Gallia (novel)
Encyclopedia
Gallia is an 1895
novel written by Ménie Muriel Dowie
. It is usually categorised as a New Woman
novel.
London
and rural Surrey
, Gallia is about a conventional aristocratic family with an unconventional daughter, who is the eponymous heroine of the story. However, Gallia does not openly rebel against society by, say, demanding equal rights for women or by deliberately breaking social rules. Rather, she leads a quiet, inconspicuous life, outwardly conforming to all the norms she is expected to observe. Her unconventionality is expressed in her unusual thoughts and ideas, in particular on human reproduction
, which are given broad scope by the narrator. Thus, Gallia can be read as a philosophical novel
.
Since her Oxford
days, Gallia has known Hubert Essex, who has embarked on an academic career and does research on Darwinian theory
. It is Essex with whom Gallia genuinely falls in love. Her honesty compels her to confess her love for him, and she is devastated when she is rejected by Essex. When he tells her bluntly that his "life has no need of" her, Gallia knows that she will never be able to experience romantic love again. What Essex omits from his speech is the fact that he is suffering from a hereditary heart condition and that he is very likely to die young.
When Gallia is introduced to Mark Gurdon, an ambitious social climber who wants to get ahead within the British Civil Service, and when she realizes that he is handsome, healthy, and virile
, she chooses him to be the father of her future child, or children. Gurdon, whose guiding principle in life is decency
, is keeping a mistress
in a studio flat in London who resorts to a self-induced abortion
to terminate a pregnancy just at the time when Gurdon starts being attracted by Gallia. But Gallia does not mind: when he proposes to her, she accepts but makes it clear right from the start that she will never be able to love him.
Eugenicist
Gallia Hamesthwaite expounds her ideas on human reproduction, on "making better people," while having tea with her friend Margaret Essex—Hubert's sister—and a fashionable young woman called Gertrude Janion. Although she believes that her suggestion for social reform is utopian ("We shan't live to see the real advance"), she has worked it out in quite some detail:
Gallia sees such a development as "only a step farther" from employing a wet nurse
, which was common practice among the rich in the late Victorian era. Strangely, Gallia, called "a shrewd and hopeful saint" by the narrator, does not offer a more comprehensive social reform proposal. For example, she is not concerned with the plight of the lower classes; she does not even talk to her own domestic worker
s. ("Very seldom indeed had she occasion to address any of her servants, with the exception of her own footman
and her maid. She was held in the awe with which all servants regard a mistress who is habitually unconscious of their existence.") Also, the female suffrage movement
is not mentioned.
1895 in literature
The year 1895 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:* Carlyle's House in Chelsea opens to the public.* Robert Frost marries Elinor Miriam White.* Ernest Thayer recites his poem, Casey at the Bat, at a Harvard class reunion....
novel written by Ménie Muriel Dowie
Ménie Muriel Dowie
Ménie Muriel Dowie was a British writer.Dowie was born in Liverpool as the daughter of James Muir Dowie, a merchant, and Annie Dowie. Her maternal grandfather was Scottish author and publisher Robert Chambers....
. It is usually categorised as a New Woman
New Woman
The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century. The New Woman pushed the limits set by male-dominated society, especially as modeled in the plays of Norwegian Henrik Ibsen . "The New Woman sprang fully armed from Ibsen's brain," according to a joke by Max Beerbohm...
novel.
Plot introduction
Set mainly in 1890s1890s
The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the "Mauve Decade" - because William Henry Perkin's aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion - and also as the "Gay Nineties", under the then-current usage of the word "gay" which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and rural Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, Gallia is about a conventional aristocratic family with an unconventional daughter, who is the eponymous heroine of the story. However, Gallia does not openly rebel against society by, say, demanding equal rights for women or by deliberately breaking social rules. Rather, she leads a quiet, inconspicuous life, outwardly conforming to all the norms she is expected to observe. Her unconventionality is expressed in her unusual thoughts and ideas, in particular on human reproduction
Human reproduction
Human reproduction is any form of sexual reproduction resulting in the conception of a child, typically involving sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. During intercourse, the interaction between the male and female reproductive systems results in fertilization of the woman's ovum by the...
, which are given broad scope by the narrator. Thus, Gallia can be read as a philosophical novel
Philosophical novel
Philosophical fiction refers to works of fiction in which a significant proportion of the work is devoted to a discussion of the sort of questions normally addressed in discursive philosophy. These might include the function and role of society, the purpose of life, ethics or morals, the role of...
.
Plot summary
Ever since their only child Gallia decided to get a university education about five years ago, Lord and Lady Hamesthwaite have been carefully watching their daughter's silent alienation from their world and have had their doubts if she will ever consent to marry one of the eligible young men that present themselves to the family. Gallia is attractive, healthy and clever but all the men around her agree that she never behaves in an easy-going, coquettish manner. Family and friends are occasionally shocked by the topics she chooses for polite conversation, such as politics or sex.Since her Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
days, Gallia has known Hubert Essex, who has embarked on an academic career and does research on Darwinian theory
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
. It is Essex with whom Gallia genuinely falls in love. Her honesty compels her to confess her love for him, and she is devastated when she is rejected by Essex. When he tells her bluntly that his "life has no need of" her, Gallia knows that she will never be able to experience romantic love again. What Essex omits from his speech is the fact that he is suffering from a hereditary heart condition and that he is very likely to die young.
When Gallia is introduced to Mark Gurdon, an ambitious social climber who wants to get ahead within the British Civil Service, and when she realizes that he is handsome, healthy, and virile
Virility
Virility refers to any of a wide range of masculine characteristics viewed positively. It is not applicable to women or to negative characteristics. The Oxford English Dictionary says virile is "marked by strength or force." Virility is commonly associated with vigour, health, sturdiness, and...
, she chooses him to be the father of her future child, or children. Gurdon, whose guiding principle in life is decency
Decency
Decency is the quality or state of conforming to social or moral standards of taste and propriety.-See also:*Taste *Communications Decency Act*Public indecency*Indecent exposure*Sodomy law*Norm *Grotesque body...
, is keeping a mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
in a studio flat in London who resorts to a self-induced abortion
Self-induced abortion
A self-induced abortion is an abortion performed by the pregnant woman herself outside the recognized medical system. Although the term can include abortions induced through legal, over-the-counter medication, it also refers to efforts to terminate a pregnancy through alternative, often more...
to terminate a pregnancy just at the time when Gurdon starts being attracted by Gallia. But Gallia does not mind: when he proposes to her, she accepts but makes it clear right from the start that she will never be able to love him.
EugenicistEugenicsEugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
thought in Gallia
Gallia Hamesthwaite expounds her ideas on human reproduction, on "making better people," while having tea with her friend Margaret Essex—Hubert's sister—and a fashionable young woman called Gertrude Janion. Although she believes that her suggestion for social reform is utopian ("We shan't live to see the real advance"), she has worked it out in quite some detail:
"[...] How can we wonder that only one person in ten is handsome and well made, when you reflect that they were most likely haps of hazard, that they were unintended, the offspring of people quite unfitted to have children at all? There are people fitted, for instance, to be mothers, which every woman isn't; there are women fitted to bring up children, who may not be mothers. Think of this: a man may love a woman and marry her; they may be devoted to each other, and long for a child to bring up and to love; but the woman may be too delicate to run the risk. What are they to do? What would be the reasonable thing to do? Sacrifice the poor woman for the sake of a weakly baby? No, of course not, but get in a mother!"
Gallia sees such a development as "only a step farther" from employing a wet nurse
Wet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who is used to breast feed and care for another's child. Wet nurses are used when the mother is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cultures the families are linked by a special relationship of...
, which was common practice among the rich in the late Victorian era. Strangely, Gallia, called "a shrewd and hopeful saint" by the narrator, does not offer a more comprehensive social reform proposal. For example, she is not concerned with the plight of the lower classes; she does not even talk to her own domestic worker
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
s. ("Very seldom indeed had she occasion to address any of her servants, with the exception of her own footman
Footman
A footman is a male servant, notably as domestic staff.-Word history:The name derives from the attendants who ran beside or behind the carriages of aristocrats, many of whom were chosen for their physical attributes. They ran alongside the coach to make sure it was not overturned by such obstacles...
and her maid. She was held in the awe with which all servants regard a mistress who is habitually unconscious of their existence.") Also, the female suffrage movement
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom as a national movement began in 1872. Women were not prohibited from voting in the United Kingdom until the 1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act...
is not mentioned.
Editions
- The first edition of 1895 was published in London by Methuen & Co.; a second edition followed the same year. Also, a U.S. edition was published in Philadelphia by J. B. Lippincott & Co.
- One hundred years later, Everyman's LibraryEveryman's LibraryEveryman's Library is a series of reprinted classic literature currently published in hardback by Random House. It was originally an imprint of J. M. Dent , who continue to publish Everyman Classics in paperback.J. M. Dent and Company began to publish the series in 1906...
published a critical edition edited by Helen SmallHelen Small-Biography:Helen W. Small was awarded a B.A. in English from Victoria University of Wellington and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. She was the recipient of a Leverhulme Research Fellowship from 2001 to 2004.-Published works:...
(J. M. DentJ. M. DentJoseph Malaby Dent was a British book publisher who produced the Everyman's Library series.Dent was born in Darlington in what is now the Britaania public house. After a short and unsuccessful stint as an apprentice printer he took up bookbinding...
: London, 1995). - Since May 2010, Gallia has also been available as a volume in the Historical Collection from the British Library.
- An online edition is not (yet) available.
See also
- List of literary works with eponymous heroines