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Week 10: Writing Essays Workshop

The following essay was written by an honours student, Jacqueline Feeney, in December 2004. Please read it, print it out and bring it to the seminar. In the seminar, you will work together in small groups for about 25 minutes in order to decide: (a) what mark you would give the essay; (b) why you would give it this mark. After 25 minutes, there will be a feedback session in which you explain to the whole seminar group the reasons why you arrived at your mark. The question she chose to answer is presented in green (this was before I narrowed down the question to one of the issues).

Select any one text from the first semester set texts plus another text of your own choice (one that has not been included in the set texts) and write an essay that compares and contrasts how these texts relate to any of the issues that the class is exploring. These issues might include questions of period, genre, national tradition, the nature of childhood, education, history, gender, literary form, text and illustration, and so on (see Class Description).

The Children of The New Forest by Captain Marryat (published in 1847) and Talking in Whispers by James Watson (published in 1983) are both expressions of the classic tradition of adventure narrative in children's fiction. The focus of this essay will be the examination of parallels and contrasts between these novels relating to period, genre, the nature of childhood, education and gender, in order to support the argument that the adventure genre remains a rich source of entertainment and education for children.

The Children of The New Forest, a historical as well as an adventure novel, is set some two centuries prior to its Victorian publication in the profound national conflict of the English Civil War. As such, the period setting of the novel, although recreated from the viewpoint of its Royalist protagonist Edward Beverley, seeks to represent a more moderate vision of an England reconciled to the principles and values of both the Royalist and Parliamentarian causes – which can be read as an expression of the renewed self-confident national identity of imperialist Victorian England. This reconciliation is reflected in the marriage of the Royalist Edward and Patience Heatherstone, the daughter of the moderate Parliamentarian Intendant, himself a representative of a less radical strand of democratic Parliamentarianism. The choice of the name Edward for the protagonist has a strong Royal connotation, recalling the reigns of Edward I and III, monarchs who embodied a sense of English national identity and imperial destiny through their expansionist wars in Wales, Scotland and France. Interestingly, however, both kings also recognised how a national parliament reinforced the partnership between king and country (Monarchy, ITV, 15 October 2004). Marryat's Royalist sympathies (Butts 2001, p.5) reflect the perceived usurpation of this balance of power by Oliver Cromwell's Roundhead Revolution, but the denunciation of extremists of both Parliamentarian and Royalist causes in the novel reflects the Victorian model of a thrusting and evangelising nation state ruled by Parliament and a constitutional monarchy. This denunciation is evident in the role of the moderate Intendent, who declares loyalty to both Parliament and King while denouncing Cromwellian extremism:

When I joined the party which opposed him ... I equally felt that the person of the king was sacred ... for never did any people strive more zealously to prevent the murder of the king - for murder it was - than my relative Ashley Cooper and myself. So much so, indeed, as to have incurred not only the suspicion but the ill-will of Cromwell, who, I fear, is now making rapid advances towards that absolute authority for which the king has suffered, and which he would now vest in his own person. I considered that our cause was just; and had the power been left in the hands of those who would have exercised it with discretion and moderation, the king would even now have been on the throne and the liberties of his subjects sacred; but it is easier to put a vast and powerful engine into motion than to stop it, and such has been the case in this unfortunate civil war. (Marryat 1847, pp.173-74)

In the environment of the New Forest, Edward Beverley experiences spiritual and personal growth. It is living in the land as a forester that transforms Edward into a more tolerant Royalist - as he works the land, hunts, learns to live in harmony with nature and reaches a more moderate Royalist stance. He comes to befriend and respect the moderate Parliamentarian Intendent, who gives Edward enlightened knowledge and a certain understanding about the uprising against King Charles – who, claims the Intendent, 'attempted to make himself absolute, and to wrest their liberties from the people of England' (Marryat 1847, p.173), only to have Cromwell move towards a similar absolute authority. Despite Edward's prevailing loyalty to the king, he begins to sympathise with the Intendent's moderate Parliamentarian stance. Edward critiques the political situation from the Intendent's predicament:

in ridding themselves of one tyranny, as they considered it, they have every prospect of falling into the hands of a greater tyrant than before; for depend upon it, Cromwell will assume the sovereign power, and rule this kingdom with a rod of iron. (Marryat 1847, p.179)

Although Edward Beverley's Royalist principles are tempered in the New Forest, like a true adventure hero, he fights for his Royalist 'moral cause', as he struggles to reclaim his family name and property.

Similarly, recovering family identity is a central problem for Andres Larreta, the main protagonist of Watson's Talking in Whispers, a thinly veiled fictional account of right wing autocratic Chile. Events in the novel strongly mirror the horrific events that took place under the Chilean right wing dictatorship of General Pinochet in the late 1970s. However, while The Children of the New Forest is a historical adventure novel, the educational foreword of Talking in Whispers places the narrative in the present, yet claims a less specific, virtually timeless relevance:

This story takes place in Chile, somewhere between the present and the future. The characters are the creation of the author but events such as those portrayed here have happened, are happening and will continue to happen, not only in Chile but in many countries where the force of arms rules the people instead of democracy and the rule of justice. (Watson 1983)

The socio-political viewpoint of The Children of the New Forest is one that advocates a reconciliation between conflicting national authorities and also echoes a Victorian imperialist ethos. Following military service in the Royalist cause, Edward Beverley 'was about to embark immediately for the Continent, to seek his fortune in the wars' (Marryat 1847, p.283). The validation of a noble and spirited young man seeking his fortune in foreign wars has an imperial resonance that confers a Victorian political and moral ideology on the novel. In contrast, while Watson's late 20th century liberal viewpoint, like Marryat's, rejects political extremism and tyranny, the socio-political context of Talking in Whispers is strongly anti-imperialist and is international rather than national in its outlook. The novel's internationalist vision is conveyed by the English author, Watson, who chooses to expose the horrors of fascism in a foreign setting, as Chile becomes a microcosm of right-wing tyranny. The teenage hero Andres Larreta struggles to survive the repression of a regime that brutally eliminates any resistance. Right wing tyranny and fascism is deemed an international problem by the foreword, which highlights that right-wing extremism is not specific to Chile. Indeed, it is a phenomenon that prevails 'not only in Chile but in many countries where the force of arms rules the people instead of democracy and the rule of justice' (Watson 1983).

There are significant parallels and contrasts in the treatment of the adventure narrative genre in each novel. Both The Children of The New Forest and Talking in Whispers are rites of passage novels, since the heroes develop consciousness and identity through a series of challenges encountered throughout the course of their adventures. Andres Larreta is left orphaned by his mother and father's brutal murder by Chile's right wing regime. Both parents are killed for their socialist democratic beliefs and Andres first evades and finally resists the tyranny of the military powers that be. Andres Larreta, like Edward Beverley, follows his father's beliefs and risks his life for his ideals. Children's Literature, edited by Peter Hunt, defines Edward Beverley as the prototype of the modern male juvenile hero of adventure fiction: 'in the figure of Edward Beverley, a fiery, arrogant, gallant, persevering, sympathetic teenager, we may say that the nineteenth-century juvenile hero had arrived (Peter Hunt, 2001, cited in Week Five Lecture: The Children of the New Forest (1847)). If Andres Larreta's name were substituted for that of Edward Beverley and the 19th century reference changed to the 20th century, Watson's hero would almost replicate that definitive archetypal male hero embodied in the character of Edward Beverley. Yet Andres is neither 'fiery' nor 'arrogant'. Edward's fiery nature and arrogance is synonymous with his sense of superior breeding, which reflects the Victorian imperialist and hierarchical viewpoint that exceptional qualities are specific to the upper classes. Edward is a 'born' leader and is therefore, as the heir of Arnwood, conditioned to become one:

Edward had been brought up as the heir of Arnwood; and a boy at a very early age imbibes notions of his position, if it promises to be a high one ... He longed to be in command as his father had been - to lead his men on to victory - to recover his property - and to revenge himself on those who had acted so cruelly towards him. (Marryat 1847, p.40)

Conversely, within the modern liberal context of Talking in Whispers, Watson highlights the devastating effects of fascism on ordinary lives; Andres Larreta represents the plight of an ordinary teenage boy who, unlike Edward Beverley, only becomes exceptional through his horrific experiences. He is terrified and traumatised by the tyranny of right wing extremism and he is initially powerless against the regime. Andres curses his fear and feels guilty for his lack of agency as he witnesses his friend being killed by soldiers and his father Juan being 'snatched away to the prisons of a living death': 'I should have let myself be taken. There's no honour in this, skulking in brambles, with only a scratch to show for my bravery. If I'd given myself up at least I'd have driven with him. On the last journey' (Watson 1983, p.12). Andres finally gains agency and a voice to resist the fascist regime when outside Santiago's National stadium - a site of national torture - an American journalist, who is caught by soldiers taking photographs of prisoners being tortured, desperately hands Andres his camera before 'folding under a rampage of blows' (Watson 1983, p.41). The evidence within the camera shows prisoners being tortured and proves that the Junta brutally murdered the leader of Chile's Democratic Party, Miguel Alberti (a.k.a., the Silver Lion). With this evidence, Andres 'fights back' (Watson 1983, p.45) with the help of his two friends, Isa and Beto, in a quest to expose the tyranny and oppression of the Junta to the world. However, unlike Edward, who eventually takes up arms to regain his aristocratic position and property, Andres embarks on an unarmed resistance. Finally, Andres' socialist ideals contrast with Edward's Royalist principles. Yet both characters, true to the adventure genre, encounter dangerous and potentially life threatening events, are 'youthfully-minded adults who struggle to meet a challenge and are changed and enriched by their adventures' (Children's Books in English, cited in Week Five Lecture: The Children of the New Forest). For instance, while Edward learns to become a more tolerant Royalist, Andres inscribes his subjectivity by learning how to resist the right wing leadership of Chile.

A further parallel between the novels is evident in the close relationship with land that Edward Beverley and Andres Larreta have. In Talking in Whispers, Andres' subjectivity and resistance is abstracted in the land; he sings resistance songs coined by his father that connect the Chilean to the land. In the following poem, which is embraced by Andres, the people of Chile and the land are united in their suffering:

Over this dry-sweet land
My body lies scattered
My head in the desert
My feet in the southern snows
My eyes in the castles of the blood-red sky. (Watson 1983, p. 64)

Throughout Talking in Whispers the mysticism of the land strengthens Andres's spirit of resistance, as he and his friends fight to reclaim a free and democratic Chile. Indeed, there are times in the novel where Andres physically immerses himself in the earth, and it is almost as if the land cleanses and feeds his spirit. The land becomes a refuge for Andres and saves him from the soldiers who have killed his friend and captured his father:

They were searching for Andres now, among the brambles and scrub where the ground rose up from the winding valley road. He was a witness. He had scrabbled along the ditch on hands and knees. It was littered with sharp rocks. He dug at the crisp topsoil, then powdered it over his face. He reached the first bend in the road. He lunged in among blackberry bushes. (Watson 1983, p.10)

In The Children of the New Forest the children receive a Rousseauean practical education. Edward and his brother Humphrey work the land to survive, and according to John M. Mackenzie, Marryat's preoccupation with the educative qualities of the natural world echoes a widespread Victorian fascination:

The Victorians were enthralled by the natural world. As the nineteenth century progressed they extended and deepened romantic responses by seeing nature as a prime region of scientific endeavour, as an arena for establishing human dominance through the creation of pattern and design, and as a source of moral training for the young. (Mackenzie 1989, p.145)

Indeed it is through the 'pattern and design' of hunting that Edward and his brother Humphrey establish their 'human dominance' in the New Forest. Both the reader and the Beverley brothers are educated about the natural world. For instance, the novel asserts that 'a stag is called a brocket until he is three years old...and after five years he becomes a hart Royal' (Marryat 1983, p.36). Similarly, Marryat describes in great detail the skills and the process of hunting. Such detailed description serves to educate the reader as well as the Beverley brothers:

Now, Edward, we are going after a fine stag, if we can find him - which I doubt not - but the difficulty is to get within shot of him. Recollect that you must always be hid, for his sight is very quick; never be heard for his ear is sharp; and never come down to him with the wind, for his scent is very fine. Then you must hunt according to the hour of the day. At this time he is feeding; two hours hence he will be lying down in the high fern (Watson 1983, p.34).

It is the natural world that predicts and nurtures the growing spirits of both these young heroes who develop from children into young adulthood in both novels.

The representation of gender in The Children of The New Forest and Talking in Whispers is unsurprising, since gender ideology in the novels reflects the socio-political context of the period in which they were written. In The Children of The New Forest, following traditional Victorian gender ideology, the male protagonists are represented as being physically strong, courageous, brave and proud, while the female characters are gentle, kind and more weak and in need of male protection. Indeed work is gendered, and Alice and Edith Beverley are domesticated while Edward and Humphrey hunt wild cattle and venison. Even in moments of crisis the Beverley sisters are not expected to do any work considered to be masculine. For example, when the cottage has to be barricaded within the space of a few hours in order to protect the Beverleys from the onslaught of robbers, neither Alice nor Edith help with the barricading but significantly continue with their domestic chores of cooking and cleaning. Moreover, Alice and Edith rarely leave the confines of the cottage and their work and personalities are less sharply defined in the novel. Edward's two sisters are dependent on their brothers and neither Alice nor Edith is given a viewpoint on the country's political crisis. The passivity of Marryat's female characters, who have very little agency, reflects the patriarchal ideals of Victorian society.

In contrast, the representation of gender in Talking in Whispers reflects late 20th century liberal democratic ideals, which advocate gender equality and female autonomy. Talking in Whispers is gender inclusive, and the power of the female voice is conveyed through Isa who, along with her twin brother Beto, helps Andres to resist the oppressive forces of the right wing Junta. The character of Isa embodies personality traits that are traditionally categorised as being male by Victorian ideology: she is brave, powerful and rational, and has an ardent sense of justice. Thus, Isa subverts Victorian patriarchal gender ideology - which renders the female as being weaker and inferior to men - since her autonomy and power persist throughout the novel. Indeed, Isa's powerful insight overshadows her brother's as she immediately realises Andres' true identity. Beto declares,

'Isa knew all along. But you were still on the tip of my tongue ... until this morning's paper. You're famous!' Beto reached behind him and brought out a copy of The Mercury. 'If this rag is to be believed - Andres, isn't it?' (Watson 1983, p.26)

It is Isa who is ultimately responsible for the exposure of the Junta's tyranny because she risks her life by making her own secret copy of the incriminating photographs which she then bravely passes on to an American journalist. Her autonomous subjectivity is reinforced when she openly defies the fascist military leadership by conducting a satirical puppet show with her brother Beto, which mocks and parodies General Zuckero, the leader of the right wing regime. For as Isa says, 'After a while you come to hate talking in whispers' (Watson 1983, p.29).

In both novels it is through the direct action of the young characters that tyranny is overcome. The Children of The New Forest reaches a resolution with the restoration of the throne, as national rule is balanced between a constitutional monarchy and Parliament. The traditional 'happily ever after' ending is achieved through the triumph of national healing, as Edward reclaims Arnwood and all the young characters become happily married. However, because of the provocative nature of Talking in Whispers and the continuing persistence of fascism in the world, it is unsurprising that Watson's novel is left open-ended. Although the three young protagonists are triumphant in exposing the lies and tyranny of the right wing regime to the people of Chile and the rest of the world, the question remains as to whether or not the fascist regime will be eventually toppled.

Despite the fact that The Children of The New Forest and Talking In Whispers conform to the values of very different eras, this essay has shown that there are also strong parallels between these novels. Indeed both texts are rites of passage novels, are educative, and both Edward Beverley and Andres Larreta conform to the notion of the traditional adventure hero: they encounter dangerous and potentially life threatening events and are 'youthfully-minded adults who struggle to meet a challenge and are changed and enriched by their adventures' (Children's Books in English, cited in Week Five Lecture: The Children of the New Forest). The Children of The New Forest and Talking in Whispers show that the foundations of the adventure novel prevail from the Victorian era to the twentieth century; both novels are expressions of the classic tradition of adventure narrative in children's fiction that continues to entertain and educate children and marks the adventure novel as a highly significant genre for children.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Butts, D. 2001. 'Dogs and cats: the nineteenth-century historical novel for children'. Collins, F and J. Graham (eds.), Historical Fiction for Children. London: Fulton Publishers.

Furniss, Tom 2004-5. Children's Literature Lecture Notes, Week Five: The Children of the New Forest. http://homepages.strath.ac.uk/~chcs05/childrenlit/marryat.html

Hunt, P. (ed) 2001. Children's Literature. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

Mackenzie, J.M. 1989. 'Hunting and the natural world in juvenile literature'. In Richards, J. (ed.) Imperialism and Juvenile Literature. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Marryat, Captain (1847) 1993. The Children of the New Forest. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited.

Monarchy. ITV. 15 October 2004.

Watson, James 1983. Talking in Whispers. Glasgow: William Collins.

Watson, V. (ed.) 2001. The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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