A critical exploration of Irish Society at the end of the 19th century Essay Example

multiple factors, including the Irish Famine of 1845-48, the Land War of 1879-82, and the Irish Land Acts. 'The Real Charlotte' serves as evidence of this decline through its portrayal of the Dysart family of Bruff, who live in opulent luxury on a property modeled after the Martin family's Ross estate in Co. Galway. Despite their high position in Lismoyle's social hierarchy, they are still affected by this overall decline.

We learn about the societal status of the characters at Lady Dysart's lawn-tennis party. Lady Dysart holds these events as a duty to her neighbors whom she deems vulgar. This may indicate that the Anglo-Irish landowning families had a responsibility to host such gatherings for their tenants. Although Lady Dysart finds the conversation dull and uninteresting, she still shows tolerance towards class differences and engages in meaningful discussions with Charlotte Mullen, whose social standing means little to Lady Dysart as she can converse with her on a range of topics including spiritualism, books, and current affairs.

The presence of a social divide in Lismoyle society is apparent when we discover that Lady Dysart, being of English origin, is unable to distinguish the "delicate nuances of Irish coarseness." This serves to highlight the disparities that existed during Ireland's late 19th century, specifically between the Anglo-Irish aristocratic families and the indigenous population. Lady Dysart's social status is also worth examining. She married Sir Benjamin Dysart, a man thirty years her senior, due to "some judicious coercion," and her marriage has been "extremely unpleasant." Thus, it is clear that she wed for monetary gain and social standing rather than love.

During the late 19th century in Ireland, it was

typical for women to be urged to marry into affluent families. Lady Dysart expresses her worry about her offspring, Pamela and Christopher, finding appropriate partners. Lady Dysart is slightly anxious about their indifference towards romantic affairs. Pamela's kind and cordial demeanor towards everyone may hinder her chances of finding a partner, as she is considered too friendly towards men and is thus deemed destined for spinsterhood.

Furthermore, Captain Cursiter is not being encouraged by Pamela's mother to propose to her - a situation which would have resulted in Pamela being seen as a societal 'failure' due to her failure to secure a husband, a crucial aspect of upper class women's lives during the late 19th century Ireland. Pamela symbolizes the values upheld by the big house ascendancy families, while also foreshadowing their eventual downfall. This is also evident in her brother Christopher, the eventual landlord of Bruff estate and heir. Lady Dysart shares her concerns about her son's apathy towards marriage, as she believes that "quite hopeless to expect anything from him" in the company of Miss.

The Lismoyle residents consider Christopher Hope-Drummond to be reserved and polite, but find him unprofitable and dull due to his disinterest in flirting with their daughters and discussing local matters. They do not appreciate his intellectual fastidiousness and university career achievements, disregarding his lack of interest in traditional manly occupations such as hunting and music halls. Despite being an heir to a landed estate like Bruff, society expects him to conform to a playboy character, which he chooses not to follow. Additionally, they disapprove of his platonic philanderings and deem him as humble-minded.

Christopher is presented as an atypical man of

the Big House Ascendancy during the late 19th century, indicating his different character traits. He also demonstrates weakness in dealing with his agent Mr Lambert's misappropriation of funds from estate accounts, revealing a forgiving nature that may result in retaining the agency. Such a kind approach may have been commendable, but Anglo-Irish landlords in the late 19th century would not have found it advantageous as their standing in society was already being undermined.

Christopher displays some strength of character when he falls in love with Francie Fitzpatrick, despite his father's past benignity towards tenants leading to near ruination of the family estate in the 1840s. At the height of his love for Francie, Christopher's power of self-mockery is dead and he has gotten past the age of reason. While proposing to Francie, he loses his last shred of common sense in her tender eyes. However, after her rejection, his determination wanes and he resolves that disillusionment also means relief.

According to Julian Moynahan's analysis in Anglo-Irish; The Literary Imagination in a Hyphenated Culture, Christopher's failure to display aggression denies him the ability to love, per the psychological law established by Freud and Darwin. This ultimately means that the Dysart family heritage cannot continue through him. Somerville and Ross are astute observers of the decline of their own community, as noted by John Cronin in The Anglo-Irish Novel - Volume ?; their portrayal of the social conditions among the Big House Ascendancy class in the late 1800s is vivid and revealing.

The novel by Somerville and Ross provides valuable insight into Irish society's middle class during this era. In particular, the characters of Charlotte Mullen and Roddy Lambert represent

an "expanding provincial middle class" (Moyhanan) comprised of affluent middle-class members who were able to purchase estate land and become landed proprietors for the first time under the Irish Land Acts. However, this new class was often pejoratively referred to as 'grabbers' by poorer peasants who could not afford to purchase leaseholds. It is possible that Somerville and Ross shared the peasants' negative perception of this social class, which could explain why Charlotte and Lambert are portrayed as unsavory and untrustworthy characters.

We take particular notice of Charlotte Mullen's unscrupulous ambition and manipulative nature. Her motivations include avarice for wealth and land, a hunger for social elevation, and an intense longing for Lambert. Indeed, Somerville and Ross derived inspiration from a real-life individual for the creation of Charlotte's character. As Gifford Lewis notes in the introduction to "The Real Charlotte" (Dublin: A. & A. Farmar), "Charlotte Mullen was a study of a cousin [of Edith's] in Castletownshend called Emily Herbert. She was ugly, powerful, intelligent, a bully and capable of underhand dealings."

According to Edith, Emily was like a modern woman who had turned wicked. Edith was upset because Emily had deceived the Somerville family and prevented them from receiving an inheritance from Edith's great-aunt Fanny. This is mirrored in the novel when Charlotte does not fulfill Mrs. Mullen's request for her to care for Francie. Charlotte ends up kicking Francie out of Tally-Ho Lodge due to her refusal to marry Christopher Dysart.

The expressed desire of Charlotte for social advancement demonstrates her avaricious and ambitious nature - a characteristic observed by Edith in Emily Herbert. Charlotte's ability to adjust her behavior based on the social situation

is also indicative of her social aspirations, as noted by Declan Kiberd in Inventing Ireland: "The ambiguous status of Charlotte Mullen...".

Charlotte is able to communicate with confidence to the lady of the manor and also use the Irish language to intimidate her tailor, Danny Lydon, or her English language skills to scare the washerwoman tenants in her cottages. This highlights her crafty nature and she is not like the amiable person she pretends to be around the Dysarts. Charlotte expertly manipulates other characters with her sheer will. Her plan to acquire the leasehold of Gurthnamuckla and pretend to be as grand as other ladies in the country is a striking example of this. However, Charlotte's desire for Lambert is thwarted due to his marriage to Francie.

Charlotte's plans to "stable their horses together" at Gurthnamuckla are no longer possible, leaving her feeling "helpless and broken" and "aimless for the rest of her life". This suggests that the middle class 'grabbers' had limits to what they could achieve through ambition and craftiness, despite their ability to acquire land and imitate the aristocracy. Lambert, an egotistical and pompous character, also experiences despair from unrealized ambitions. It is revealed that his position as the land agent of the Bruff estate gives him an "unassailable" position in society, and his good looks, wealthy wife, and new house have placed him at the top of Lismoyle's visiting list.

By spending his wife Lucy's money in a flashy manner, the protagonist shows that he is materialistic and tries to impress the upper class. However, this behavior proves self-destructive and leads to his downfall, as he cannot maintain his extravagant lifestyle on

borrowed funds. Charlotte and Lamberts' characters also display a strong desire to climb the social ladder, yet they fail to do so. This highlights the prevailing idea in Irish society at the time that social status was largely predetermined by birth. The Ascendancy class was an exclusive group that could not be infiltrated by those from the middle class attempting to grab at influence. Through their portrayal of middle-class characters in Lismoyle, Somerville and Ross provide insight into Irish society's mid-tier during the late 19th century.

Somerville and Ross satirically highlight the pretentions of the middle class through failed emulation of Bruff during Mrs. Beattie's raspberry party. The little glaring dining room crams too many people, while the guests upstairs rattle the windows with their dancing. The Lismoyle residents are depicted as gossip mongers, revealing Somerville and Ross's dislike of the Irish middle class. Lambert acknowledges in his letter to Charlotte announcing his marriage to Francie that they are always eager to get the wrong end of a story.

Mrs Corkran and Mrs Baker criticized Francie when she returned to Lismoyle as Mrs Lambert, labeling her a "young hussy." According to Robinson in Somerville and Ross: A Critical Appreciation, this scene portrays the superficiality and snobbery prevalent in the society being depicted. The authors also use Francie Fitzpatrick's character to highlight the contrast between the upper and middle classes in Irish society. She is carefree, lighthearted, and unaware of social conventions, as seen when she arrives to stay at Bruff feeling uncertain and unaccustomed to visiting grand houses. However, her behavior with Mr. Hawkins leads to her departure from Bruff in shame and Lady Dysart

deeming her an "adventuress." These events demonstrate that the behavior and lifestyle of the Ascendancy class were more refined than those of the middle classes.

The depiction of the Fitzpatrick family in the novel highlights the social disparities between the Ascendancy class and the middle class in Irish society. Initially presented as a prosperous family who reside in Mountjoy Square, they later move to the small and unpleasant Albatross Villa due to Mr Fitzpatrick's poor business dealings. This decline in their social status reflects the author's own experience of leaving the Ross estate to live in Dublin. Like the Martins, the Fitzpatricks are forced to live a life of genteel poverty which Francie experiences as a "squalid monotony of hopelessness" after experiencing the refinement of Bruff.

In addition, the satire of middle class society in Somerville's and Ross' work can be seen through Mrs Fitzpatrick's lack of ability to perceive dirt due to her non-English background. It is also noted that she chooses to skimp on necessities in order to provide her daughters Ida and Mabel with hats that are just as ornate as their neighbors'. This emphasizes the pretentious behavior often exhibited by the Irish middle class. Overall, Somerville and Ross highlight the correlation between a person's position in society and their moral standards in late 19th century Irish society.

The authors provide a clear portrayal of middle class Irish society at the close of the 19th century, as evidenced through details such as sixteen year old Ida's participation in outdoor and illicit flirtations with a degree of precocity typical of her societal grade. However, to fully analyze Irish society during this time

period, it is imperative to also examine the authors' representation of the Irish peasantry - consisting of the indigenous Irish populace and comprising the lower echelon of society.

The novel portrays the lower class as mostly Roman Catholic, while the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy families were predominantly Protestant. Somerville and Ross demonstrate a thorough understanding of the society's behaviour, customs, and speech during late 19th-century Ireland. The authors accurately depict the Irish peasantry's speech, exemplified by Norry the Boat and Mary Holloran conversing in Hibernic speech, and Mrs Lyndon speaking Irish to her husband. Such vivid and precise portrayal of conversations would require a firsthand experience that only a skilled writer possesses.

The customs and beliefs of the Irish peasantry are showcased in the narrative. For instance, during Julia Duffy's funeral procession, Norry the Boat prepares for the Irish Cry, involving women wailing over the dead at funerals. The prevalence of superstitious beliefs among the native Irish is also noted, as Norry the Boat thinks of the Banshee when old Mrs Mullen dies. Additionally, Charlotte's visit to Gurthnamuckla reveals Peggy Roche's belief that giving her dying son alcohol is a mortal sin. The authors' detailed portrayal of these traditions and beliefs highlights their ability to write about the lower class of Irish society.

Through the authors' portrayal of the beggars in Gurthnamuckla, we gain a clear picture of the lower class Irish society in the late 19th century. As Francie approaches, she encounters a repulsive-looking old man, Billy Grainy, who speaks in a nasal mumble peculiar to his class and tries to scrounge money from her. Even Francie, skilled in repelling Dublin beggars, feels afraid of

his red eyes and clawing fingers. Nance the Fool is also presented as a frightening character, described as a bundle of rags with a cough and eyes inflamed with crimson pools of blood. These depictions suggest a lack of compassion for the less fortunate members of Irish society and are similarly reflected in the portrayal of the washerwomen in Ferry Row.

Somerville and Ross demonstrate a lack of empathy towards poor women living in similar conditions to the "filthy children" playing in puddles and the "slatternly woman" washing clothes at the lake shore. According to the authors, these women have failed to "assimilate the principles of their trade" and are relegated to savagery. In addition, the character of Julia Duffy exemplifies the disastrous consequences of a wealthy Protestant farmer marrying his poor Roman Catholic dairymaid, resulting in "social ruin and decay" leading to poverty and losing the leasehold of Gurthnamuckla in 19th century Ireland.

During the late 19th century in Ireland, it was socially frowned upon for Protestants and Roman Catholics to marry, often leading to social ruin. Somerville and Ross demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the social classes that existed during this time in their novel 'The Real Charlotte'. Their work portrays an accurate depiction of the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy, the "sloughs of middle class Irish society", and the lower class of Irish peasants and beggars. As a result, they offer their readers a more complete reflection of society. Through their exploration of Irish society at the end of the 19th century, Somerville and Ross present a captivating novel that provides critical insight.