The Rector, by Margaret Oliphant, is a classic example of Victorian realism. Before looking at what makes this piece of literature an instance of realism, I think it’s important to first look at what drove this literary movement. The Victorian era was marked by upheaval, revolution and social change. Realism was spurred from this tumultuous time and was designed to fill a specific social need. People were in search of answers and still sought council in the modern authors of the time. This is where the want for realism began. There was a dualistic belief that first declared art as an expression of life, and this spurred a deeper need for art to be a beacon in dark and confusing times. One could say that the times were demanding functional art, and Victorian realism was a reaction to this yearning.
The Rector was a somewhat controversial piece of literature, which called into question the true spirituality and societal usefulness of “high church” clergy. I think this controversial aspect, combined with a tone of spiritual questioning is what makes this novel a solid example of Victorian realism. Much of the beginning of the story revolves around a small community’s need for a compassionate and involved rector. Ironically, the rector mostly thinks about a young lady, half his age, and his reluctant obsession for her. While he is thinking with “guilty consciousness” that his “own powers of resistance” were lacking, the people of Carlingford wondered about the rector’s true ambitions and motivations. Mrs. Oliphant makes it clear in her writing that this rector is completely out of touch with the people he was sent to guide and serve. This is specifically clear in his inner dialogue which is more sexually driven than spiritually.
The rector’s ineptitude becomes more and more clear as the novel progresses. It is the Rector himself who discovers the truth of who he is, a spiritual fraud. Although the rector saw himself as “the most magnanimous of men” he had to “confess that he [had] undertaken an office for which he [had] not found himself capable”. This spiritual incompetence, of a distinguished clergyman, is the dose of realism that the author intended. Instead of forwarding the heroic sentimentality of the Romantic era, Victorian realism often depicted the anti-hero, steeped in failure and lacking in valor. However, I would argue that the theme of this story goes deeper than the individual rector and questions the entire worth of scholarly high church society. Novels of this time didn’t just deliver a story of entertainment, but tried to wrestle with all the political and societal issues of the times.
Brit Lit 2020 