Part 29 - "Fourth Narrative. Journal of Ezra Jennings" - Hailey Schopper
History in English Class? How Different Publications of The Moonstone Lead to Different Views of Imperialism
Typically, when we think of reading a novel we think of holding a paperback or an e-book that contains an entire story with little other material. Reading novels today is a self-contained experience, and to find the things that influenced a Victorian audience would take effort on behalf of the reader, rather than happening naturally like it did in the Victorian era. Novels were serialized and came out in parts in newspapers and magazines filled with other stories and advertisements. One example of a novel that was serialized is Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone that came out from January to August in the year 1868 in both Harper’s Weekly and All the Year Round. In this paper I argue that the U.S., the U.K., and the current paperback novel cannot be read as the same novel because of the vast differences within the sources they were published in; however, the U.K. version and current paperback can be read extremely similarly. This is due to the fact that the U.S. publication is filled with American imperialist notions and distractors such as advertisements whereas the U.K. and current paperback versions focus more on the text itself. Molly Knox Levernz’s article, “Illustrating ‘The Moonstone’ in America: ‘Harper’s Weekly’ and Transatlantic Introspection” focuses on the publication of the serialized novel and argues that “the illustrations demonstrate how Harper’s Weekly’s engagement with transatlantic discourses is primarily self-reflexive” (41). To begin, let’s look at All the Year Round and why that publication is so similar to today’s paperback.
In All the Year Round, Collins is never explicitly named as the author of The Moonstone which functions as a way for the magazine to prioritize the contents of the text over other distractions such as advertisements. Upon examining this magazine, it became apparent to me that this would have been a more similar experience to reading a paperback from today because the focus is on the contents of the texts themselves. There are no added images or advertisements as we will see in Harper’s Weekly that influence the readers perceptions. Removing the author’s name means readers who are not well-versed in literature will not recognize who this text is by, forcing them to form opinions based on the text itself, instead of preconceived notions about the author. With that being said, “Collins himself was a significant transatlantic figure, gaining wide popularity in both England and the United States” (Knox Leverenz 22) which provides the possibility that he was not listed because he was so popular and could be recognized in other ways. Regardless, leaving his name out of the equation subconsciously forces readers to care more about the contents of the novel than about who wrote it. This contributes to the simplicity of the publication which is what makes it so similar to reading novels in their physical form today. While All the Year Round mirrors reading novels today, Harper’s Weekly is a very different experience beginning with the advertisements included within the magazine.
The advertisement that serves as praise for Harper’s aids the narrative that America is a desirable country to live in, which helps enforce American imperialism. The Moonstone is a novel heavily focused on British imperialism demonstrated by the fact that the whole novel revolves around a diamond that was stolen from India by an English man. Whether Collins is critiquing British imperialism is up for debate, as displayed through the character of Ezra Jennings who represents the complexities of British imperialism. Ezra says that “Mr. Blake has given [him] a new interest in life” (Collins 477) which can be read as a metaphor showing how powerful Britain is, with Franklin representing Britain and Ezra representing a foreigner. It seems to say the country has so much power it gives people a renewed sense of life that would make Britain seem alluring to Americans. American publishers did not want readers to agree with this notion, so they used the advertisement to encourage their American audience to focus on American growth and power. This advertisement reminds readers of the greatness of this American publishment, thus emphasizing the greatness of America as a whole through its diction. Some words used throughout include: “unquestionably”, “best”, “popular” and, “model” which all connote feelings of awe and superiority. Upon reading this section, readers would feel like they are reading something incredible and worth bragging about. For example, the New York Observer says it is “the most popular monthly in the world” (“Unquestionably the best sustained work” 462) which makes it appear superior to other publications. In her article Knox Leverenz says that “America and England are rivals, both seeking imperial power and profits from international trade” (38) displaying that these two countries are in competition with one another. This is why it is so important for Harper’s Weekly to portray their magazine and America as an enticing place since it encourages citizens to work towards helping their country succeed. The narrative of American greatness is furthered by the poem that precedes the installment in this publication.
The poem “Independence” that appears directly before this installment of The Moonstone is exemplary of American ideals and also works towards enforcing American imperialism. This poem personifies freedom as a woman fighting for independence for Americans, whom she acts like a mother to. She is a figure unafraid of work as seen through the lines, “Our Freedom seeks no pathway strewn with flowers, / She treads rough roads and guards uneven coasts” (lines 1-2). The idea of working hard, even when the work is gritty, has always been popular in the nation-building of America, so these lines serve as a reminder to readers that working hard to gain independence is the American way. Through appearing in a motherly role, she becomes something citizens should care about, want to protect, and want to achieve—like full independence from Britain both politically and culturally. The speaker describes her as “our love” (line 25) which furthers the idea that independence is something people should protect. Placing this poem directly before an installment of The Moonstone appears strategic in that it reminds readers they should be proud of their country and contribute to its growth and power. It is important to recognize that All the Year Round also published other works surrounding The Moonstone as well as some advertisements; however, the advertisements were updates relating to the publication and the works surrounding were mostly English meaning they too may contribute to British imperialism.
Finally, the illustrations throughout the installments of The Moonstone in Harper’s Weekly change a reader’s perception of the novel due to the style in which they are drawn in. The image in my installment shows Betterdge’s displeasure in finding out Ezra has not read any Robinson Crusoe since he was a child, because Betteredge believes Crusoe can provide answers for anything. In the current novel Betteredge’s displeasure reads as humourous, but the illustration paints him extremely bitter. The current publication portrays Betteredge as a sweet, simple old man who would simply do anything to protect the family he serves. His loyalty to the Verinder family can be seen as he says “‘[m]y young lady says, “Do it.” And I say, “Miss it shall be done”’ (Collins 482) which shows that he simply does as he is told without asking questions. Betteredge’s obsession with Crusoe can be read as endearing, since his expression to finding out Ezra has not read any since he was a child is one of “compassionate curiosity, tempered by superstitious awe” (Collins 487). This diction implies that Betteredge is not angry, rather he is shocked, and this compassion implies that he just wants to share the greatness of Crusoe with everyone he can. This paints a picture of a man who sincerely wants to help a family he deeply cares about, but the illustration provides a very different picture. He appears to be a much harsher man in the illustration as displayed through his scraggly hair and pointy nose. The illustration makes this interaction appear more tension-filled than it reads. The facial expressions of the pair contribute to feelings of extreme tension between them in the image, that does not feel as severe when reading the paperback novel. Knox Leverenz says this text cannot be read as “a purely English text because it […] is disrupted by its American illustrations” (22) which implies a disconnect. A disconnect occurs because these illustrations are done by American artists who had input from Collins, but ultimately add subtleties that may not exist in the text alone, thus altering a reader’s perception of characters and scenes. Other images throughout the publication push American imperialist notions, for example, through their portrayal of the Indians as victims.
Throughout this paper I argued that the U.S. publication of The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins is filled with American notions of imperialism through advertisements and surrounding texts, therefore, it cannot be read the same as the U.K. or current publications which read more similarly to each other since their main focus lies within the text itself. The part of the serial I looked at falls near the end of the novel, so at this point readers are familiar with the setting and characters, as well they are most likely at a point of extreme intrigue. Readers may have fallen somewhat entranced by the lavish lives the characters live, which may make Britain appear to be a place of wealth and desire which works towards British imperialism as it presents it as a place filled with power and prestige. For this reason, it makes sense that Harper’s Weekly would do their best to remind American readers of “the greatness of America” as a way to hinder readers from idealizing Britain. My research focused more heavily on Harper’s Weekly so future scholars would benefit from seeing how the texts within All the Year Round interact and influence ones reading of The Moonstone. Additionally, an experiment for future scholarship would be to have multiple readers read The Moonstone from their different publications to see how that impacted their readings of the novels. While the story of The Moonstone never changes, how it is published can play a major role in how it is perceived, and the ideas readers will take away from it when finished.
Works Cited
“By the author of ‘The Woman in White,’ &c. &c..” All the Year Round, vol. 20, no. 482, 18 Jul. 1868, p. 121. Print.
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Oxford World’s Classics, Oxford UP, 1999.
Leverenz, Molly Knox. “Illustrating ‘The Moonstone’ in America: ‘Harper’s Weekly’ and Transatlantic Introspection.” American Periodicals, vol. 24, no. 1, 2014, pp. 21–44, https://doi.org/10.1353/amp.2014.0004.
Unknown. “Independence.” Harper's Weekly, vol 12, no. 603, 18 Jul. 1868, p. 453. Print.
Unknown. “To the remedy, sir, which has never failed me yet for the last thirty years and more—to this book.” Harper's Weekly, vol. 12, no. 603, 18 Jul. 1868, p. 453. Print.
“Unquestionably the best sustained work of the kind in the world.” Harper's Weekly, vol. 12, no. 603, 18 Jul. 1868, p. 462. Print.