Second Period. First Narrative. Miss Clack. Chapter 4-5. Karis McKay
The periodicals All The Year Round and Harper’s Weekly affect our reading of The Moonstone through its different publications. The U.S periodical Harper’s Weekly contained many more advertisements and Illustrations compared to the U.K periodical which had more short stories and took an overall serious tone. This highlights the difference in society values when it comes to approaching literature. Harper’s Weekly use of illustrations and language follow a theme of denouncing skepticism and division. In comparison, All The Year Round encourages criticism and self-reflection through its reliance on a more open-ended narration of The Moonstone due to a lack of clarifying context. Periodicals attempt to entice the readers through shared common social and ideological objectives and opinions. Pittard states that “Categories of readers are linked together by a common experience or expectation of reading.”(Pittard 1) Periodicals create a sense of community through its connection of shared stories from different authors but a difference in provided context between periodicals can lead to differing opinions concerning the overall story. They act as a “Mechanism of exchange between the popular press and the popular mind.”(Jackson 201) This is displayed throughout chapter four and five of the “Second Period, First Narrative of Miss Clack,” and the illustrations and segments that surround it which differ between both periodicals. There is also an emphasis on the impact of context and unreliable narration.
The U.S periodical Harper’s Weekly contains an illustration of Godfrey and Rachel which is captioned “May modesty mention that he put his arms around her next.” The scene displays Godfrey begging for Rachel’s hand in marriage, which is shown through Miss Clack’s perspective while she hid behind a curtain. This differs from the U.K periodical as it does not contain an illustration in this chapter. This illustration can alter the interpretation of the reading because it shows the reader Rachel’s emotional reaction to the proposal. Her facial expression is depicted as distant and hollow since she glances in an opposing direction. Based on her facial expression alone, the reader is shown that she is not happy with the proposal but accepted it nonetheless. In comparison to the text however, Miss Clack explicitly states that “Even her obdurate nature was touched.”(Collins 225) Miss Clack believes that Rachel is enticed by the proposal and that she is entranced by Godfrey’s charm, like Miss Clack was earlier. She even describes Rachel’s body language by stating that she had leaned in closer. These opposing depictions of the scene can lead to differing personal interpretations between Harper’s Weekly and All The Year Round. A reader is meant to interpret to what extent Miss Clack is a reliable narrator and whether the narrative is trustworthy. The illustration helps the reader paint a picture of the scene but it also prevents individual interpretation as it clearly displays Rachel’s displeased facial reaction. Compared to the U.K version which has no illustrations, readers would have to put more effort into trying to discern what is happening and what the characters are feeling, solely through the textual evidence instead of the visual evidence. This can lead to different interpretations, depending on the periodical and individual.
The U.S periodical Harper’s Weekly contains pages of advertisements which target the reader in an attempt to prompt them to buy their product. One advertisement in particular was “Consumption Cured” which was advertised as a cure for tuberculosis and other bronchial ailments. There is also a written emphasis that it is sold by all druggists, along with many other companies which emphasizes its legitimacy. The display of advertisements within Harper’s Weekly shows how the U.S periodical capitalizes off of its readers but also highlights shared beliefs and ideologies of the readers. “Advertisements for products such as 'Salt Regal' (prescribed as a cure for 'Infectious Diseases) drew upon working-class traditions of self-medication.”(Jackson 209) In an attempt to entice a wide audience, periodicals incorporated cheap, at home cures which appealed to the working class. However a written excerpt from the advertisement states “A trial will convince the most skeptical.”(272) Harper’s Weekly spends more time attempting to assure the reader that they are a trusted source and denounce skepticism in contrast to All The Year Round. In a similar way to interpreting the reliability of Miss Clack as a narrator in The Moonstone, the periodical relies on its attempt to reassure the reader by creating a sense of trust in the products that they are advertising. This displays the difference in values concerning the U.S and U.K versions because All The Year Round does not attempt to try and establish this same trusting relationship between its reader because they are not attempting to commercialize their periodical in the same way. This is also seen through its reliance on the reader’s own critical interpretation of the novel due to a lack of contextual illustrations.
The U.S periodical Harper’s Weekly contains an entire subsection called “Humors of the day.” Within the subsection are a humorous and satirical series of illustrations that display different characters at Dickens’s readings. These illustrations poke fun at different people at Dickens’s readings and include characters like the appreciative hearer or the swindled hearer. The U.K periodical did not have a humor section and instead continued to focus on the writings of a variety of authors which provide context towards their cultural and societal values. Harper’s Weekly establishes humor through a satirical exaggeration of the characterization, this can be compared to the interpretation of Miss Clack’s character and how she is a satirical portrayal of a Christian woman due to her ironic and exaggerated beliefs which are played for comedy. She refers to Godfrey as a “Christian Hero” (Collins 220) and it is up to the reader to interpret the truth in her opinion. The portrayal of satire is evident through the humor of the comic within Harper’s Weekly, however this is not seen in All The Year Round. The U.S periodical introduces satire through humor which enables a more familiar reading of Miss Clack’s character and the humor stemming from it. It brings the American readers closer together through humor by making fun of the British readers through the satirical characterizations of Charles Dickens readers which creates division between American and British readers.
“The Song of The Music Halls” is a reading from All The Year Round which emphasizes the importance of music within British society and how it allows the display of different emotions. It displays music as a vehicle for emotion that can only be sullied if it is created by “Vulgar, silly or indecent writers.”(468) The writer however begins to critique the music arising in popularity, referred to as “Comic songs of the lowest order”(468) The author engages in a critical debate on societal values concerning entertainment and humour. Jackson states that “Periodicals function as social discourse rather than as a direct social statement.”(Jackson 201) In comparison to the segments in Harper’s Weekly this engages in a debate which could lead to division. It does not place emphasis on bringing the readers closer together and providing additional context for understanding The Moonstone. All The Year Around encourages personal interpretation of the text and lacks the same contextual clues in the U.S periodical. This leads to more differing opinions concerning the novel and creates more critical debate as it provides nothing extra to entice readers in comparison to the advertisements and humors column.“The Song of The Music Halls” promotes a discussion on music and the arts and its influence on Britain and its society and showcases the U.K’s emphasis on the importance of differing personal interpretation to facilitate critical discussion.
Conclusion:
There is a difference between the context of what surrounds The Moonstone in the U.K and U.S periodicals which would impact an individual’s reading. The serial number containing part of chapter four and five of the “Second Period, First Narrative of Miss Clack” provides the best depiction of satire within The Moonstone through the character of Miss Clack. Her unreliable narration is evident throughout the chapters as her exaggerated and ironic Chritian values are satirized for comedy. From her overbearing desire to save her aunt's soul from damnation and the references towards herself as a “Martyr”(Collins 224) can all be used as evidence that point towards her unreliability as a narrator. These chapters are also necessary due to the character development of Rachel and Godfrey, shown through Godfrey’s marriage proposal. This provides deeper contextualization of their relationship as Godfrey essentially coerces Rachel into accepting his proposal. Miss Clack even explicitly notes Godfrey’s “pathetic expression” (Collins 225) whilst he is on his knees begging for her hand. This segment of The Moonstone is important towards the context of the whole novel because it further develops the relationships and personalities of the characters. It points out Godfrey’s desperation and Rachel’s hesitation concerning marriage and lead to the reader questioning the motives of each character within the context of the stolen moonstone and to what extent Miss Clack’s narration is to be trusted.
Works Cited
All The Year Round, 25 Apr. 1868. British Periodicals, Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
https://www.djo.org.uk/all-the-year-round/volume-xix/page-467.html
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Ed. John Sutherland, Oxford University Press, 1998.
Harper's Weekly, 25 Apr. 1868. American Historical Periodicals from the
American Antiquarian Society, Accessed 18 Nov. 2024. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/apps/doc/DQRMJI961835566/AAHP?u=ucalgary&sid=bookmark-AAHP&xid=d8f35df6
Jackson, Kate. “The Tit-Bits Phenomenon: George Newnes, New Journalism and the
Periodical Texts.” Victorian Periodicals Review, vol. 30, no. 3, 1997, pp. 201–26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20082998.
Pittard, Christopher. “2006 VanArsdel Prize Essay ‘Cheap, Healthful Literature’: ‘The Strand
Magazine’, Fictions of Crime, and Purified Reading Communities.” Victorian
Periodicals Review, vol. 40, no. 1, 2007, pp. 1–23, https://doi.org/10.1353/vpr.2007.0020