After reading, NorthAnger Abbey, and Ms. Morland's fascination with Gothic Romances, and her favorite being Mysteries of Udolpho, I thought I'd challenge myself to spend some time following the story of Emily St. Aubert.
The part I'm commenting on today is right before her mother becomes very ill. One of my favorite parts about MOU are the pieces of poetry, mixed in with Shakespeare and how Radcliffe ties them in, and drags you deeper into her novel. I'm beginning to notice a cycle of sorts, where Radcliffe creates these beautiful, happy scenes of felicitation and fancy, and then moments later, things turn very dark, and deeply melancholy. One scene Emily and her father are taking a walk at night, discussing fairies and 'Glow worm'. Emily recites her poem for her father, in spite of her fears of his criticizing her. It starts off with words, like 'pleasant', 'sweeter', 'softest', and then halfway through, the poem turns dark, with words like, 'sad', 'forsakes', 'mire', 'and stars burning out'. Just dark, dark, dark.
And her father does criticize her, but I found the poem both lovely and terrifying.
At the beginning of the next chapter, Radcliffe begins with a couple of lines from Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 5), " I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word Would harrow up thy soul." These words from Hamlet's father's ghost, of wanting to tell him secrets from purgatory, except these stories would cut his soul.
With these lines she introduces the next chapter of both Emily and her father's sadness and grief of the passing of their beloved mother and wife. And Radcliffe truly writes with vivid descriptions of the tears and feelings of loss from both of them and the uncaring feelings of both their family and friends towards their loss and grief is unsettling, except for Emily's aunt who does seemingly give her sincerest condolences.
My final thought has to do with Radcliffe's own thoughts on what one's duty is to not only oneself but to those around us. Emily's father tenderly tells her that,
" I have endeavored to teach you from your earliest youth, the duty of self-command; I have pointed out to you the great importance of it through life, not only as it preserves us in the various and dangerous temptations that call us from rectitude and virtue, but as it limits the indulgences which are termed virtuous, yet which extended beyond a certain boundary, are vicious, for their consequence is evil"
Early on he and his wife taught her about self-control, and not be swayed by temptation, but to limit indulgences, moderation is a good thing. He then proceeds to state that while sadness and grief are necessary, and 'amiable from it's origin', sadness and grief 'if indulged would become selfish and unjust passion' and would come at an expence to our duties to ourselves and others. That the 'indulgence of excessive grief enervates the mind and (I LOVE this word) incapacitates the other various enjoyments of life, which God had intended us to enjoy or as Radcliffe puts it 'the sunshine of our lives'.
It's ok to grieve at loss or change or any dark challenge in our life, it's ok to be sad and grieve, but not to lose ourselves in that grief, because in continuing on with our grief and sadness we will miss out on other good and joyous moments of our life, which is what (during this unprecedented time) I've been having a difficulty just enjoying the sunshine and ones I love and not be so caught up in the rough time WE as global citizens are going through, and not be selfish, that someone else may be having a more difficult and challenging time than I've had.
So far I am thoroughly enjoying Emily's adventure.
I'll update more, when something in the book reaches out to me and speaks to me, my likes and thoughts.
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