The Narratives of Caroline Norton PDF
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The Narratives of Caroline Norton The Narratives of Caroline Norton Randall Craig THENARRATIVESOFCAROLINENORTON Copyright©RandallCraig,2009. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2009978-0–230–61217–4 Allrightsreserved. Firstpublishedin2009byPALGRAVEMACMILLAN®inthe UnitedStates-adivisionofSt.Martin’sPressLLC,175FifthAvenue, NewYork,NY10010. WherethisbookisdistributedintheUK,Europeandtherestof theworld,thisisbyPalgraveMacmillan,adivisionofMacmillan PublishersLimited,registeredinEngland,companynumber785998, ofHoundmills,Basingstoke,HampshireRG216XS. PalgraveMacmillanistheglobalacademicimprintoftheabove companiesandhascompaniesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld. Palgrave®andMacmillan®areregisteredtrademarksintheUnited States,theUnitedKingdom,Europeandothercountries. ISBN 978-1-349-37686-5 ISBN 978-0-230-62041-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230620414 LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailablefromthe LibraryofCongress. Craig,Randall,1951– ThenarrativesofCarolineNorton/RandallCraig. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferences. 1. Norton,CarolineSheridan,1808–1877—Criticismand interpretation. 2. Norton,CarolineSheridan,1808–1877— Politicalandsocialviews. 3. Norton,CarolineSheridan, 1808–1877—Influence. 4. Womenandliterature—England— History—19thcentury. 5. Women—Legalstatus,laws,etc.— England—History—19thcentury. 6. Womeninpolitics— GreatBritain—History—19thcentury. 7. Feminism— England—History—19thcentury. I. Title. PR5112.N5Z642009 828(cid:2).809—dc22 2008035829 DesignbyIntegraSoftwareServices Firstedition:April2009 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 FOR JANE A RING OF WORDS WELL WORN, WELL, WORN WELL Contents Acknowledgments xi Foreword:TheCassandraDilemma xiii Abbreviations xix Introduction:“TheCaudineForks”andtheOptics ofAuthorship 1 PortraitsoftheAuthorI:TheWomanFeminized,theWriter Domesticated 5 PortraitsoftheAuthorII:TheWriterEtherealized,theWoman Masculinized 9 CarolineattheCrossways 16 Part I: Authorship 1 “TheWorld”and“The(Sm)allGreat”:SilverFork Narratives 23 TheEquivocalValueofVisibilityI:AtAlmack’sandinPrint 25 SilverForkSatire 27 TheDandySchool:TheGeographyofVanityandthe MathematicsofMarriage 31 TheDoublePlotofCoquetry 35 NortonandThackerayI:VanityFairs 41 2 “StrangeUnstableWorld”:StructureandSynthesisin theFinalNarratives 47 1829/1863:TheSorrowsofRosalieandLostandSaved 48 “OurModernMaryMagdalene” 58 viii Contents TheUsesofRace 63 StructureandSynthesis:LostandSavedandOldSir Douglas 67 Part II: Law 3 “TheBrethrenoftheLongRobe”:LegalSatireand CourtroomHumor 77 CommonLawComedyinNortonv.Melbourne 79 CriminalCorrespondence:“GrandisetVerbosaEpistola” 85 TheEquivocalValueofVisibilityII:IntheCourtroom 87 BreachofPromise:SuitorsonTrial 93 CriminalConversation:Newcomev.Highgateand Warwickv.Dannisburgh 103 4 “InkStandsandLawBooks”:DomesticandLegal Violence 109 TheGreenacreLetters 111 DomesticandLegalViolenceinStuartofDunleath 114 Divorce:“AMostIndecentFictionoftheLaw” 118 NortonandThackerayII:TheNortonsandTheNewcomes 126 Coda:CriminalLaw 128 Part III: Politics 5 “HalfaLife”:NarrativesofWomenandPolitics 133 TheEquivocalValueofVisibilityIII:IntheSalon 136 TheFirstTerm:PoliticalInfluencefrom1830to1836 138 TheSecondTerm:PoliticalInfluencefrom1840to1846 142 FictionalPortraits 146 (i)Trollope’sLauraKennedy 147 (ii)Disraeli’sBerengariaMontfort 153 (iii)Meredith’sDianaWarwick 157 6 “LopsidedandLeft-HandedLaws”:Narrativesof MothersandWives 167 ThePoliticsofProtection,theColorsofFeminism 168 TheEducationofWomen:Wollstonecraft,Norton,and Tennyson 177 TheFirstCampaign:TheCustodyofInfantsBill(1839) 181 LegalFictionsandLicenseoftheBar 191 TheSecondCampaign:TheMarriageandDivorceBill (1855) 196 Contents ix Afterword:“SuchIstheTaleTheyTell!”:TheNarrativesof CarolineNorton 205 Notes 213 Bibliography 231 Index 243 Acknowledgments This project was supported by grants from the University at Albany andUnitedUniversityProfessions.Iamgratefultoboth.Theresearch was conducted with the able and generous help of the Houghton Library, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the British Library, and the Morgan Library. I would like especially to thank Sandra Stelts of the Pennsylvania State University Library and Nancy Moore of the Cornell Law Library for their willing and gener- ous assistance. The University at Albany librarians have received my numerous requests with patience and pursued them with tenacity, and particular gratitude is owed to Peter Bae, Mary Casserly, Regina Conboy, Timothy Jackson, Winifred Kutchukian, and Roger Lipera. The administrative and secretarial staff of the Department of English have consistently and with incredible good nature eased the challenges—small and great—of professional life at UAlbany. I am pleased to be able to thank Liz Lauenstein, Regina Klym, Brenda Miller, and Connie Barrett. I would also like to express my appre- ciation to Farideh Koohi–Kamali, Kristy Lilas, and Brigitte Shull at PalgraveMacmillan,whohavemadetheprocessofpublicationsucha pleasure. IwouldliketoexpressmyappreciationtoDavidCraigandJeffrey Bermanforreadingearlyversionsofthemanuscriptandforcomment- ing patiently and thoroughly on what could only with considerable optimism have been labeled a work in progress. That it did progress owes much to them. Thanks also to Richard M. Goldman for his careful review of the manuscript. Later versions of the book were proofreadbyJaneCraig,whohasdevotedagreatdealoftimetosav- ingmefrommyself.Inthat—andmanyotherways—sheisco-author ofthisbook. And while this project took many hours away from my family, it could not have been written without their continual presence in my mind and heart and their constant support and love in all aspects of my life. So, many, many thanks to my wife, Jane, and my son, Graham; also to David, to Jennifer and Ellen and their families, and xii Acknowledgments to my mother, Cheryl; and to the Pattersons, who have so graciously andwarmlymademeapartoftheirfamily:EleanorK.Patterson,Bob andMaryKayPatterson,JulieandJonathanGriffitts,DanPatterson, JohnandDarlaPatterson,andLollyPattersonCummiskey. Two people have been important to me during this project and throughout our parallel paths: from the intellectual awakenings of our undergraduate years, through various courses of graduate study, to the pursuit of careers in different branches of education, Joseph Ciancaglini and Dennis Sheehan have served, perhaps unwittingly, as modelsandmentors—andinvariablyasadmiredfriends.
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