Walsingham: Or, The Pupil of Nature

by Mary Robinson, Julie A. Shaffer (Editor)

Walsingham (1797) is both a lively story and a commentary by Mary Robinson on her society's constraints upon women. The novel follows the story of two main characters, Walsingham Ainsforth and his cousin, Sir Sidney Aubrey. Sidney, educated in France, returns to England as an adult and persistently sabotages Walsingham's love interests.

This Broadview edition includes a rich selection of primary source material, including: contemporary reviews, historical and literary accounts of eighteenth-century female crossdressers; and selections from contemporary works that focus on the figure of the "fallen" woman.

Genres: Classics, Fiction

559 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1797

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Mary Robinson, nee Darby (1757-1800) was an English poet and novelist. During her lifetime she was known as 'the English Sappho'. She was also known for her role as Perdita (heroine of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale) in 1779 and as the first public mistress of George IV. After seeing her as Perdita, and declaring himself enraptured with her, the Prince of Wales, offered Mary Robinson twenty thousand pounds to become his mistress. However, he soon tired of her and abandoned her after a year, refusing to pay the money. Her reputation was destroyed by the affair, and she could no longer find work as an actress. Eventually, the Crown agreed to pay Robinson five thousand pounds, in return for the Prince's love letters to her. In 1783, at the age of 26, Robinson suffered a mysterious illness that left her partially paralyzed. From the late 1780s, she became distinguished for her poetry. In addition to poems, she wrote six novels, two plays, a feminist treatise, and an autobiographical manuscript that was incomplete at the time of her death.

Reviews

[Stephanie]

"O! you saucy mountaineer! you oatmeal vagabond!"

[Eleanor]

Read for my PhD. A sentimental picaresque in which the nearly 500 pages of tribulation suffered by our hero because of (directly or indirectly) his rival in love and fortune, his cousin Sir Sidney Aubrey, is negated in the final two chapters by the revelation that Sidney is actually a woman. There’s a lot of fun to be had in picking out the cross-dressing and the queer readings (especially if you know the spoiler from the start, which you should), but good Lord, Walsingham futzes around a lot, trying to save people from highway robberies and evictions and generally just getting arrested himself. (He must get arrested at least three times over the course of the novel—I should go back and count.) Like Tom Jones if Tom Jones weren’t funny.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dramatic 18th-century novel in which Walsingham Ainsworth, born into genteel poverty and adopted by richer relatives, is ousted from his favourable position when the couple have a child of their own. That child grows up to frustrate all Walsingham's hopes, taking away the love of his life and propelling him into a series of adventures involving duels, seduction, gambling - all the evils of high society.

Both the introduction and, unforgiveably, the back of the book contain a spoiler to the main twist, although it is interesting to read the book knowing this. The first part is the best, I think, and after that it rambles through more and more unlikely situations to the final reveal and an ending that is very hard to credit. But there are some wonderful characters, especially young Lord Kencarth with his boisterous slang: "Dish my sconce if I have not a great mind to make the bet - but the sum is too trifling... dash my jasey, make it ten thousand guineas, and I'll take it."

[Astrid Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The classical allusions and references are a lot of fun. The story really peaks in Book I, and drags pretty badly towards the end, but you are invested in the characters enough by then that it is worth persevering to have your suspicions confirmed by Robinson's own hand.

[Scarlettfish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing novel. Very ahead of its time (late 18th century). Whatever you do, DON'T read the back of this book or read the introduction. It's much more interesting if you don't know the twist. Try to guess if you can! I can't speak highly enough about this book. It's very twisted and intriguing and throws up such interesting questions - questions that are even more relevant today.