Apologies for my absence from the blog: I've been immersed in, well, in a very long novel. But I've finished it now, and have a few observations to share.
The novel in question: The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett, published in 1908. I must say, when I first encountered this book, I had limited expectations. This is a big novel, set very much in the realistic style of later nineteenth century French fiction. Put differently, this isn't the sort of work I'd usually enjoy.
But let me say at the start: wow -- The Old Wives' Tale is an absolute triumph. I could not have been more attached to these characters, nor to Bennett's uncanny ability to chart the impact of time, of history.
The Old Wives' Tale is masterfully written: this is the work of an author who knows how to wield not only language, but syntax and structure. The result is a detailed portrayal not only of the Baines sisters, but of the events surrounding them. In that sense, this is a novel from the inside: industry and early commercialism emerge as characters in their own right, pushing and pulling the sisters from one year to the next.
And more: there is a very effective element of this novel focused on the emotional lives of the Baines sisters, and what their lives "mean," what legacy they've left. For one sister, the answer must be the defense of place -- of, literally, the family home. For the other sister, the answer is different: it is work, and accumulation of material reward. In the end, however, home and labor result in very little: both sisters are overwhelmed by social and economic factors subtly presented by Bennett.
It's that presentation -- that conclusion -- which renders this novel so powerful: the Baines sisters struggle and succeed, but then, in the end, the question becomes: for what? Their legacies are washed away by a more modern version of politics, by the emergence of consolidated industry, and by the fading tides of memory.
This long novel functions very much as a serialized television show might today: there is no rush; there are episodes upon episodes to build characters and place; and there are distant plot sequences which intersect, bringing everything together at last. The Old Wives' Tale is a tremendous accomplishment and one of the most effective examples I can recall of an accessible, readable, realistic novel composed in English. (Between Bennett and Hardy -- I'd take the former!)
Thank you for this wonderful assessment of one of the most underrated great novels in English. I read it a few years ago and, like you, came to it with low expectations. The Bloomsbury group, apparently, thought little of Bennet and he comes down to us as a kind of commercial, “establishment” author. But Old Wives Tale shows us a masterful writer. You summarize the novel and its importance perfectly.
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