| This blog explores social attitudes in Jane Austen's time, discusses her novels, reviews forgotten 18th century novels, and throws some occasional shade at the modern academy. The introductory post is here. My "six simple questions for academics" post is here. Spoilers abound in my discussion of these forgotten novels, and I discuss 18th-century attitudes which I do not necessarily endorse. |
CMP#217 A Tribute to Eliza Kirkham Mathews, or rather, Attributions to Eliza Kirkham Mathews
EKM at work in York. ChatGPT Image I'm briefly interrupting my read-through of novels which may have been written by the authoress of The Woman of Colour, to return to an authoress for whom I have a real soft spot. Not long ago, I posted about the obscure Regency poet and novelist Eliza Kirkham Mathews (EKM) (1772-1802), who lingers in my affections, not for her writing--which never, in my opinion rises above mediocrity--but for the touching story of her brief life. She is best known for her 1801 novel, What Has Been, a heartfelt but hackneyed sentimental novel with many autobiographical elements. Chawton House is bringing out a scholarly edition of this novel this September (see below for more info).
I was both interested and touched to learn that some of EKM’s unpublished manuscripts survive to this day. The London-based firm, Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers, recently offered for sale one of Mathews’ manuscripts, probably written when she was in her early twenties. It is a gothic novel, titled Romance of the Turret or, Anecdotes of a Catholic Family. According to Jess Starr and Brian Lake of Jarndyce, the novel features a vulnerable foundling heroine, a haunted Abbey, a garrulous servant, an evil priest, an incest tease, and some violent subplots. In other words, it’s a typical Gothic novel. The manuscript has been acquired by Yale University and is held at its Lewis Walpole library.
Someone valued this manuscript enough to carefully preserve it. If EKM wrote it around 1798, then it was after her 1797 marriage to Charles Mathews, a comic actor. The newly-married couple visited his family in London, then Mathews joined a provincial theatre circuit which toured Hull, then York. While he was making his name on the stage, Eliza aspired to earn income with her pen...
I was both interested and touched to learn that some of EKM’s unpublished manuscripts survive to this day. The London-based firm, Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers, recently offered for sale one of Mathews’ manuscripts, probably written when she was in her early twenties. It is a gothic novel, titled Romance of the Turret or, Anecdotes of a Catholic Family. According to Jess Starr and Brian Lake of Jarndyce, the novel features a vulnerable foundling heroine, a haunted Abbey, a garrulous servant, an evil priest, an incest tease, and some violent subplots. In other words, it’s a typical Gothic novel. The manuscript has been acquired by Yale University and is held at its Lewis Walpole library.
Someone valued this manuscript enough to carefully preserve it. If EKM wrote it around 1798, then it was after her 1797 marriage to Charles Mathews, a comic actor. The newly-married couple visited his family in London, then Mathews joined a provincial theatre circuit which toured Hull, then York. While he was making his name on the stage, Eliza aspired to earn income with her pen...
Naturally, the curators at Jarndyce wanted to publish a list of EKM’s published works in their advertisement—the problem is, there is a lot of confusion around what EKM wrote and what has been misattributed to her, and in at least one case a title she wrote was attributed to someone else. I mentioned this confusion in an earlier post. I agree with the Orlando Database of Women’s Writing in the British Isles that there is no question about some of the doubtful attributions, and yet, in library catalogues, you will still see titles attributed to EKM which were actually written by Laetitia Matilda Hawkins. As well, a novel written by EKM has been attributed to Anne Jackson, the second wife and biographer of Charles Mathews.
35 Stonegate, York, circa 1802 ChatGPT image Searching for the author's fingerprint
So, I decided to experiment with AI to help me compare the themes, style, sentence structure and grammar of these mis-attributed works to EKM’s writing. I don’t leave it all up to AI, however, as I have learned that it is not a magic bullet for analysis. I have read every novel I discuss and scrutinized. Basically, AI is teaching me about grammar (i.e. sentence structure), style, and how to describe the differences that I observe between the various novels. This kind of work will help me when I return to tracking down the author of The Woman of Colour.
The best sample we have of Mathews’ writing is her novel What Has Been, published shortly before she died. The preparation and publication of What Has Been is documented in the memoir of Charles Mathews, as recounted by his second wife, Anne Jackson Mathews. Therefore, the text of this novel can be compared to the other works attributed to EKM. Further, EKM used some of her own poetry and her own life story, which establishes her authorship.
I asked ChatGPT to compare What Has Been to the novel Constance, published anonymously in 1785. Although every library catalogue I’ve seen attributes Constance to Mathews, one strong argument against her authorship is that EKM was only 13 years old in 1785. Therefore, these two novels provide a good starting point to experiment with Chat GPT's discrimination in comparing texts.
After using Constance to demonstrate how the two novels came from different hands, I’ll compare What Has Been to a gothic novel titled The Phantom, which was published in 1825. After that, we’ll look at two Gothic (or at least Gothic-y) novels probably written by EKM, and her children's books.
So, I decided to experiment with AI to help me compare the themes, style, sentence structure and grammar of these mis-attributed works to EKM’s writing. I don’t leave it all up to AI, however, as I have learned that it is not a magic bullet for analysis. I have read every novel I discuss and scrutinized. Basically, AI is teaching me about grammar (i.e. sentence structure), style, and how to describe the differences that I observe between the various novels. This kind of work will help me when I return to tracking down the author of The Woman of Colour.
The best sample we have of Mathews’ writing is her novel What Has Been, published shortly before she died. The preparation and publication of What Has Been is documented in the memoir of Charles Mathews, as recounted by his second wife, Anne Jackson Mathews. Therefore, the text of this novel can be compared to the other works attributed to EKM. Further, EKM used some of her own poetry and her own life story, which establishes her authorship.
I asked ChatGPT to compare What Has Been to the novel Constance, published anonymously in 1785. Although every library catalogue I’ve seen attributes Constance to Mathews, one strong argument against her authorship is that EKM was only 13 years old in 1785. Therefore, these two novels provide a good starting point to experiment with Chat GPT's discrimination in comparing texts.
After using Constance to demonstrate how the two novels came from different hands, I’ll compare What Has Been to a gothic novel titled The Phantom, which was published in 1825. After that, we’ll look at two Gothic (or at least Gothic-y) novels probably written by EKM, and her children's books.
Apothecary's trade card, British Museum More about Eliza Kirkham Mathews
Novelistic melodrama? Well, Eliza herself was thrown penniless upon the world in her early twenties. After losing every member of her immediate family, EKM supported herself by working as a school teacher. When she married the aspiring actor Charles Mathews, she had no money and he had only 12 shillings a week to live upon. In 1801 EKM was living in York with Charles, and after an evening of making people laugh at the Theatre Royal, he would return to the small upstairs apartment he shared with Eliza, where she was wasting away from tuberculosis. Soon the couple were sinking into debt while Eliza wrote furiously in their little apartment at 35 Stonegate. His second wife suggests that EKM kept the secret of the household debts from her husband, and sacrificed her health in a vain attempt to succeed as an author.
Eleven days before Eliza died, Charles wrote a friend: “I have had the best advice I could procure; but all the medical men I have employed are of the opinion she cannot recover, and it appears to me impossible that she can.” In addition to the sleepless nights and anxiety over his wife, money troubles plagued him: “You may judge yourself how heavily it must fall on a country actor—six months’ apothecaries bills, with the mortifying reflection that all such assistance is in vain.” I believe that then, and subsequently, Charles really felt for Eliza and wanted to help her make her dreams of published authorship come true. True, in the memoir written by the second Mrs. Mathews, she indicates that neither Charles, nor his brother William who acted as Eliza’s agent in London, were much impressed with What Has Been. The Orlando database is properly indignant on EKM's behalf about Anne Mathews’ condescending attitude; but I have to say I agree with Charles and his brother. What Has Been is a conventional, stilted, and hackneyed work whose main interest derives from its autobiographical elements.
Novelistic melodrama? Well, Eliza herself was thrown penniless upon the world in her early twenties. After losing every member of her immediate family, EKM supported herself by working as a school teacher. When she married the aspiring actor Charles Mathews, she had no money and he had only 12 shillings a week to live upon. In 1801 EKM was living in York with Charles, and after an evening of making people laugh at the Theatre Royal, he would return to the small upstairs apartment he shared with Eliza, where she was wasting away from tuberculosis. Soon the couple were sinking into debt while Eliza wrote furiously in their little apartment at 35 Stonegate. His second wife suggests that EKM kept the secret of the household debts from her husband, and sacrificed her health in a vain attempt to succeed as an author.
Eleven days before Eliza died, Charles wrote a friend: “I have had the best advice I could procure; but all the medical men I have employed are of the opinion she cannot recover, and it appears to me impossible that she can.” In addition to the sleepless nights and anxiety over his wife, money troubles plagued him: “You may judge yourself how heavily it must fall on a country actor—six months’ apothecaries bills, with the mortifying reflection that all such assistance is in vain.” I believe that then, and subsequently, Charles really felt for Eliza and wanted to help her make her dreams of published authorship come true. True, in the memoir written by the second Mrs. Mathews, she indicates that neither Charles, nor his brother William who acted as Eliza’s agent in London, were much impressed with What Has Been. The Orlando database is properly indignant on EKM's behalf about Anne Mathews’ condescending attitude; but I have to say I agree with Charles and his brother. What Has Been is a conventional, stilted, and hackneyed work whose main interest derives from its autobiographical elements.
The opening of Romance of the Turret (the unpublished manuscript)
The morning was cheerless; surrounding objects but faintly distinguished when the carriage which was to convey Margaret De Berry from the scenes where she had passed the happy and sportive days of childhood drew up to the residence of her late beloved friend and generous benefactress [Miss Mortimer]. Margaret’s heart trembled within her and the long restrained tears fell from her eyes as she descended the stairs and stopped to take a last look and last farewell of the apartment which was once occupied by her departed friend. “Alas! Sighed she “never more shall I listen to the tones of that soothing voice which has so often conveyed instruction to my mind—never more shall I gaze…."
This is an opening like the novel First Impressions or Emily Willis (and no doubt many others) in which a girl has been kept in ignorance of her parentage and tragically loses her guardian and mentor at the outset of the novel, plunging her unprotected into the world. Her place in life is uncertain and she might even be illegitimate: "‘[I]n what dreadful mystery is my fate involved?’ Margaret asks. "‘Was the being who gave me birth one who had forfeited the respect of her family and friends? Am I the wretched offspring of guilt?’"
The morning was cheerless; surrounding objects but faintly distinguished when the carriage which was to convey Margaret De Berry from the scenes where she had passed the happy and sportive days of childhood drew up to the residence of her late beloved friend and generous benefactress [Miss Mortimer]. Margaret’s heart trembled within her and the long restrained tears fell from her eyes as she descended the stairs and stopped to take a last look and last farewell of the apartment which was once occupied by her departed friend. “Alas! Sighed she “never more shall I listen to the tones of that soothing voice which has so often conveyed instruction to my mind—never more shall I gaze…."
This is an opening like the novel First Impressions or Emily Willis (and no doubt many others) in which a girl has been kept in ignorance of her parentage and tragically loses her guardian and mentor at the outset of the novel, plunging her unprotected into the world. Her place in life is uncertain and she might even be illegitimate: "‘[I]n what dreadful mystery is my fate involved?’ Margaret asks. "‘Was the being who gave me birth one who had forfeited the respect of her family and friends? Am I the wretched offspring of guilt?’"
 35 Stonegate today Scholarly edition of What Has Been Here is more information about the forthcoming academic edition from Chawton House Library, published through Routledge: "What Has Been, originally published in 1801, is an affecting, lively, and accessible read for scholars and students of the long eighteenth century. This critical edition includes an extensive introduction, notes, and appendices [by Jonathan Sadow and Elizabeth Neiman]. Eliza Kirkham Mathews' portrait of a struggling female novelist connects and also distinguishes What Has Been from novels by now-canonical female authors of this period. Simultaneously, it provides a new vantage-point for assessing obscure or long-forgotten novels. This volume will be of great interest to teachers and scholars of the long-eighteenth century and Romantic era, and on such far-ranging topics as the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novel, British Romanticism, feminism, women's literature, the gothic, and the 'novel of purpose' or Jacobin/anti-Jacobin novel." As I discussed in my own review of What Has Been, Emily Ormand, the main character, must support herself or starve, but she can't bring herself to work as a governess or a seamstress. She hopes to become a novelist. In the book, she receives encouragement from a kindly London publisher, but he tells her that her book "wants connection." I have looked up other examples of the phrase "wants connection," and the context in which the phrase was used, in other journals of the period, and am satisfied that it means the book lacks continuity. Her plots do tend to lack connection--she will introduce and drop characters, introduce backstories that have nothing to do with the plot. This scene between Emily and her publisher surely derives from Eliza's own life as do other autobiographical details in the book. Some have suggested it is a portrait of William Lane, the proprietor of the Minerva Press, or perhaps it is a tribute to Thomas Wilson, a publisher in York, who brought out four children's books attributed to her. |
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