The question of whether or not “The Rector” is an example of Victorian realism or not. To consider this; it would be in our best interests to define the realism first. Such characteristics include, “present an objective representation of real life that reflected the habits, desire, and aspirations of readers.” (615). that would make sense to write a novel connecting to the average reader. On the same page it continue with the focus “on the everyday experiences, moral progress, and inner struggles of an ordinary individual, while giving a sense of the connections between that individual and his or her broader social networks.” A simpler way of putting this would have been to say that the reader needs to be able to relate to the characters. Another characteristic would be the details written about landscapes, including the city; not to mention the emotional aspect of a character. The final characteristic that I’m willing to discuss is the idea that the text could provide the reader a way to sympathize with others.
The question now becomes how does the story of The Rector fit in to this landscape of the realism movement?
Starting with the second to last characteristic of providing readers with details to landscapes, The Rector,where in the sixth paragraph in Chapter I where it talks about Miss Wodehouse sitting on a garden bench. What’s nice is that at some point any ready can picture this serene garden bench, even in a park. You could even picture this in a spatial backyard, which was where this scene took place, and a group of people just speculating on the new Rector.
One of the characteristics I mentioned was the inner struggles, and who can personify this then the new Rector, or Mr. Proctor. He follows the head of the house Mr. Wodehouse into the garden where it’s described that he starts to gain color in his face, probably from embarrassment because it’s revealed to us that he has been cloistered in All-Souls for fifteen years. That’s an extreme isolation, but on some level we as readers can relate to when you come to a group of strangers it can be nerve wracking. But in the end I think he realized that his presence wasn’t helpful, because on her deathbed he couldn’t provide any comfort of any kind. Don’t get me wrong, watching a person die is emotionally and mentally taxing for those witnessing it, but on some level one could provide a hand for the person to cling to or an ear to listen. As the rector of Claringford he was no help to provide comfort in her dying moments. He didn’t even have his bible with him. I’m not an expert, but I would think that is something that would be on your person. Unfortunately the woman dies and the helpless Mr. Proctor as Mr. Wentworth, a younger rector for another parish, provides her with solace before she takes her last breath. What this scene shows is that the reader could sympathize not with Mr. Proctor but with the dying woman and Lucy who was by her side trying to provide comfort for her. It’s understandable that it’s going to be a challenge going form a cloister at All-Souls to being a figure in a community. This provides a social dilemma for him, but hiding away from the world isn’t helpful either. His character provides us with an opportunity to recognize that he was inept for the job. On one hand we argue that his lack of social skills makes him unqualified for his position, but what we need to applaud is that he made the decision to quit his post for the greater good.
These were just small examples of The Rector making the case for it being an example of realism, even if his awkwardness was exaggerated a bit.
Brit Lit 2020 