The Beetle Commonplace Ch 1-28
“London is its own singular, often monstrous, character in the fiction of the last two decades of the nineteenth century” (323)
“There is, without doubt, a language or discourse of the city at the end of the century which grips the literary imagination, and of which Marsh partakes readily.” (323)
“The new woman has no desire to imitate the bad points of the other sex: she sees no shame in womanliness; but unfortunately, neither men nor women exactly agree on the definition of womanliness.” (335)
“Egypt was a source of constant cultural fascination for the Victorians, whether through travel, research, or the opportunities afforded by that curious offshoot of Victorian colonialism and imperialism…” (340)
“[mesmerism] came to occupy the shady territory between science and psuedo-science in the nineteenth century…” (353)
2 thoughts on “The Beetle Commonplace Ch 1-28”
I also found this illustration and thought it was a worthy representation and included it in my common place as well. I like that you have included things from the extended readings about women and science, specifically mesmerism too. I also did the same but we seemed to pick different quotes that relate to each other and paint an even bigger picture than they do alone. Thanks.
I particularly like the first quote, as it sums up the reasons for the birth not just of The Beetle, but of Jekyll and Hyde and Dorian Gray as well. Society was changing to be slightly more inclusive and many feared that change; they saw the people involved in that change as monsters. Hyde and Dorian were the product of fears that the “deplorable” were taking over, while The Beetle came from fears of non-white cultures. Yet, as I, like you, described in my CPB, there was a morbid fascination with the now lost glory and exotic nature of ancient Egypt, including Egyptian “magic.”