By Rebekah Krotzer
At the fin de siècle, Victorian society experienced profound changes driven by industrialization, which were marked by advancements in technology and manufacturing. This presented new educational and occupational opportunities for workers. The increase in wealth and literacy created a demand for literature that appealed to more diverse classes. Penny magazines were already in widespread circulation in the 1840s, but by the end of the era periodicals and magazines reached readers in the hundreds of thousands. Due to the invention of the steam-powered rotary press in 1843, books and magazines became more commercially viable and affordable. This led to a rise in new literary forms and genres, such as crime and detective fiction, as well as works that catered to the increase in women consumers. During the mid-nineteenth century, feminist periodicals such as The Englishwomen’s Domestic Magazine and English Women’s Journal were founded, which expanded the landscape of women’s literature. By the end of the century, the identities of women were significantly transformed, and feminists demanded narratives that reflected their experiences as New Women.1
Throughout the century, women began entering professions dominated by men, including the fields of writing and editing. By the end of the era, the number of women registering themselves as authors had more than doubled, although their entrance into the literary marketplace was not easy as they were not fully recognized for their abilities.2 There was still a limited range of genres in which women could publish; however, publishers recognized the need for new literary forms that challenged traditional gender roles, featuring socially and economically independent women characters.
When Catherine Louisa Pirkis introduced The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective in 1893, she unveiled a female protagonist that reshaped perceptions of women’s roles in fiction and in the detective profession. Pirkis created a woman detective who was intelligent, perceptive, and skilled at executing deductive reasoning to solve crimes—traits often associated with her male counterparts. Loveday Brooke’s significance went beyond solving crimes; she paved the way for future formidable women protagonists. She also demonstrated that a woman could break barriers not only in literature but the gendered hierarchy of the professions. As Therie Hendrey-Seabrook asserts, “The relevance of the gaze and its implications for interpreting the female detective cannot be denied, but there is a further conceptual dimension that can deliver equally useful insights into the status of gender roles at the fin de siècle.”3 Loveday Brooke served as a catalyst for redefining gender boundaries and embodied the complexities of women’s agency in a male-dominated society.
The term “New Woman” was coined by Sarah Grand (Frances Clarke) in her essay “The New Aspect of the Woman Question” (1894). It gained traction among other feminist writers, which triggered shifts in social constructs of gender and idealized femininity.4 Pirkis’s work was published in 1893, predating the emergence of the term, but Loveday Brooke epitomized the qualities that were the foundation of what the New Woman represented. She chose detection as her profession: “Marketable accomplishments she had found she had none, she had forthwith defied convention, and had chosen for herself a career.”5 Brooke was a departure from the passive, domestic female characters commonly found in literature. As Patricia Stubbs states about the heroine figure in Victorian literature, “Her story, the novelist’s fiction, was expected to articulate and demonstrate . . . that a woman can reach happiness through relationships … [and] in her domestic role. So, it was disturbing if a novelist rose above.”6 She defied the standards of traditional roles for women by making an independent decision to pursue a profession in the male-dominated sphere of detective work and crime-solving. She served as an example for women pursuing careers, exercising agency, and challenging the limitations imposed on them, which reflected the changing social and cultural landscape of the fin de siècle. Loveday Brooke displayed intelligence, resourcefulness, determination, and independence—qualities often reserved for male protagonists.
Brooke’s ambition to become a detective came at a price, as she was “cut her off sharply from her former associates and position in society” due to her rejection of common patriarchal feminine roles.7 She had to work for “five or six years” in a lower position, as it was merely by chance that she was given an opportunity to display her deduction skills and keen intellect as a detective.8 Once elevated to a professional status, Brooke’s skills were acknowledged but not publicly celebrated. Mr. Dyer harbored an “unmitigated admiration” for her abilities, but refrained from openly complimenting her, fearing that “excessive praise” would have a negative effect on a rising detective.9 Mr. Dyer’s reluctance to praise Brooke, despite her proven skills, highlights gender biases in the assessment of professional achievements.
The biases and societal stereotypes that hinder women’s professional advancement, then and now, are also reflected in the frustrations and constant doubts that Brooke confronts in the stories. In “Drawn Daggers,” she must defend her process of deductive reasoning when questioned by Mr. Dyer. She counters his interrogation by saying, “Sometimes . . . the explanation that is obvious is the one to be rejected, not accepted.”10 Perceiving this as a challenge to his authority, Dyer slams his hand down on a writing table and angrily retorts, “If you don't choose to see things from my point of view.”11 The culmination of this argument is when Dyer calls Brooke’s reasoning “abstruse.”12 He fails to acknowledge that her process of deduction is distinct, not incorrect or flawed, but equally as effective as his in solving crimes.
Later in the series, Brooke is often forced to assume a disguise as a domestic servant when investigating cases to avert suspicion. In the “The Murder at Troyte’s Hill” she is quickly misidentified as a science assistant in comparative philology and is later forced to lie about her domestic skills, saying “I have a special talent for arranging rooms.”13 In this story and others, her role as a detective is not placed on the same level as male detectives like Dickens’s Inspector Bucket, Poe’s Auguste Dupin, or even Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, all of whom are free to present themselves as detectives and are regarded with respect. In “The Redhill Sisterhood,” Inspector Gunning, despite being a coworker, refuses to be seen with Brooke: “I am known for miles round, anyone seen in my company will be . . . spied upon.”14 Gunning appears to have Brooke’s interest in mind, but it raises the question of whether he would simply rather not be seen with a woman detective. Brooke must work harder to prove her competence and earn acknowledgment for her contributions due to the dual challenges of gender norms and professional skepticism.
Loveday Brooke was a pioneering figure in fin de siècle detective fiction.15 Although her character may not fully portray the complexities and harsh realities women encountered when striving for equality, her experiences echo the challenges faced by women entering professions in the late Victorian era. Women faced substantial obstacles, including legal restrictions, societal strictures, and systemic biases against their professional aspirations.16 A considerable number moved to the city to seek employment in factories and mills to support their families, which subjected them to poor working conditions and meager pay. In contrast to Brooke, most women had few options in their choice of profession and instead made tough decisions out of need. Loveday Brooke nonetheless represents a broader cultural shift toward more empowered and diverse representations of women in literature. She occupies a role that was often reserved for male protagonists and begins to pave the way for future generations of intelligent and capable women. In the twenty-first century, powerful female protagonists like Loveday Brooke continue to call attention to women’s persistent struggle toward achieving equality in the workforce.
Notes
1 William Frederick Poole, Poole’s Index to Periodical Literature, 1821–94 (online edition), accessed February 2, 2024, http://www.archive.org.
2 Alexis Easley, “Making a Debut,” in The Cambridge Companion to Victorian Women’s Writing, ed. Linda H. Peterson (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 84.
3 Therie Hendrey-Seabrook. “Reclassifying the Female Detective of the Fin de Siècle: Loveday
Brooke, Vocation, and Vocality,” Clues 26, no. 1 (2007): 75.
4 The term “New Woman” was popularized after publication of an argument between Sarah Grand and Ouida. Sarah Grand. “The New Aspect Of Woman Question,” North American Review 158, no. 448 (1894): 270–76.
5 Catherine Louisa Pirkis, The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective (New York: Dover, 2020), 4.
6 Patricia Stubbs, Women and Fiction: Feminism in the Novel, 1880–1920 (Sussex: Harvester, 1979), 26.
7 Pirkis, The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, 4.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid., 29.
10 Ibid., 123.
11 Ibid., 124.
12 Ibid., 29.
13 Ibid., 44.
14 Ibid., 69.
15 Sally Ledger. The New Woman: Fiction and Feminism at the Fin de siècle (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997).
16 As Vanessa Heggie points out, “With licensing, formalized educational requirements and institutionalization, women (and other marginalized groups) were increasingly excluded from a range of vocations.” Vanessa Heggie, “Women Doctors and Lady Nurses: Class, Education, and the Professional Victorian Woman.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine 89, no. 2 (2015): 271.