard, complaining about them just isn't productive for class discussion. I know they're hard, but you're a smart and capable reader :)