Inspection of an Icon in Hughes' The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton
Written: Aug 27 '06 (Updated Jun 02 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Engaging survey of middle class life and women in Victorian England.
Cons: Gets a bit too dry in spots, but never lost my attention either.
The Bottom Line: A very readable work on the role of women, books, magazines and homemaking that still reverberates today.
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| telynor's Full Review: |
There used to be a time that if you were a newlywed young woman in Britain or the vast reaches of the Commonwealth, one of the presents you were likely to recieve at your wedding was a book. It was usually a rather thick and massive book, full of tidbits of what was expected of the middle class lady of the house, how to prepare meals, instructions for handling servants, or at least the daily help, simple medical and scientific information, and being a general 'help all' book that was aimed at a single niche market. By the turn of the twentieth century, Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management was up to nearly two thousand pages, and was as firmly a part of the British psyche as the Queen.
But who was Mrs. Beeton? Since there had not been any sort of author blurb that has become standard in most books today, imaginations ran riot as to just who she was. Was she an advertising image, such as the modern 'Betty Crocker'? Or perhaps she was like today's Martha Stewart, dominant and stern, ready to reprimand the slightest slip in domestic caretaking. And Mrs. Beeton has survived into the modern day, there are still books being published with her name on them, full of advice on cooking, cleaning and the suchlike.
Kathryn Hughes' book The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton takes on both the topic and the book, giving the reader a glimpse into middle class English life in the nineteenth century and a very intriguing woman. Born into a numerous family -- Isabella would have more than twenty full, half and step-siblings -- Bella Mayson grew up as a caretaker of her mother's numerous brood, and still managed to gain an education and found herself with a flair for foreign languages. She was also bright, witty and blessed with a certain charm and prettiness, all desireable qualities in a woman, and soon Isabella had a suitor: Sam Beeton.
If Isabella was sensible and practical, then Sam was the high-flyer of the pair. Full of schemes and ideas, but rarely having the luck of foresight to get the best out of himself or the product, Sam instead worked at a feverish pace, and sometimes wasn't above using shameless self-promotion. He also faced stern opposition from Bella's family, who thought that he did not and would not have the means to support Bella properly. But the young couple were in love, and Hughes uses their letters to one another to show a courtship that was full of passionate feelings, and despite everything, they were wed and soon setting up house together. Sam was starting to show promise as a printer and publisher, and the couple were looking forward to starting their own family.
But tragedy hit in the form of a long series of stillbirths and miscarriages for Bella, and it was no doubt to distract herself that she turned to writing an advice and homemaking column in Sam's magazine, "The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine," which would form the nucleus of the later Book of Household Management. Both Sam and Bella kept up a feverish pace, both home and abroad, and Bella would become influential at writing and marketing the latest fashions from Paris, developing a chic style of her own.
A dark secret was lurking at the center of the marriage, one that would explain the failure of Bella's children to thrive -- Sam had contracted syphilis during his bachelor days and transmitted it to Bella in the early days of their marriage. It is quite likely that the doctors nor Sam ever told her that she was infected, and that combined with the never-ending stress of working and managing a home as well as numerous pregnancies would end with her death at the age of twenty-eight. Sam's career would continue on a downward spiral, with one hideous incident of pornography ruining his business and the tertiary stages of syphilis cutting his own life short.
But Mrs. Beeton's Book would become a bestseller, but neither Bella nor Sam ever saw a profit from it. In more capable hands, it went through revisions, new editions, and changes, and conversely, would recieve a critical battering in the twentieth century and be known as the 'book that ruined British cookery' as tastes changed to a more Mediterranean style of diet. Researchers claimed that Beeton had cribbed most of her recipes that formed the bulk of the book -- more than 900 pages worth in later editions -- and that the book was mere fluff, and badly written fluff at that.
Hughes work in this is fluid and entertaining, detailing the life of Isabella Beeton, her husband, and two surviving sons. Small chapters called "interludes" take the various myths about the Book, and show the truth that lay behind it. But this is more than a biography of a woman and a book. Hughes also looks at the sexual mores of the time, religious attitudes, the rise of consumer culture and the middle class, and the use of cheap magazines in both advertising and education. It's a fascinating read for anyone who thinks that they know what the Victorians were all about and the cult of the homemaker -- I found my assumptions challenged over and over again, and Hughes uses a particularly dry wit in talking about her subjects.
There are several line drawings, several photographs of both Bella and Sam, and an extensive set of footnotes and bibliography that will encourage further research. Hughes draws on surviving journals, letters, newspapers, court documents and contemporary authors to flesh out her story and manages to remain objective throughout it all.
This book was very entertaining to read, and helps to show that sometimes things never change. The sections on the use of magazines I found fascinating. For anyone interested in the art of the domestic goddess this is a welcome addition to their libraries. Hughes has also written a survey on The Victorian Governess. Fans of the series 1900 House will find it interesting that the book that Mrs. Bowler is consulting for recipes and tips is none other than Mrs. Beeton's Book. Five solid stars for this one.
This book has been adapted into a film released by the BBC and shown in the United States as The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton.
Happily recommended.
The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton: The First Domestic Goddess
Kathryn Hughes
2006; Alfred A. Knopf, New York
ISBN 0-307-26373-8
Recommended:
Yes
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telynor
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