The "Grandness" of Sarah Grand

A glimpse on  the “Grandness” of Sarah Grand 

A glimpse on  the “Grandness” of Sarah Grand

“Our opinion of people depends less upon what we see in them, than upon what they make us see in ourselves” 

― Sarah Grand 

The most prominent female writers of the nineteenth century are often said to be , Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot and Christina Rossetti. Eliot’s Middlemarch (1874) sold over 10,000 copies in six months and one of the other notable things was her ability to enlighten readers with her ideas and perspectives on old, rigid  traditions that particularly impacted the lives of women in the Victorian era. Charlotte Bronte was known for her courageous manners which challenged societal norms in her own right and Rossetti too was an influential figure, acknowledging that her talents extended way beyond her modelling abilities that you might have come across in the paintings of the “Pre-Raphalites” she also wrote a wide range of poetry, ,’A Dirge’  was cited by  J.K Rowling in  The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013). Now, it is presumable then that it isn’t surprising after all that Bronte, Elliot and Rossetti are representative of the “famous cultural icons of the nineteenth-century” ideology.  I want to, however, draw attention to a woman whose work was just as influential, and whose voice challenged the very conventions that were reflective ofVictorian society .

If you pick up any one of Grand’s novels, it wouldn’t take long to realise that she was onto something new and original. Amongst her many new themes, one of her prominent ones was the representation of women in the Victorian society. The construction of female characters in her novels wasn’t simply an act of mirroring the attributes of the “ideal” Victorian woman and that is something you’d find in works of Elizabeth Gaskell for instance where the female character is almost, always emotionally insecure and largely dependent on her husband. This is just one aspect that Grand saw as problematic. In terms of her method in characterisation, Grand’s first novel, Ideala (1888) was perhaps considered one of the most “notorious” novels in which Grand positions the protagonist, Ideala as the superior sex, domineering and outspoken, quite in polar opposites from the “Angel in the house” ideology. But more than it being simply deemed “notorious,” the novel is a testament of  Grand’s intellect.Through her narrative, Ideala questions social and economic issues that impeded the lives of women. Ideala speaks out against biased marriage laws, asks for reforms, writes poetry and even visits China all of which was considered unconventional for a woman of her time. In The Heavenly Twins (1893) she addresses the syphilis epidemic that caused a spur of debates surrounding the issues of double standards between sexes in which women were seen as the perpetrators of the disease. Again in this novel, Grand addresses the problem but does it in a distinct manner she offers an empathetic approach in response to these irrational stereotypes. She claims that if women were allowed sexual education,  they would be aware of how the contraction of the disease occurs i.e through her husband’s sexual activities.

As an advocate, Grand was responsible for the “New Woman” ideal. What the picture on the left shows is that gender roles were now reversed and women were no longer accepting to “orders” from their husbands. This is something that Grand should be credited for. Like many ‘New Women’, Grand was a= keen cyclist which later became a popular mode of commute for women The bicycle was also a symbolic representation of freedom.  In 1900-1910 there was around 10 million bikes on the road, adding to the course of female emancipation.

Looking into  Grand’s work today gives us an opportunity to re-consider the issue of gender inequality in a broader context. Importantly, it enables us to learn from her courage which has now given us women, a hundred years on a much more reformed position in society.

References

Driscoll, W., 2009. The Metaphor of Syphilis in Grand’s Heavenly Twins. NINETEENTH-CENTURY GENDER STUDIES, [e-journal] 5(1). Available through: < http://www.ncgsjournal.com/issue51/New%20PDFs/NCGS%20Journal%20Issue%205.1%20-%20The%20Metaphor%20of%20Syphilis%20in%20Grand_s%20Heavenly%20Twins%20%20-%20William%20Driscoll.pdf> [Accessed  23rd January 2015].

Nicol, J., 2014. Madame Sarah Grand and the General Illustrated. Available at: <fwsablog.org.uk >

[Accessed  23rd January 2015].