The Loves of Sylvia Elizabeth Gaskell
Ed. Mondadori, 2010
Translation
Damián Alou
603 pp EUR 27.90
Elizabeth Gaskell was born in 1810 in Chelsea (London), in a family whose father was a minister of the Unitarian church, one of the churches more tolerant of the time and particularly progressive in their attitude to women, which allowed Gaskell to have a good education. It is a progressive writer and this trend can be seen in much of his work by introducing the conflict between social classes.
The Loves of Sylvia is the story of Sylvia Robson, a beautiful woman who falls in love two very different men together: Philip Hepburn, a young man with a promising future as a trader but physically unattractive, and Charley Kinrara, a very handsome man, a womanizer and whalers. Among them are a secret that will make them all his life. They live in Monkshaven, invented by Gaskell city but it seems that is the city of Whilby, a small town Fisheries that she visited with two of his daughters, famous for its spas and whose climate was not as beneficial Ms. Gaskell sought. In fact, throughout the novel, the climate is a primary factor.
Under this love story, Gaskell gives us an interesting insight into the history of England told in The Loves of Sylvia : "Lucky we have of living in the present age, where everything is logical and coherent "(p . 99)
The book is written in the past, recounting events that occurred 60 years earlier. They Gaskell, using the love story of three young men, tells the social situation of the time: during the Napoleonic wars there cam patrols forcibly enrolled all healthy young men. In the case of The Loves of Sylvia
, these patrols advantage when fishermen returned from the whaling in Greenland to kidnap and send a real naval vessels to fight the French. This will mark the future of Sylvia. Very interesting is the vision that has Daniel Robson, father of Sylvia, about the patrols.
The Loves of Sylvia is a delicious novel. The author is probably the best known writer of the Victorian novel. Has had the courage to write the state of society in industrial areas with a progressive vision, which is more complicated, being a woman, and describe the prudery of the Victorian rural society, deeply closed, ignorant and classist.
noteworthy that the star of The Loves of Sylvia has a personality as distinct from those of other novels by Elizabeth Gaskell. All the protagonists are women wrestlers, analytical, well-educated. Sylvia is the opposite. He lives in a rough environment. Carried away by feelings, not reason. Not interested in learning to read: " After all," said Sylvia, dropping his pen, and opening and closing your hand tired and stiff, I do not see What good is getting exhausted of learning to write letters when I have not received any in my life (...) If you get some, I could not read (...) I wish to banish all men who crushed the brain inventing new words. "(p.145 -6)
Margaret Hale of North and South is a woman who, despite not live comfortably and come from a rural environment, is educated and able to defend a man, the owner of a major textile company, of possible abuse of its workers on a strike day. In the same way that Molly Gibson Daughters and wives are very attracted to scientific knowledge.
is a novel to enjoy, to not stop reading until the end, despite its 603 pages. To continue reading more novels by Elizabeth Gaskell. Highly recommended for all those readers who love this period of English literature. By the way, is a delight to read the novel in this edition so careful of Mondadori. Very interesting foreword by Damian Alou, which takes us into the world of Elizabeth Gaskell.
The Loves of Sylvia was published in 1863 and was the last novel published since his death in 1865.
Pilar I.