Vivie’s Commentary:
My favorite pastime, reading a detective novel in a comfortable chair with a little whisky and a cigar. It all started in London when I worked for Honoria Fraser. Her chambers are on Chancery Lane, near Burleigh Street, which is where The Strand Magazine is located at. I absolutely cherished the moments I had sitting down with Honoria Fraser after doing actuarial calculations for her and relaxing by reading whatever was popular at that time, which was detective fiction. I had heard so much about this genre during my study at the University of Cambridge and I had been meaning to give it a try. When I came to London, which was last May in 1892, I heard about this Sherlock Holmes character that grew popular in the previous year. I came upon this edition of The Strand Magazine at a nearby bookstore that featured these six short stories about Sherlock Holmes. From then on, I began reading the publications from Arthur Conan Doyle in the magazine routinely as a treat to myself after a long day of work. I loved working, not only because of the sense of satisfaction it gave me, but also how completing all my work gave me something to look forward to: Detective novels. Sherlock Holmes is not my favorite character, but it is one of my first exposures to the detective fiction genre. Seeing this magazine just brings back the pleasant memories I have created in London, and I hope that one day I can sit down with Honoria Fraser again with a detective novel and a little whisky.
Editorial Commentary:
Women during the Victorian era were often held to the expectation of providing care to a household. Many women prior to that time received very general education until the late 19th century. The beginning of the Victorian era brought to women of that time more access to quality education. In 1840, only 40% of the women in England were able to read and by 1860, 60% of the women were able to read (“A History of Women’s Education in the UK”). This was largely because Queen Victoria was crowned around this time and her powerful position showed society that women were capable of being leaders, which was why people were more open to the idea of women gaining education. This led to the establishment of many schools like the Cheltenham Ladies’ College in 1853 and Roedean School in 1886 for women to gain higher education; however, despite these schools being open to the public, only the wealthy could afford to educate their daughters as the lower classes needed their children to work to help sustain the family (“A History of Women’s Education in the UK”). Vivie being able to read short stories on a magazine as a common past time shows that she is quite good at reading and came from a family of some wealth that was able to provide her quality education. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, one of the most popular literature genres of the time was detective fiction. The Sherlock Holmes series began gaining attention with its publication in The Strand Magazine, which was very popular as it published stories relating to the general public’s interest. Even though more women were now capable of reading, they were not welcome to read popular literature, they were expected to read books that discussed housekeeping and providing advice to family members. Women were expected to be pure, and the idea of women reading magazines made people fear that it would make them impure as magazines often covered topics from different parts of the nation from different points of views (Fortin). Which if the view was not agreed upon by society, having women read it would allow them to develop their own opinions, which society frowned upon. Vivie’s item is the cover of a magazine, which shows that she was a part of the New Woman image that appeared at that time. The New Woman referred to women that strayed away from the set norms in society and had a strong sense of individuality. Based on Vivie’s commentary, she read the short stories from The Strand Magazine quite often, usually after doing mathematical calculations for an individual named Honoria Fraser. She also seemed very passionate about reading these short stories published on a magazine. Vivie did not seem to fear the idea of being judged by the rest of society as being different not only because she read literature frowned upon by society for a woman, but also for being able to do math, which was more academically advanced than most of the other women of that period.
Works Cited
“A History of Women’s Education in the UK.” Oxford Royale. Oxford Programs Limited. A History of Women’s Education in the UK - Oxford Royale (oxford-royale.com). Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
Fortin, Elaine. “Early Nineteenth Century Attitudes Toward Women and Their Roles as Represented by Literature Popular in Worcester, Massachusetts”. TeachusHistory.org. https://www.teachushistory.org/detocqueville-visit-united-states/articles/early-19th-century-attitudes-toward-women-their-roles. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
“The Strand Magazine.” The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia contributors, The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia, 8 Sep. 2023, The Strand Magazine - The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia (arthur-conan-doyle.com). Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.