Alfred Faustino
Ms. Cathy Steg
Honors Senior English
5 March 2018
The Nether World, a Reflection and Criticism
Gissing’s distaste for modern society is evident in his work, The Nether World because its inhabitants are doomed to never escape the “nether world” or advance socially regardless of their efforts to right their wrongs. Critics mostly respond to the degradation of characters within Gissing’s The Nether World relating it to either Gissing himself or the way things were during his time period. Gissing himself did struggle to live in London and even isolated himself from society for the sake of his work.
Stanley Alden views The Nether World from a naturalist standpoint. Elements of naturalism can be seen in the characters and setting. Maria Candy and John Hewett for example, who are mentioned by Debbie Harrison, are controlled by their addiction to alcohol along with many others within the The Nether World. H.G. Wells addresses Gissing’s works as stages in his life when he was younger seeing as how his works seem to become easier to understand and the tone of degradation throughout his works become more defined. Wells also points out that Gissing and two other English authors have written to highlight the social aspects of society.
One could even see this degradation as a primitivization of the poor, as referenced by the critic Richard Pearson. Pearson referenced the critic Woolf, who the examines the brutal world that is The Nether World. Pearson supports Woolf’s claims by relating the primitivization of the poor to Gissing’s interest and studies of primitive society (Pearson 36). Maria Candy and John Hewett wish to free themselves of their addiction and are aware of the problems it causes yet they continue to be bound to it, which shows that the people are predestined to be addicted to alcohol. An example of this in a setting is described by Michelle Allen, who talks about the Embankment. The Embankment is a haven for criminals in The Nether World, but the area itself was not always that way. It was originally a place that was supposed to be cleaned and built up for the people of London to use. Michelle also shows the degradation of man and society by referencing Bob Hewett who leaves his family and gets killed trying to escape arrest from police for making counterfeit coins.
Susan Cook mentions that Gissing did not like realism as it was presented in his time, stating that it was too focused on sensation and receiving things at face value. The author points out that Gissing uses fiction as a lens into the personal vision of life. Pierre Coustillas further supports this through his statements about The Nether World being strikingly realistic. Pier sees the novel as a study on the poor, which is evident in the book seeing as how the poor are the main focus of the book. Susan refers to Gissing’s The Nether World as a “social protest novel” that is in response to the poor inhabitants of Clerkenwell district in London.
Susan Cook further supports this by stating that Gissing and authors like him use their novels to better their world views as seen in the setting of The Nether World and the difficulty of class advancement. May Yates also goes on to talk about how external sources within Gissing’s life influenced the way he characterizes men and women in his novels.
Although the story may seem pessimistic the act of failed philanthropy can be seen as an optimistic if the book’s message is seen as a subject on the self-awareness of the middle class. Pier describes the book as having beauty and positivity, stating that the main theme is philanthropy since Jane’s father pretended to be poor in order to pass on his riches to Jane so that she may help the district she lives in.
In feminist criticism Christine Huguet and Simon James talk about how Gissing has differing iterations of women in his works are different but there are contradictions within his works depicting women because of Gissing’s realism and focus on civilization. Molly Youngkin also furthers these changes by displaying one of Gissing’s female characters, Nancy Lord, from In the Year of Jubilee and contrasting Gissing’s display of women of being able to make choices to his others works– one of them being The Nether World. Although in The Nether World, a person like Maria Candy would have their decisions skewed or dictated by alcoholism. Martin Ryle and Jenny Taylor analyze the female characters of The Nether World and apply social Darwinism in relation to pleasure in The Nether World, using Clem as an example.
I believe Gissing did not wish to address the problems and role changes of women in the Victorian era even though he did have a conservative take on them according to Christine and Simon. Gissing himself even talks about his interest in the machinations of civilization and man as quoted in George Gissing: An Appreciation which talks about Gissing’s life and works including quotes from Gissing himself.
In marxist criticism Simon James analyzes the use of money in Gissing’s The Nether World, which does focus on the problem of money by displaying people’s desire for wealth but being held back by restrictions such as alcohol addiction and problems within society. In The Nether World everything must be purchased with money. James talks about Gissing’s focus on those who do not have to focus on money and goes on further to say that Gissing challenges Victorian ideology in which money was a means to increasing one’s happiness. James enforces this by quoting a letter from Gissing in which Gissing states, “I am so preoccupied by the accursed struggle for money that nothing metaphysical seems to me of primary importance.”
He goes on to say that Gissing has focused on money more than other of his counterparts. This is evident in The Nether World because the book ends tragically for everyone and they do not reach their goals. An example of this is Jane Snowdon, who declines her father’s pension and rejects an arranged marriage with a man who is well-off thus leaving herself poor. Jane and others like her represent the low class. The works of many of the characters seem to be that of the low class. The values and works of those are also proportional. An example of this is Bob Hewett who would do anything to get money, interesting himself with “whatever motive” (The Nether World 66).
James states that a reason for the focus on money is that it functions as a connection to real life, by adding fidelity to the realism of Victorian literary works. James also discusses the contrast of classes in Gissing’s city as seen in the lives and jobs of the people within it. An example of this is the manufacturing of jewelry. Although the rich are not seen, the poor must make it. The jobs of most of the characters seem to focus on things of appearance. Margaret Barnes makes jackets, Carrie Golding makes mantles, Pennyloaf Candy makes shirts, and the Trent sisters are seamstresses. James also points out that Gissing is a middle-class narrator in The Nether World.
I find that out of all the criticism’s toward Gissing’s The Nether World it is best to view the work through a social standpoint and Gissing’s use of realism. The Nether World provides insight into Victorian London while reflecting Gissing’s thoughts on society in a city where he had failed quite a few times himself. The Nether World also provides evidence of Gissing’s distaste of the life he had in London and post-classical civilization. This can be related to Pearson’s analysis of Gissing’s portrayal of modern society in which Gissing has a clash of both the old or primitive ideals with modernity and its new ideals. Pearson even quotes Gissing’s diary which has proof that Gissing has applied his studies of society and civilization into his novels. Gissing says, “Now my special study is the social study is social science… everything I read I make subservient to this aim– the acquisition of a knowledge of the history of society. As a would be novelist, I must necessarily work in this direction.”
The Nether World can be seen as a criticism of industrial middle class society or an address to the problems the middle class had faced in London at the time. Pierre Coustillas states that the book is a study on the poor, while Susan Cook sees it as a “social protest” or criticism in response to the poor living conditions of the inhabitants in London. This can be seen in the realistic characters and settings presented in the book. In Chapter II “A Friend In Request,” Gissing provides great contrast between the rich and those who work as seen in the quote “…business is carried on by a trader in diamonds, and next door is a den full of children who wait for their day's one meal until their mother has come home with her chance earnings” (The Nether World 10).
Michelle Allen, who describes various Victorian settings including settings within Gissing’s The Nether World, mentions the Embankment which is a run-down haven for criminals. The Thames Embankment is also an example of how everyone within the district even the places within the district itself are predestined for degradation. An embankment is used to block out river water and make more land available for the people which is what the Thames Embankment does, but the criminals and scum of Clerkenwell district have turned it into a haven.
Gissing alienates the poor from the rich through his primitivization of them. The rich are never fully explored but their works and items of luxury are present. In a place like Clerkenwell district such things stand out due to the poor being as low as they can be. The poor must work and struggle in factories to produce things the rich would use but they themselves would never get a hold of. The poor are not unified and beat down on eachother in a sense like savages, struggling to survive. An example of this can be seen in Tom who fights his sister to eat cheese even though their family was extremely low on food and his father was going to make his own dinner with the little they had left.
Then there is also Clem who enjoys tormenting other people just for the sake of it. This can be seen in the quote, “Clem would have liked dealing with some one who showed fight–some one with whom she could try savage issue in real tooth-and-claw conflict” (The Nether World 7). Huguet describes Clem’s violence as being above her class and gender boundaries, which almost makes her an outlier although she is still affected by poverty just like the rest of the inhabitants of Clerkenwell District. The mood Clem emits makes her seem like a very unlikeable character. Clem’s savagery symbolizes the clashing of both new and old ideals within Clerkenwell District.
While it is nearly industrialized, the inhabitants within Clerkenwell district seem to act and live as though man had lived in the ancient societies Gissing studied, fighting to survive but also showing interest in the arts as classical civilizations have shown which can be seen in Clara. Ryle and Taylor point out that Clem’s last name, “Peckover” symbolizes Clem’s social ranking among the others she is with. Like a bird of prey, she acts as if she is above everyone else and preys on those below her like Jane and Pennyloaf. Such cruelty can even be seen in Joseph Snowdon, Jane’s father who claims all that is associated with Michael’s will. Michael had destroyed his will but died before a new one could be rewritten. Joseph himself states that Jane’s grandfather’s will revolved around her and she was to inherit the money but since there is no more will, Joseph took all the money for himself although Michael’s intentions were to give the money to charity. Although not all of the characters in Gissing’s The Nether World are like Clem, but each one has their flaws regardless if they have good intentions or not.
An example of this can be seen in Michael Snowdon who inherits a large amount of money, but scarcely uses it when he arrives in London in order to keep his wealth a secret causing himself to live like a poor man just like the rest of those who inhabit Clerkenwell District. This also shows that poverty consumes whoever enters Clerkenwell District, a place ridden with poverty. One could even compare Michael to Gissing who had moved into London and had a poor start as a novelist.
In George Gissing: Voices of The Unclassed the authors Ryle and Taylor make reference to Gissing being a “social problem” novelist of his time, referencing a critic named Raymond Williams who had seen Gissing’s analysis of the interaction with social matters to be negative or hostile. Ryle and Taylor reference a fitting quote from Osmond Waymark, “…I identified myself with the poor and ignorant; I did not make their cause my own but my own cause theirs.” Many critics refer to Gissing’s self-pity which is conveyed in his novels. Richard Pearson references Virginia Woolf, who saw Gissing’s characters as faint reflections of himself.
This placement of self in Gissing’s works can also be seen in Clara, who Ryle and Taylor characterize as a reflection Gissing’s interest in women– specifically women who display their bodies. Clara is an actress, although Ryle and Taylor imply that there is more to Clara than being just an actress. They mention that in Victorian fiction prostitutes were previously actresses. Clara is described as an uncommon woman and is said to be “sensually attractive” (The Nether World 23). Clara may represent a more taboo side of society, but she contrasts greatly with a character like Clem. Clara shelters and protects Jane who Clem torments. Also, Clara is not off chasing men but rather a career as an actress to gain fortune that will allow her to rise above the nether world. Clem on the other hand, ensnares Joseph Snowdon because of his potential riches. But, with all characters in the nether world– they fail to escape it and reach their goals regardless. Clara’s face is severely disfigured by acid during her time with a traveling theater group due to a jealous actress. Clara loses all chances of being an actress and returns to a more domestic life.
Gissing’s The Nether World seems to have no clear lesson, but it does show the stark reality in which Gissing had lived or suffered while reflecting Gissing’s own feelings toward the society he had encountered personally. Gissing shows the evils of modern society through the setting and his characters. Although new ideals and ways of life are taking over, Gissing relinks the old with the new showing the importance of the past. Clara shows interest in the arts, theater to be specific– just as the Romans and Greeks showed interest in theater. Before she was disfigured, Clara was happy following her dream. She was chasing a goal she was capable of reaching and was not like Clem or the other criminals of the nether world. Through Clara, Gissing shows his love for classical civilization and fascination of women contrasted with the disgusting and pathetic hell modern civilization has created.
Works Cited
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Allen, Michelle. Cleansing the City: Sanitary Geographies in Victorian London. Ohio Univ. Press, 2008. Accessed 6 Dec. 2017.
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