As I mentioned recently, I spent last weekend in Cambridge at a conference about Elizabeth von Arnim. It was really enjoyable; the people there were divided between those who knew everything about E von A and those (like me) who really like her, but haven’t read them all (I’ve only read about eight). The panel I spoke on had three people (including the chair) who’d published books about von Arnim… and me. But they made me feel very welcome, and I spoke about one of her lesser-known novels, Father (1931).
Rather than replicate my paper, I’ll do something more akin to my usual book reviews – though stealing some of the same research! Father is a novel that reminded me an awful lot of Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner. In both, an unmarried woman is desperate for her independence, and not to be subservient in her relative’s home. For Laura Willowes, it’s her brother’s home; in Father it’s – you guessed it! – the father’s. Jennifer is 31 and a slave to her widowed father, a writer; she laments ‘the years shut up in the back diningroom at a typewriter, with no hope that anything would ever be different’. Only things are different. Father is getting married again, to Netta, who is younger than Jennifer. She sees her opportunity for escape: she can move to the countryside.
Through and beyond father she saw doors flying open, walls falling flat, and herself running unhindered down the steps, along Gower Street, away through London, across suburbs, out, out into great sun-lit spaces where the wind, fresh and scented, rushed to meet her […] Jen, her wide-open eyes shining with the reflection of what she saw through and beyond father. She could feel the wind – she could feel it, the scented fresh wind, blowing up her hair as she ran and ran…
And, like Laura Willowes, she does move to the countryside. Only things aren’t quite as uncomplicated as she’d hoped. Waiting for her, in that village, are James and Alice – the vicar and his tyrannical sister – who make an interesting parallel to Jennifer and her father. Alice is also a spinster, but holds all the power in her brother’s house – and is keen to dissuade any possible sisters-in-law who might oust her from the vicarage.
Among Elizabeth von Arnim fans, I don’t think Father is particularly well-regarded, but I thought it was excellent. Most of her novels seem to concern marriage, whether happy or unhappy, so to see her tackle the much-discussed issue of ‘surplus women’ in the interwar years was very interesting – and Jennifer is a great character. With her love of nature, her unconventionality (she sleeps outside on a mattress when she first arrives), and her naive but firm belief that she can escape her father’s domain, she is an attractive and engaging heroine.
Though dealing with some slightly sombre issues at times, von Arnim can never leave her humorous tone completely to one side. There are some very funny scenes – particularly, perhaps, one where James and Alice are both trying to abandon the other one in Switzerland (it makes sense in context), though Jennifer’s quirky world-view makes many otherwise mundane sentiments wryly amusing to read.
I’m always intrigued about the effect a choice of title has on a novel. If this one had been called (say) Jennifer, it would feel very different. Though her father isn’t on the scene all that often, calling the novel Father makes him feel curiously omnipresent; it seeps throughout the narrative. A clever decision on Elizabeth von Arnim’s part.
Not the easiest of her books to track down (unless you have a Kindle, where it’s probably free [EDIT: maybe it’s not…]) – and also not up there with her best novels – but definitely an entertaining and interesting one which I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. And a perfect companion to the excellent Lolly Willowes!
Interesting – I’ve never read or heard of this one! I will seek it out (oh dear, just as I finish one book, another joins the wish list …) Glad the conference went well and was supportive – sounds like my experiences with the Iris Murdoch conference!
Yes, they were very nice! But I did come away wanting to read everything that was mentioned…
No copies for sale on Amazon of course.
As Tina says, there are a few! They are definitely pricey – one to keep an eye out for. I paid rather less, but did have to keep my eyes peeled in secondhand bookshops.
There are 3 copies on Amazon from £20 to £29.99.Bit steep for me.
I hope, like me, you manage to stumble across a cheaper copy in a bookshop, Tina!
I live in hope Simon.
I liked your paper best of the three I heard! I thought it was fascinating. But aren’t conferences tough on the book buying? I now have Vera and In The Mountains by von Arnim, and it’s not even like I heard any papers on them! They were just reasonably priced on amazon….
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this one. I’ve only read a few of her books so far and I have several on the TBR shelves: The Caravaners, Love, The Solitary Summer, and Mr. Skeffington, which I tried but could not get into.
Oh my goodness. What fun! I also attended the conference on Elizabeth von Arnim and I think I may be the least scholarly of everyone who was there. I had such a good time and I enjoyed your presentation so much! I have read Father. In my opinion, this is one of the most balanced of her books (I own and have read them all!) Even though the ending, like many of her books, as was discussed in Cambridge, are open ended, in this story it isn’t bothersome.
You site is such fun to explore. I immediately ordered Lolly Willowes. Then I saw your 50 books list. Aargh! I’ve only read five of them! And what about 49 and 50?? I can see you will have a bad influence on me in the spending-money-on-books department anyway!
Hi Simon,
I was at the EvA conference too and really enjoyed it. I love these events at Lucy Cavendish. The first I went to was called ‘Women and Gothic’. I saw it advertised and asked if a retired primary school teacher was allowed to go. I thought I knew next to nothing about Woman and Gothic but discovered I actually know quite a lot.
The EvA conference was fascinating, though I’ve read only E and her German Garden and Enchanted April. Now reading Jennifer’s biography – can’t put it down.
Val
I too attended the conference and felt welcomed and part of the whole thing, even though I am not an academic. I have all of Elizabeth’s books and have read all of them at least twice. The most fun and amazing thing was to be among people who knew about EvA!! Mostly, I get blank stares when I mention her name. I am looking forward to the conference in 2017 and hope to see many of you there.
It was a great time! I felt like I hovered halfway between the academics and non-academics, but that worked out just fine. I’ve only read maybe half her books, so perhaps I’ll have done better for the 2017 conference!
thank you stationery
I was impressed by what a feminist writer Elizabeth was. This is about the forgotten generation of sisters and daughters.
As a book it is like slight fiction, apparently. The two main ladies marry, so there is a Jane Austen-isque happy ending. But there is a bitterness. Alice marries a man she imagines loves her romantically but he is only interested in her housekeeping skills – no doubt a practical result in the worst of all possible worlds. James and Jen may be happy together – but they have these awful inlaws.
The Father dies. Another feature of the book is the unremitting unpleasantness of the characters of The Father, The Reverend “Devilish” and Alice. The first orders his 30 year old daughter around and expects her to obey in the name of “duty”. The second suspects Jen of theft, a most mean minded personality. Alice is prepared to pretend to be ill to ensure James’ obedience through playing on his guilt.
Also, Jen is not really such a very nice person. That got me thinking. She seems so initially, devoted and self sacrificing. But once she has her cottage she is not really so very likeable and she stands up to poor Netta. However, why should she be a nice person? This is the result of self-abregation. Her personality has become subservient to the needs of her Father.