Straightlaced Saturday — Lady Audley’s Secret

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, January 19, 2019 

victorian novels

Welcome back to Straightlaced Saturday!  I’m toying with a new feature, that will complement the era of my steampunk serial, Copper, the Alchemist, and the Woman in Trousers. 

My thought is to give you some information about novels written in the Victorian Era of the real world, along with a link where you can get the book for free! 

I may or may not have read the book, depending.  Either way, I invite your discussions about the novels here, in the comments.  Think of this as a reverse book club.  We can discuss whether or not it’s something we want to read, or simply general thoughts about the book.

I’ll begin with… 

Lady Audley’s Secret

victorian woman text behind-1077958_1920
Pixabay

This is one I haven’t read yet, but it caught my eye right away.  In fact, it’s partly what gave me the idea for this feature.  Some of the thoughts it brings up are very current. 

Lady Audley’s Secret is an example of a type of fiction the Victorians enjoyed — the sensation novel.  

The Sensation Novel

Romance and realism had traditionally been incompatible types of literature.  Sensation fiction brought them together.  Many of these stories were allegorical and abstract, but that gave the authors room to explore scenarios that wrestled with the social anxieties of those famously straightlaced Victorians.

The “loss of identity” is part of many sensation fiction stories because that was a common social anxiety.  This worry is reflected in novels such as The Woman in White and Lady Audley’s Secret.  

Project Gutenburg Link to Lady Audley’s Secret

If you want the book and have trouble accessing it, let me know and I’ll send you a Word file or PDF.

Now about this novel — I’ve assembled some details about the story, based on Wikipedia’s summary.  I hope it will stir your curiosity, just like it did mine.

Lady Audley’s Secret is a story about gender and class – and a woman’s “objectionable upward mobility.”

It might also be a true crime story.  The novel mirrors many of the same themes from the real-life Constance Kent case of June 1860, which gripped Great Britain with headline news for years.  

1867 harpers weekly wikimedia
Harper’s Weekly, January 1867

The first installment of Lady Audley’s Secret as a serial came out about a year after the Kent murder.  The novel, like the real-life case, featured a wicked stepmother (and former governess who married a gentleman), a mysterious and brutal murder in a country manor house, a body thrown down a well, and characters fascinated by madness.  

The novel plays on Victorian anxieties about the domestic sphere. The home was supposed to be a refuge from the dangers of the outside world, but in the novel, well… to avoid spoilers, we’ll just say that isn’t the case in this novel.

Anxieties about the increasing urbanization of Britain show up in the novel.  The city gives Lady Audley the power to change her identity because it renders its citizens effectively anonymous.  The small town of Audley is no longer a refuge where everyone knows the life story of every neighbor.  The residents of Audley must accept Lucy Graham’s account of herself since they have no other information about her past.

***

If my life wasn’t in utter chaos right now, I would have dug into this story on the spot.  However, even if you don’t have time to read it, the topic alone is interesting. 

Copper, the Alchemist, and the Woman in Trousers continues on Hidebound Hump Day.  Next time, the “three things” driving the story are Broken Knife, Sea Urchin, and Potable Water. 

My chuckaboos, I’ll be looking for you at the steampunk submarine port on Wednesday.  

***

Now some shameless self-promotion. 

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This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright ©  2019 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

 

67 thoughts on “Straightlaced Saturday — Lady Audley’s Secret”

    1. Hi Joanne. The news headlines are proof that is true! 🙂
      I was kind of surprised that the Victorians would have true crime type books, but I suppose they weren’t all that different from us after all.
      Thanks for taking time to join the conversation. Mega hugs!

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    1. Hi Michael. Great! I thought it would be fun to explore this general topic of Victorian novels.
      Thanks about the cover image. I really enjoy making them. It’s a composite of free images from Pixabay. Thanks for taking time to visit. Hugs!

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    1. Thanks for dropping by, Marje. Oh, I know what you mean. There are so many more books I’d love to read that I’d have to live to be 200 years old to get to them all.
      With these posts I’m really just inviting discussion of the various topics in the books, and of the Victorians themselves. I will always have a link to a free book in case these discussions make anyone want to read the book. I think of it as a “reverse book club” — talking about a book we might not even read.
      Have a wonderful new week. Hugs!

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  7. What a great idea Teagan. I haven’t read this one sounds fascinating and I love the cover. If my list wasn’t already bursting at the seams I would dive into it. It will have to be on my future read list:) Sorry you are dealing with a lot of chaos and hope it settles down..

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    1. Thanks for taking time to visit, Denise. Ha. I’d best make friends with chaos, because it will be my companion until I’m in my new/old cottage. My agoraphobia is wreaking havoc with me getting there.
      With these posts I’m really just inviting discussion of the various topics in the books, and of the Victorians themselves. I will always have a link to a free book in case these discussions make anyone want to read the book. I think of it as a “reverse book club” — talking about a book we might not even read.
      Have a wonderful new week, my chuckaboo. Hugs!

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    1. Hi Jacquie. I found the serial part interesting too. I haven’t researched your question. However, I know that the novels of Charles Dickens were originally serials. There were still a lot of people who didn’t know how to read, and one would buy the periodical, and someone who could would read it to a group. It’s fun to imagine a group at a pub listening to someone reading story episodes from Dickens, or this one.
      Thanks about the header image. It’s a composite of Pixabay images I put together. 🙂
      Happy weekend hugs!

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  11. I also haven’t read this particular book, Teagan. I have heard of it. I love the sound of it and the real-life possible crime connection. As you know, I enjoy history. A great idea, Teagan. Who else is Victorian? Dickens, Austin, Bronte.

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    1. Hi Robbie. I’m delighted that you like the post-topic idea. Yes, many of the classics were written in the Victorian Era. I intend, for the most part, to use lesser known books. But then… there is so much that I don’t know — I might land on some that other people know well. However, I have a very obscure novel ready for next Saturday. Hopefully I make an entertaining post of it.
      Hugs on the wing!

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  12. What a great book to share, Teagan. I’m not speaking from experience because I’ve never heard of it, but I’m going by what you’ve said about it. Besides, It takes place in a favorite era, so I’m interested. Stay warm and dry this weekend.

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    1. Hi, Mary. I was actually stunned to see how well known the book apparently is. There are a number of “real book” editions out there too. Of course I can’t know how accurate of a depiction of the real world it was, but I like that it is supposed to parallel a real life event (the crime).
      It is one ugly day here, my friend. I know it must be much colder where you are. Crystal and I are making good use of the electric throw blanket. Sunshine super hugs!

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        1. I shudder to think about the amount of snow you get with any given storm Mary. I just wish that I had been able to get the place in NM soon enough to avoid another winter here… LOL, come visit and we’ll write a romance-steampunk-fantasy set on a pistachio ranch with a giant pistachio. 😉

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  13. I hadn’t heard of this book, Teagan, but I’m intrigued by the history of how literature has evolved according to changing social norms, and how books push the envelope into new frontiers. Fascinating post, my friend. ❤ Hugs.

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    1. It’s good to see you, Diana. I wasn’t familiar with this one either.
      The main reason I decided to try this (what to call it? a recurring topic?) is because I was surprised to see how many book topics that I thought were “modern” were also popular with the Victorians. With this one the commonality with now is more in the themes. However, I will be sharing others that surprised me for their genre.
      Thanks for visiting. Mega hugs right back! ❤ 🙂

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    1. Thanks for your feedback on the idea, Andrea. The summaries gave away too much of the story. But for those who want to know all, It is at Wikipedia, and other places. There are several “real book” versions, too.
      I appreciate you taking time to visit. I hope you’ve gotten over any straggling remains of the virus you had. Happy weekend hugs.

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    1. Thanks, Staci. They are Pixabay images, except for the Harpers Weekly — It’s from Wikimedia. (The title image is one I combined.)
      I’m still having Internet issues reaching your lovely blog. I will try and reach you through Facebook. I think that was how I managed before. Have a beautiful weekend. Hugs.

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    1. It’s good to see you, Lavinia. I’m expecting this to be a good one. I hope to sit down with it once I get settled. Learning that it has a “true crime” aspect makes it even more intriguing.
      Thanks for your encouragement. At least the chaos distracts me from how over the top my agoraphobia has become. It’s like an absurd news headline, “Agoraphobic Woman Chooses to Move 2000 Miles — Mission Impossible!” This is the biggest challenge of my extremely challenging life. I’m not the same person I was ten years ago… But somehow I have to do it.
      Hugs on the wing.

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  18. Anxieties about the increasing urbanization of Britain abound show up in the novel.

    There have always been two sides to that coin. One was escaping one’s personal history and the other the loss of the social capital that a person or a family has accumulated. Cities have historically been viewed as evil and risky as well as liberating.

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  19. This sounds like a very interesting story. One aspect is personally interesting. After college, I moved from a small town where everyone seemed to know me and every member of my family, to New York City. It was hard not to notice how anonymous I had become.

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    1. Thanks, Dan — that’s a fascinating part of this conversation. I grew up in a tiny town, but I was always isolated, so when I moved to the city I didn’t really feel the anonymity more than I already did, but I learned what it was like to be alone in a crowd.
      I wonder if the Victorians who experienced that felt it less than we do, since our cities are so much larger now? Or maybe they felt the anonymity at least as much (maybe more) than we do, because it was a new thing? It would be interesting to delve farther into that aspect.
      Thanks for taking time to visit. Mega hugs.

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      1. The funny thing for me is when I go to NYC now. I still feel that anonymity when I walk around and attend events, but when I go to The Molly Wee Pub, I feel at home. The bartenders never last too long, but I’ve seen the same one from visit to visit, and I’ve seen some patrons I recognize. It’s easy to strike up a conversation there, too, so it feels a bit like I’m home.

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        1. The Irish pub downstairs from my office felt like that too. (I’d pick up my lunch order there about once a week, and take it back to the office to eat.) Although they tended to have a really low turnover rate with their staff. I told them they need to open a branch in NM. Oddly they didn’t seem crazy about the idea. LOL.

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  21. This may sound corny, but sometimes chaos can lead to clarity. I hope the chaos enveloping your life can lead to great things, dear friend. Can’t wait for more, but will do so, patiently (ok, maybe not patiently) until the chaos flows away. You’re the bee’s knees, Teagan, you be you. 🙂
    Wishing you a weekend filled with peace and lessening of the utter chaos. 🙂
    Mega small changes in complex systems can have big, unpredictable effects (chaos theory and Jeff Goldblum, perfect combo lol) hugs xoxoxoxox

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    1. Hi Donna. It’s always wonderful to see you. Ah… Jeff Goldblum — what a perfect thought for a Saturday morning! 😀
      Yes, my agoraphobia is a monumental challenge right now — even more so with trying to get into a different home. Otherwise (aside from that questionable-if-I-can-overcome obstacle) it’s a good chaos. Just hectic.
      You’re so kind to take time to visit. Mega hugs right back!

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    1. Thanks for your kind encouragement, Hook. Yes, my agoraphobia is a monumental challenge right now — even more so with trying to get into a different home. Otherwise it’s a good chaos. Just hectic. I appreciate you visiting. Mega hugs!

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  25. Great idea! The book sounds intriguing for sure, and from recent non-fiction books about the Victorian era I’ve read, the background to the story makes perfect sense. As I’m working on a translation set in the era I’ve downloaded it as it would be a great resource, although no idea when I’ll get to read it. Thanks, Teagan!

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    1. Thanks, Olga! I had similar thoughts about the book — particularly about making time to read it. With preparations for the new (to me) cottage, I had to fight myself not to dig in right away and read it. Happy weekend hugs!

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