Una Lucy Silberrad
Encyclopedia
Una Lucy Silberrad was a British writer. As seen on her grave slab and on the brass in St.Mary's Burnham-on-Crouch
, she described herself as "authoress", avoiding the gender-neutral term "writer", and probably reflecting her feminist views. Una Lucy Silberrad, who first lived at Buckhurst Hill
, and then moved to Burnham on Crouch later in life, was an elder sister of the chemist Oswald Silberrad
, and some fragments of his scientific work appear in her fiction. She never married.
, 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 Hutchinson & Co
. Her permanent literary agent
was A. & P. Watt & Co. Apart from her fictional work, she wrote one work on horticulture
: Dutch Bulbs and Gardens, a collaborative work written after a visit to Holland. It contains appendices by Sophia Lyall and illustrations by Mina Nixon.
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 connected with her life, including geographical locations, such as Essex
, the North of England and the City of London. Another recurring theme is the sciences, particularly chemistry
and alchemy
, which appear in over half of her novels, undoubtedly using her brother’s professional experiences and education: Oswald Silberrad
was a renowned early 20th-century chemist. Several early works feature a brother of the heroine who studies chemistry. A colophon
in Keren of Lowbole (1913) describes her own attempts at making lapis lazuli
and ether
.
writing.
Ross McKibbin defines middlebrow novels as "reasonably well written and usually (though certainly not always) about non-trivial subjects [and] 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 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. The Good Comrade (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).
, romance
and Gothic fiction
, but she is also preoccupied with late Victorian and Edwardian concerns such as class and gender.
The emerging 'New Woman' and the growing universal suffrage movements led Silberrad to place different female characters in the centre 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 the meek and obedient 'angel in the house' and the radical suffragette
. She portrays women who find contentment through their independence of mind, education and the little freedoms they fight for and obtain in their homes.
From the Edwardian period
onwards, Silberrad’s writing becomes more conscious of class questions. This becomes obvious in Rawson-Clew, the aristocratic hero of her novel The Good Comrade. 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.
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 aristocracy through her marriage to Rawson-Clew, 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 aristocracy has to move towards the middle class. Only by combining the strengths of both classes, social stability can be maintained.
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 social changes in Edwardian society but does not treat them harshly. She rather focuses on the gradual and almost imperceptible changes that shape a future society. The only Victorian 'institution' she mercilessly exposes in The Good Comrade 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 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.
. They move with ease in traditionally male domains, working self-consciously as scientists, politicians or even self-made spies. They are emancipated in spirit, and fearless in the face of public opinion.
Despite this, Silberrad’s attitude towards the more political side of the issue of female emancipation seems ambiguous. In The Good Comrade she addresses the question of emancipation directly:
This scene illustrates the way in which Silberra implicitly scrutinises male attitudes towards the role of women in society. 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.
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 traditional corset of marriage gender roles and their hegemonic balance are re-negotiated and thereby self-consciously re-calibrated. Modernisation 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.
. Apparently she was also well acquainted with a Quaker family in Buckhurst Hill
, 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. The Wedding of Lady Lovell (1905) comprises short stories depicting the dissenter
Tobiah who overcomes evil in other characters’ lives, e.g. seemingly illegitimate relationships or domestic violence. Other novels dealing with Quaker beliefs are The Second Book of Tobiah (1906) and Sampson Rideout, Quaker (1911). The narrators’ comments on the Quaker characters oscillate between respect for their principles and ironic distance towards their outlandish and eccentric behaviour. In later life, at Burnham on Crouch, she was a vigorous member of the Women's Institute.
The Good Comrade (1907) discusses differences between societies following the Church of England and social circles influenced by Calvinist 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 Holland.
Echoing her frequent comparisons of the obscure practice of alchemy with modern science, Silberrad contrast Protestant faith with rites rooted in Catholic
or pagan tradition. Simon Scroat in "The Wedding of Lady Lovell" performs a Satanic ritual in order to kill Tobiah the dissenter – only to be overcome by Tobiah. Fortune telling, witchcraft
and fear of the occult powers of gypsies find discussion in Curayl (1906), Keren of Lowbole (1913) and many other texts. In general, the texts treat such practices as results of irrational superstition.
Short stories
Non-fiction
Burnham-on-Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch is a town in the Maldon district of Essex in the East of England. It lies on the north bank of the River Crouch.-History:Historically, it has benefited from its location on the coast - first as a ferry port, later as a fishing port known for its oyster beds, and most recently as a...
, she described herself as "authoress", avoiding the gender-neutral term "writer", and probably reflecting her feminist views. Una Lucy Silberrad, who first lived at Buckhurst Hill
Buckhurst Hill
Buckhurst Hill is an affluent suburban town in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. Located adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London, it forms part of the Greater London Urban Area.- Overview :...
, and then moved to Burnham on Crouch later in life, was an elder sister of the chemist Oswald Silberrad
Oswald Silberrad
Oswald Silberrad was a British chemist who specialised in explosives, the related field of dye stuffs, and metallurgy.- Life and works :...
, and some fragments of his scientific work appear in her fiction. She never married.
Topics
It was not until 1899 when Silberrad was 27 years old that her first novel, The Enchanter, was published. It received one of its first reviews inThe BookmanThe Bookman
The Bookman may refer to:*The Bookman *The Bookman...
, a trade periodical published in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. 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 Hutchinson & Co
Hutchinson (publisher)
Hutchinson & Co. was an English book publisher, founded in 1887. The company merged with Century Publishing in 1985 to form Century Hutchinson, and was folded into the British Random House Group in 1989, where it remains as an imprint in the Cornerstone Publishing division...
. Her permanent literary agent
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
was A. & P. Watt & Co. Apart from her fictional work, she wrote one work on horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
: Dutch Bulbs and Gardens, a collaborative work written after a visit to Holland. It contains appendices by Sophia Lyall and illustrations by Mina Nixon.
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 connected with her life, including geographical locations, such as Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, the North of England and the City of London. Another recurring theme is the sciences, particularly chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, which appear in over half of her novels, undoubtedly using her brother’s professional experiences and education: Oswald Silberrad
Oswald Silberrad
Oswald Silberrad was a British chemist who specialised in explosives, the related field of dye stuffs, and metallurgy.- Life and works :...
was a renowned early 20th-century chemist. Several early works feature a brother of the heroine who studies chemistry. A colophon
Colophon
Colophon was a city in the region of Lydia in antiquity dating from about the turn of the first millennium-BC. It was likely one the oldest of the twelve Ionian League cities, between Lebedos and Ephesus and its ruins are in the eponymously named modern region of Ionia.The city's name comes from...
in Keren of Lowbole (1913) describes her own attempts at making lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli is a relatively rare semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color....
and ether
Ether
Ethers are a class of organic compounds that contain an ether group — an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups — of general formula R–O–R'. A typical example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether"...
.
Middlebrow/Middle class
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. This factoring in of economic success is one of the indicators of middlebrowMiddlebrow
The term middlebrow describes both a certain type of easily accessible art, often literature, as well as the population that uses art to acquire culture and class that is usually unattainable. First used by the British satire magazine Punch in 1925, middlebrow is derived as the intermediary between...
writing.
Ross McKibbin defines middlebrow novels as "reasonably well written and usually (though certainly not always) about non-trivial subjects [and] 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 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. The Good Comrade (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).
Silberrad and the Victorian and Edwardian periods
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 melodramaMelodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
, romance
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
and Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
, but she is also preoccupied with late Victorian and Edwardian concerns such as class and gender.
The emerging 'New Woman' and the growing universal suffrage movements led Silberrad to place different female characters in the centre 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 the meek and obedient 'angel in the house' and the radical suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
. She portrays women who find contentment through their independence of mind, education and the little freedoms they fight for and obtain in their homes.
From the Edwardian period
Edwardian period
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...
onwards, Silberrad’s writing becomes more conscious of class questions. This becomes obvious in Rawson-Clew, the aristocratic hero of her novel The Good Comrade. 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.
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 aristocracy through her marriage to Rawson-Clew, 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 aristocracy has to move towards the middle class. Only by combining the strengths of both classes, social stability can be maintained.
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 social changes in Edwardian society but does not treat them harshly. She rather focuses on the gradual and almost imperceptible changes that shape a future society. The only Victorian 'institution' she mercilessly exposes in The Good Comrade 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 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.
Emancipation
From her early narrative texts onwards, Silberrad casts her female protagonists as independent and self-determined women. Accentuated by a set of ridiculously unemancipated female characters and their often ludicrous striving after the ‘good match’, her female protagonists embody an entirely different type of femininityFemininity
Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
. They move with ease in traditionally male domains, working self-consciously as scientists, politicians or even self-made spies. They are emancipated in spirit, and fearless in the face of public opinion.
Despite this, Silberrad’s attitude towards the more political side of the issue of female emancipation seems ambiguous. In The Good Comrade she addresses the question of emancipation directly:
[…] 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 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."
This scene illustrates the way in which Silberra implicitly scrutinises male attitudes towards the role of women in society. 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.
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 traditional corset of marriage gender roles and their hegemonic balance are re-negotiated and thereby self-consciously re-calibrated. Modernisation 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.
Religion
Silberrad was a regular churchgoer, being a staunch member of the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Apparently she was also well acquainted with a Quaker family in Buckhurst Hill
Buckhurst Hill
Buckhurst Hill is an affluent suburban town in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. Located adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London, it forms part of the Greater London Urban Area.- Overview :...
, 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. The Wedding of Lady Lovell (1905) comprises short stories depicting the dissenter
Dissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
Tobiah who overcomes evil in other characters’ lives, e.g. seemingly illegitimate relationships or domestic violence. Other novels dealing with Quaker beliefs are The Second Book of Tobiah (1906) and Sampson Rideout, Quaker (1911). The narrators’ comments on the Quaker characters oscillate between respect for their principles and ironic distance towards their outlandish and eccentric behaviour. In later life, at Burnham on Crouch, she was a vigorous member of the Women's Institute.
The Good Comrade (1907) discusses differences between societies following the Church of England and social circles influenced by Calvinist 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 Holland.
Echoing her frequent comparisons of the obscure practice of alchemy with modern science, Silberrad contrast Protestant faith with rites rooted in Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
or pagan tradition. Simon Scroat in "The Wedding of Lady Lovell" performs a Satanic ritual in order to kill Tobiah the dissenter – only to be overcome by Tobiah. Fortune telling, witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
and fear of the occult powers of gypsies find discussion in Curayl (1906), Keren of Lowbole (1913) and many other texts. In general, the texts treat such practices as results of irrational superstition.
Works
Novels
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|
|
Short stories
|
Non-fiction
|
External links
- The Good Comrade at Project Gutenberg (plain text and HTML editions).
- Works by Una Silberrad at the Internet Archive.