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traditional corset of marriage gender roles and their hegemonic balance are re-negotiated and thereby self-consciously re-calibrated. Modernization takes place within the institutional frameworks of society but does not operate against them. It follows from this that
Silberrad communicates what must seem small-scale changes to an existing worldview but never opts for its radical discontinuation. This may sometimes disappoint in its calm if not cautious detachment from the radicalism of the modernist movement. However, Silberrad's writing reveals the osmotic and thus gradual domestication of modern thinking in the wider realms of British society in the early decades of the 20th century.
303:. The cautious, tongue-in-cheek question of the female character works inductively. She aims to win the respect of her male counterpart by immersion rather than conversion. As in so many of Silberrad's texts, a pointedly modern stance in these matters is not a question of political campaigning but remains that of a state of mind. Emancipation is implicit rather than explicit, shown through one's small daily achievements and decisions rather than through radical speeches or political actions.
206:
stylist, and her method is sometimes crude, but she is observant, her characters live and her tales are marked by a kind of conscious energy.” Nicola Humble furthermore defines the feminine middlebrow literature of
Silberrad’s time as “a powerful force in establishing and consolidating, but also in resisting, new class and gender identities ." Analogously, Silberrad demonstrates a high degree of class-consciousness and shows the typical measuring of a middlebrow world against other values.
249:. He is most often depicted in the street or in other public places. His house in the North of England is only mentioned in passing and is never described in detail. This gives the aristocratic spaces he inhabits a certain utopian quality which is at once affirmative of the aristocracy and conscious of the fact that as a class it is far removed from the reality of life. Instead, it is the middle class that is gaining new importance.
134:, a trade periodical published in New York and London. After 1899 she wrote and published regularly. Of her more than 40 titles, most were novels. She also wrote short stories and a few non-fictional works. Her first 26 books were published by a variety of publishers, based in London and New York, but the second half of her oeuvre came out with
210:(1907), for instance, reflects the negotiation of cultural and class-related values on various levels. Also with respect to gender roles, Silberrad integrates critiques of gender relations and stereotypes into her fiction, whilst retaining typical middlebrow narrative frameworks, such as the ‘romance that ends in marriage’ topos (see below).
265:
is the family. Its slow decline is visible in the
Polkingtons, individuals who express selfish desires aimed at a good appearance rather than upholding moral values. The only exception again is Julia, the 'middle' daughter who takes charge of her own life. And again it could be said that she finally
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writing. Silberrad's novels "are clearly targeted to a conservative middle-class audience". Her works were frequently published in reprint series, decent but inexpensive copies which catered for the needs of the increasing numbers of potential readers, particularly among the suburban middle classes.
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Apart from depicting shifts in the
English class structure, the relationship between Julia and Rawson-Clew is also exemplary of a new orientation with respect to gender questions. Marriages in which freedom, equality, and mutual respect are dominant are portrayed as the future. Silberrad perceives
233:
The emerging 'New Woman' and the growing universal suffrage movements led
Silberrad to place different female characters in the center of her fiction. Her women struggle to find the best possible positions for themselves in life. Often the author finally seems to advocate a middle position between
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he remarked, "I think girls are usually brought up with too much protection; I mean girls of our class, they are too much shielded; one has them for the house only; if they were flowers I would call them stove-plants." Julia laughed. "You believe in the emancipation of women then?" she said; "you
306:
The dictate of the happy end in the middlebrow novel requires her female protagonists to settle in matrimony. However, while such an ending may cause some dismay for readers who had hoped for a more accentuated feminist settlement one cannot ignore the fact that within
Silberrad's vision of the
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defines middlebrow novels as "reasonably well written and usually (though certainly not always) about non-trivial subjects at least approachable." Harold
Williams' description of Silberrad's style of writing corresponds to this definition. His view of Silberrad is that she “has less gift as a
252:
This new middle class is represented by the novel's heroine, practical and resourceful Julia
Polkington who fights through adverse situations and emerges victorious. It is her special kind of diligence and moral disposition that will determine the future society. Not only does Julia renew the
153:
Her writing was most likely intended for a conservative middle-class, middlebrow audience. Her novels contain many allusions to other literary works and concepts, but her prose style, which might be classified as late-Victorian, is eclectic. She reused several literary topics that are closely
253:
aristocracy through her marriage to Rawson-Clew, but she also negotiates gender relations. Before agreeing to the marriage, the young woman sets conditions for it which Rawson-Clew obviously accepts. To ensure its continuing existence, the
278:
with independent and self-determined lives, who are contrasted with sets of ridiculously unemancipated women, often ludicrous striving after the 'good match'. Silberrad's female protagonists embody an entirely different type of
261:
social changes in
Edwardian society but does not treat them harshly. She rather focuses on the gradual and almost imperceptible changes that shape future society. The only Victorian 'institution' she mercilessly exposes in
283:, moving with ease in traditionally male circles, while also working self-consciously as scientists, politicians, or even self-appointed spies. They are emancipated in spirit and fearless in the face of public opinion.
357:
teachings. Again, the narrator treats both sides ambivalently. The irony, however, rests more on the restrictive, Calvinist-inspired family the main character Julia works for during her stay in the
266:
sets up a new family on her own terms with Rawson-Clew. The treatment of class as well as gender questions shows Una
Silberrad's penchant for advocating gradual change and middle courses.
347:(1911). The narrators' comments on the Quaker characters oscillate between respect for their principles and ironic distance towards their outlandish and eccentric behavior.
331:, her birthplace. References to both Church of England doctrines and Quaker beliefs are a common thread in her literary works, particularly in her historical fiction.
339:
Tobiah who overcomes evil in other characters' lives, e.g. seemingly illegitimate relationships or domestic violence. Other novels dealing with Quaker beliefs are
238:. She portrays women who find contentment through their independence of mind, education, and the little freedoms they fight for and obtain in their homes.
295:
would rather a woman could take care of herself, and not be afraid than be womanly?" "No," he answered; "I would like them to be both, as you are."
245:
onwards, Silberrad's writing becomes more conscious of class questions. This becomes obvious in Rawson-Clew, the aristocratic hero of her novel
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Many of Silberrad's early works are deeply rooted in the Victorian era. Not only does she take up and mix popular 19th-century genres such as
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Despite this, Silberrad's attitude towards the more political side of the issue of female emancipation seems ambiguous. In
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has to move towards the middle class. Only by combining the strengths of both classes, social stability can be maintained.
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was a renowned early 20th-century chemist. Several early works feature a brother of the heroine who studies chemistry. A
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This scene illustrates the way in which Silberrad implicitly scrutinizes male attitudes towards the role of women in
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166:, which appear in over half of her novels, undoubtedly using her brother's professional experiences and education:
400:(1913) and many other texts. In general, the texts treat such practices as a result of irrational superstition.
353:(1907) discusses differences between societies following the Church of England and social circles influenced by
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Echoing her frequent comparisons of the obscure practice of alchemy with modern science, Silberrad contrasts
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116:", which highlight conservative middle-class virtues even as they focus on capable female protagonists.
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158:, the North of England and the City of London. Another recurring theme is the sciences, particularly
230:, but she is also preoccupied with late Victorian and Edwardian concerns such as class and gender.
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was A. & P. Watt & Co. Apart from her fictional work, she wrote one work on horticulture:
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1 September 1955) was a British author. She wrote about 40 novels, often characterized as "
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Macdonald, Kate. "Edwardian transitions in the fiction of Una L Silberrad (1872–1955)".
428:, and some fragments of his scientific work appear in her fiction. She never married.
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The Feminine Middlebrow Novel, the 1920s to 1950s: Class, Domesticity, and Bohemianism
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It was not until 1899 when Silberrad was 27 years old that her first novel,
839:(1909) (painted by Mina Nixon, described by Una Silberrad and Sophie Lyall)
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Modern English Writers – Being a Study of Imaginative Literature 1890–1914
150:. It contains appendices by Sophia Lyall and illustrations by Mina Nixon.
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tradition. Simon Scroat in "The Wedding of Lady Lovell" performs a
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connected with her life, including geographical locations, such as
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Silberrad was a regular churchgoer, being a staunch member of the
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The requirement for economic success is one of the indicators of
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The Wedding of Lady Lovell, and Other Matches of Tobiah's Making
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to kill Tobiah the dissenter – only to be overcome by Tobiah.
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the meek and obedient 'angel in the house' and the radical
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Kemp, Sandra, Mitchell, Charlotte, Trotter, David (eds)
128:, was published. It received one of its first reviews in
963:. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1918. Naismith Press, 2007. (
178:(1913) describes her own attempts at making artificial
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later in life. She was an elder sister of the chemist
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she addresses the question of emancipation directly:
146:, a collaborative work written after a visit to the
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937:Fox, Tony. "Una Silberrad, Authoress, 1872–1955".
319:. Apparently she was also well acquainted with a
214:Silberrad and the Victorian and Edwardian periods
335:(1905) comprises short stories depicting the
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637:The Romance of Peter Waine, Timber Merchant
801:"Concerning the Wreck of the Merry Rose".
17:
761:"Concerning the Death of James Deering".
655:The Strange Story in the Falconer Papers
871:Classes and Cultures: England 1918–1951
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740:"The Winning of Elizabeth Fothergill".
946:Edwardian Fiction: An Oxford Companion
685:The Three Men who went to Ardath, 1760
705:"A Romance of the Molehill Country".
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991:Works by or about Una Lucy Silberrad
934:, 54.1 (January 2011, forthcoming).
733:"The Dower Chest of Ann Ponsford".
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388:and fear of the occult powers of
948:(Oxford University Press, 1997,
932:English Literature in Transition
895:. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001. 3. (
1:
1047:People from Burnham-on-Crouch
780:"In the Course of Business".
754:"In the course of business".
712:"The Temptation of Ezekiel".
625:The Book of Sanchia Stapleton
555:The Mystery of Barnard Hanson
643:The Will of James Mark Crane
509:The Affairs of John Bolsover
982:Works by Una Lucy Silberrad
747:"The Witchcraft of Chuma".
597:The Letters of Jean Armiter
543:Cuddy Yarborough's Daughter
465:The Success of Mark Wyngate
368:faith with rites rooted in
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1042:People from Buckhurst Hill
941:44.2 (Autumn 2009): 58–63.
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333:The Wedding of Lady Lovell
917:at Project Gutenberg. 69.
873:. Oxford: Oxford UP. 513.
816:Declined With Thanks, etc
810:Harper's Monthly Magazine
796:Harper's Monthly Magazine
775:The Second Book of Tobiah
749:Harper's Monthly Magazine
679:The Escape of Andrew Cole
649:The Last Page of the Book
416:Silberrad first lived at
341:The Second Book of Tobiah
808:"The Burning of Babel".
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719:"Mrs Smallpage's John".
585:Rachel and her Relations
869:McKibbin, Ross (1998):
837:Dutch Bulbs and Gardens
673:The Abundance of Things
609:The Vow of Micah Jordan
515:Sampson Rideout, Quaker
491:(1908, reprinted 2018;
345:Sampson Rideout, Quaker
190:Middlebrow/Middle class
144:Dutch Bulbs and Gardens
726:"Priscilla's Maying".
631:In the Course of Years
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1027:English women writers
619:Blackstones. A Novel.
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1004:at Project Gutenberg
787:"Monsieur Abraham".
742:Blackwood's Magazine
735:Blackwood's Magazine
714:Everybody's Magazine
882:Williams 2007: 467.
812:119 (Oct 1909): 713
744:(May 1903): 638–667
737:(Feb 1903): 190–221
567:The Lyndwood Affair
392:find discussion in
136:Hutchinson & Co
959:Williams, Harold.
784:. 18 (1907): 43–48
765:32 (1904): 156–164
763:PALL MALL MAGAZINE
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728:PALL MALL MAGAZINE
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721:PALL MALL MAGAZINE
603:Joe, A Simple Soul
471:Petronilla Heroven
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359:Netherlands
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255:aristocracy
236:suffragette
148:Netherlands
131:The Bookman
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1021:Categories
848:References
756:Daily Mail
386:witchcraft
366:Protestant
323:family in
281:femininity
196:middlebrow
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108:1955-09-01
100:1872-05-08
84:Sister of
65:Occupation
38:8 May 1872
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337:dissenter
241:From the
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160:chemistry
81:Relatives
661:Saunders
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370:Catholic
311:Religion
172:colophon
993:at the
527:Success
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