Customer Reviews

The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters (New Wessex editions)

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I liked this book very much. Sure, critics have scorned it since it was first published, over a hundred years ago, but it is still a good read. Ethelberta is a complex character; she is a woman supporting her mother and ten siblings by finding profitable work as a poet and a storyteller. She is usually criticized for her coldness (so unladylike) when she considers marrying a rich man in order to solve her family's financial problems, but I see it as courage. Ethelberta dreams of her own success and freedom, but her first thought is the safety and comfort of her family, especially the younger children. She is the brains of the whole operation; they support her plans by following her orders.

In addition, Hardy uses this book to explore class distinctions in Victorian England, one of his recurring themes. Since Ethelberta's father is a butler, her family belongs eternally to the working class, and the only way she can mingle freely with the gentry is by drawing on her late husband's name and pretending to be what she is not. The charade works, but exacts a severe mental toll. She says that she feels like two people and she wakes up in the night terrified that someone will find out the truth and expose her. What kind of society is so stratified that this type of discovery causes such strong fear?

Unlike the better-known Hardy novels, this one has a happy ending for nearly all of the characters. Some critics say that it has a weak, "happily ever after" fairy tale quality. But I think Hardy didn't need Ethelberta to meet the usual tragic fate. The story isn't about her inability to accept the realities of life; Ethelberta accepts her world as she finds it, but she twists the rules of society in order to reach her goals. Therefore, she expects those rules to continue working perfectly, and this leads to the happy ending when she marries the rich man and provides for her family while at the same time gaining legitimate entrance to upper class society.

Thomas Hardy's first major success was Far from the Madding Crowd, which he followed with The Hand of Ethelberta, now little-known. A desire not to repeat himself or be forced by expectations to become a template writer led to a very different novel - a situation like the one that resulted in Desperate Remedies, his first published novel, after his first written one was rejected. As then, he took up genres - the comedy of manners and high society courtship drama - decidedly unsuited to his unique talents. Ethelberta is thus far from his best - an awkward fit where genre elements are not always well-executed but where his own strengths sometimes come out - but still readable and worthy. It remains notable as an overlooked example of Hardy's diversity - interesting for fans, perhaps attractive to those not usually fond of him.

The actual plot and execution are not as entertaining or realistic as the genre's best novels, but Hardy does include some suspense and interesting twists. However, there are definitely some weak elements. The pursuit of Ethelberta by the various suitors and the ensuing jaunts through tourist hotspots are dragged out so long as to become boring. This is of course a genre convention, but Hardy does not give the scenes enough extra material to keep them fresh, as the genre's best works do. Such things will probably be equally frustrating to fans and non-fans. That said, some of the elements with a more Hardy-esque flavor - e.g., the rush to reach Ethelberta before her wedding - are well-done, raising the book above convention even on this basic level.

Far more interesting is how Hardy uses the genre to explore favorite themes, namely class. His first novel was rejected primarily because editors thought his humble background made him unfit to write of high society, but he daringly returned to it here. He predictably got much the same response, but whatever we think of the verisimilitude, it seems near-certain that what critics really objected to was class criticism, of which this has much and is very effective. Ethelberta is championed as a rare example of Victorian upward mobility, showing that class does not lead to inherent differences in areas that matter. So do many other things in the book, from her in many ways admirable family members to corrupt aristocrats. The scene near the end where she is lambasted by a family member for betraying her class is Hardy's most underrated scene - powerful, moving, and thought-provoking; the book is worth reading for it alone. Those aware of Hardy's background and thought may detect uncharacteristic authorial intrusion, and Hardy himself seemed to think he overreached, toning down some of the harsher criticisms after his own social status became established. The character of Christopher got the brunt, going from a talented but struggling young man angry at an unjust class system to someone who essentially chalks his troubles up to fate. This may reflect more Hardy's own changing thoughts about fate and chance, which were perennial preoccupations and already showed up in other ways, as in the failure to stop Ethelberta's marriage. In any case, whether or not we agree with Hardy's views and regardless of how we view his dramatization, the book is interesting for putting forth a very different perspective on class and related matters than was typical in Victorian literature.

Ethelberta herself is perhaps more interesting. Hardy is famous for his heroines, and she is one of his most underrated - similar to others but fascinating in her own right. His depiction of an intelligent, resourceful, and in many ways advanced woman shows that his views of women and related issues were far ahead of their time. Other characters are also well-drawn and intriguing: her crafty but loathsome husband, whom she is remarkably able to tame; her insecure but charming sister; her intelligent and capable father, who refuses to give up his servant job out of dignity; and Christopher, who in many ways resembles the repressed young intellectual men so common in Hardy. In short, whatever the novel's other faults, characterization remains strong.

Another eternal Hardy strength is also on display - profound sense of place. This is not usually considered one of his Wessex novels - works set in the part-real, part-dream country, based on his own Southwest England, that he made world famous - but shares many of their qualities. Hardy is perhaps unequaled in describing place so vividly that it becomes integral to the story; it is never mere backdrop with him. Place is not as important here as in some other novels, but the rural descriptions are still memorably lush, and Ethelberta is also notable in having probably more London scenes than any of his other work.

The novel is also of note for challenging the conventional image of Hardy as tragic pessimist. Despite some dark scenes and occasional acid satire, it is mostly light-hearted - often comical and sometimes even approaching burlesque. The essentially happy, if somewhat unconventional, ending is the best evidence of this from an author known for devastatingly tragic ones. Though the lighter elements are not always successful, they are pulled off fairly well - perhaps notable above all in showing that Hardy could have been a capable satirist had he stuck with the genre.

All told, those who have read a Hardy novel or two and were averse to his style may want to skip here, but everyone else should read at least half a dozen of his novels first.

The Hand of Ethelberta is one of Thomas Hardy's least well known novels. It concerns the career of a girl named Ethelberta growing up as the daughter of a butler. The Wessex lass manages to become a governess in the home of a wealthy family. She marries the son who soon dies leaving her a young widow. Ethelberta seeks to conceal her working class back ground as she wends her way through the labyrinthal byways of a Victorian love story. She comes from a large family of ten children and situates them in a boarding house she runs in London.

Ethelberta has four lovers seeking to win her beautiful hand:

1. Christopher Julien is a young musician who writes Ethelberta a song after she has won notoriety for a book of poems. Christopher and his devoted sister Faith are the most admirable characters in this novel. He will eventually fall in love with Ethelberta's younger sister Picotee.

2. Lovelady is an artist infatuated with Ethelberta. His character is not well drawn and he is no more than a stock figure in this unrealistic melodrama. One supposes he is supposed to elicit humor in the reader but I found the novel mirthless!

3. Neigh-What was said of Loveday is also true of this aristocrat.

4. Old Lord Monteclere is an old roue who offers Ethelberta the gift of money and social respectability in class conscious nineteenth century British society.

Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite writers but in this novel he strikes out! His sentences are long and clumsily written. Many of the characters would never converse in an English sentence using such flights of overblown prose. Hardy was learning his craft when he penned this potboiler for the periodicals, The novel would have been better if the number of Ethelberta's lovers had been reduced from 4 to a triangle!

The novel presents the reader with improbable situations. Ethelberta remains a mysterious character who loves her family, seeks to win fame and fortune and a lover. We never, however, are allowed to glimpse into her soul. She is always viewed from the outside. I wanted to like this novel but just couldn't do it!

The Penguin edition contains the original illustrations. The introduction is somewhat helpful but too long and academic for the general reader. The book is best read by Hardy fanatics and scholars of the great creator of Wessex.

Ethelberta is not a book I would recommend to most people, and certainly not to someone who has never read Hardy. The novel is tediously written and lacks the depth pervasive in other works set in the country. Only in the last hundred or so pages did the story become engrossing. Why then did I continue reading? Deriving some measure of enjoyment from this book requires that the reader look at it as an example of Hardy's development as an author. The scholarly introduction and notes provide explanations that help with this analysis and make the novel more interesting.