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The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot
Meg Eliot is perhaps one of the most remarkable portraits of a middle-aged woman in English literature. She boldly debunked the dismal array of stereotypical, female characters of her day and succeeded in forging a life and role for herself beyond her fictional predecessors, influencing a generation of female readers. First published in 1958, The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot is the story of a barrister's wife who harbors a great deal of guilt over the privileged life she leads. To assuage this guilt, she occupies her time with charity committees and helping those less fortunate. However, she is forced to confront her own misfortune when she is shockingly and suddenly widowed. Learning slowly to draw on her own strenth and self-worth, Mrs Meg Eliot begins to remake herself as a woman on her own. The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot is a supremely sensitive portrayal of human perseverance and feminine determination.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1958
11 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Angus Wilson
89 books42 followersSir Angus Frank Johnstone Wilson, KBE (11 August 1913 – 31 May 1991) was an English novelist and short story writer. He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot and later received a knighthood for his services to literature.
Wilson was born in Bexhill, Sussex, England, to an English father and South African mother. He was educated at Westminster School and Merton College, Oxford, and in 1937 became a librarian in the British Museum's Department of Printed Books, working on the new General Catalogue. During World War II, he worked in the Naval section Hut 8 at the code-breaking establishment, Bletchley Park, translating Italian Naval codes.
The work situation was stressful and led to a nervous breakdown, for which he was treated by Rolf-Werner Kosterlitz. He returned to the Museum after the end of the War, and it was there that he met Tony Garrett (born 1929), who was to be his companion for the rest of his life.
Wilson's first publication was a collection of short stories, The Wrong Set (1949), followed quickly by the daring novel Hemlock and After, which was a great success, prompting invitations to lecture in Europe.
He worked as a reviewer, and in 1955 he resigned from the British Museum to write full-time (although his financial situation did not justify doing so) and moved to Suffolk.
From 1957 he gave lectures further afield, in Japan, Switzerland, Australia, and the USA. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1968, and received many literary honours in succeeding years. He was knighted in 1980, and was President of the Royal Society of Literature from 1983 to 1988. His remaining years were affected by ill health, and he died of a stroke at a nursing home in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on 31 May 1991, aged 77.
His writing, which has a strongly satirical vein, expresses his concern with preserving a liberal humanistic outlook in the face of fashionable doctrinaire temptations. Several of his works were adapted for television. He was Professor of English Literature at the University of East Anglia from 1966 to 1978, and jointly helped to establish their creative writing course at masters level in 1970, which was then a groundbreaking initiative in the United Kingdom.
Wilson was born in Bexhill, Sussex, England, to an English father and South African mother. He was educated at Westminster School and Merton College, Oxford, and in 1937 became a librarian in the British Museum's Department of Printed Books, working on the new General Catalogue. During World War II, he worked in the Naval section Hut 8 at the code-breaking establishment, Bletchley Park, translating Italian Naval codes.
The work situation was stressful and led to a nervous breakdown, for which he was treated by Rolf-Werner Kosterlitz. He returned to the Museum after the end of the War, and it was there that he met Tony Garrett (born 1929), who was to be his companion for the rest of his life.
Wilson's first publication was a collection of short stories, The Wrong Set (1949), followed quickly by the daring novel Hemlock and After, which was a great success, prompting invitations to lecture in Europe.
He worked as a reviewer, and in 1955 he resigned from the British Museum to write full-time (although his financial situation did not justify doing so) and moved to Suffolk.
From 1957 he gave lectures further afield, in Japan, Switzerland, Australia, and the USA. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1968, and received many literary honours in succeeding years. He was knighted in 1980, and was President of the Royal Society of Literature from 1983 to 1988. His remaining years were affected by ill health, and he died of a stroke at a nursing home in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on 31 May 1991, aged 77.
His writing, which has a strongly satirical vein, expresses his concern with preserving a liberal humanistic outlook in the face of fashionable doctrinaire temptations. Several of his works were adapted for television. He was Professor of English Literature at the University of East Anglia from 1966 to 1978, and jointly helped to establish their creative writing course at masters level in 1970, which was then a groundbreaking initiative in the United Kingdom.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 14, 2014
A lot of modern readers will not like this book because it's written in a very old fashioned, almost 19th Century way . The book has no chapters, but instead is broken into three "books" denoting the main character's progression. The writing has lengthy descriptions as well as meditations from the characters. None of this is very appealing to the modern reader and that is unfortunate because this is an absolutely brilliant book about a woman's journey from cossetted wife to a fully realized independent woman.
When we first meet Meg Eliot she is a rather officious committee woman who is married to a successful barrister and about to embark on a 'round the world journey. We see her presiding over the "Aid to the Elderly" committee and later playing the perfect hostess at a farewell party she throws for herself. But on the journey everything goes terribly wrong in Indonesia when her husband is killed taking a bullet meant for the local Minister of Education. Upon returning home, she finds that her lovely life was actually a sham; her husband was mired in gambling debts and she will be forced to sell her house in fashionable Westminster as well as her prized collection of decorative porcelain in order to have money with which to live.
Slowly learning to draw on her own strengths and talents, Meg Elliot begins to remake herself into a modern woman. Her journey is not without its mistakes and sorrows, but in the end she emerges triumphant., happily living her own life in her own way. This book is definitely worth the effort.
When we first meet Meg Eliot she is a rather officious committee woman who is married to a successful barrister and about to embark on a 'round the world journey. We see her presiding over the "Aid to the Elderly" committee and later playing the perfect hostess at a farewell party she throws for herself. But on the journey everything goes terribly wrong in Indonesia when her husband is killed taking a bullet meant for the local Minister of Education. Upon returning home, she finds that her lovely life was actually a sham; her husband was mired in gambling debts and she will be forced to sell her house in fashionable Westminster as well as her prized collection of decorative porcelain in order to have money with which to live.
Slowly learning to draw on her own strengths and talents, Meg Elliot begins to remake herself into a modern woman. Her journey is not without its mistakes and sorrows, but in the end she emerges triumphant., happily living her own life in her own way. This book is definitely worth the effort.
August 27, 2012
I think I would have liked this a lot more if I didn't have so much else to be reading. I was never bored but I did think 349 pages was a lot to be spent with Meg. "The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot" is three books of no chapters, and I imagine that this contributed to the "Gosh! This is a bit of a slog!" feeling I had.
"'How funny men are,' she said, 'I'm not more unhappy because I cry. That's how I feel all the time, only I try not to show it.'"
"Don't talk to any of the tarts. I've done so once or twice in pubs and they're always insolent."
"David must read aloud to Gordon from 'Prancing Nigger' or 'Valmouth', for only Firbank was tolerated now."
"Then one evening Poll telephoned. 'What kind of people say "guess what"?' she asked.
'I don't know. Americans perhaps.'
'Oh,' Poll paused doubtfully, then she said, 'Well I am saying it this evening. I've been saying it to masses of people. I tried to say it to you, only your telephone was engaged ...' There was a long pause, then Poll said rather crossly, 'Well, go on.'
Meg said, 'I'm very pleased to hear your voice.'
'That isn't guessing.'
'I didn't know there was anything to guess.'
'That's what "guess what" means.'
'Oh, I didn't realise you were saying it to me. I don't know. You've been burgled.'
'That's a silly guess. I shouldn't be phoning lots of people, I should only be phoning the police. Anyway I don't think you say "burgled" now. That's a long time ago. Cat burglars! It's "broken into" now.'
'Well, I'm glad that you haven't been broken into.'
'Are you? I'm not sure. It sounds rather nice. Anyway I'll tell, because I've heard all the boring guesses people give now.'"
"'Mrs Taylor couldn't come in today because her mother's ill.'
'How like chars'"
"We need a simmering down of human personality, of all human achievments too if you like, in order that we can start up again. Otherwise all will be lost in the boiling over."
March 12, 2016
I wish I knew why I choose the books to read that I do. It strikes me as bewilderingly odd that I would pick this book up at the same time that I picked up The Group. The copyright is 1958, near that of The Group, and the book’s themes fit in nicely with those of The Group.
Mrs. Eliot is happily entering into middle age, when her husband, her support, is killed and she is forced to redefine her life.
An early book that I would classify as women’s fiction, like The Group, but, also like The Group, it is more that that. It’s thoughtful and clever, beautifully written, with characters that surprise you. Like The Group, I’d almost classify it as a Must-Read.
Mrs. Eliot is happily entering into middle age, when her husband, her support, is killed and she is forced to redefine her life.
An early book that I would classify as women’s fiction, like The Group, but, also like The Group, it is more that that. It’s thoughtful and clever, beautifully written, with characters that surprise you. Like The Group, I’d almost classify it as a Must-Read.
March 16, 2023
I went back and forth on how to rate this book, and I decided 3 1/2 rounded up. I don't believe I am spoiling the plot since this is a well-studied novel with plenty of info on the Internet. I will still try to be a bit careful, but I will not hide the review.
This is an exemplary post-modernist novel. It is possible to see the clear influences of late-Victorian and modernism on Wilson's writing. There are some stellar segments in the novel where the writing just flows, however, unfortunately, there are parts that feel stodgy and stilted.
The reason why I chose to read this novel is because, as Drabble points out in her introduction, Mrs Eliot was the first middle-aged female character that didn't fit the stereotypes associated with women of her age in the mid-20th century. Mrs. Eliot, it can been seen, was a refreshing character for the time, and Wilson's work influenced many feminist writers in the 1960s and 70s. It is evident why this novel influenced them. Meg has real agency in this novel. That being said, I did find the unfolding of the plot problematic because of the different point of views. As a consequence, this novel felt like it was two novels.
In essence, for the most part, the narrative is from the point of view of Meg. Her husband dies, she is left poor, and she must find a way to carry on by herself in her own way. For most of the novel, the reader follows Meg as she encounters different ways of surviving, and realizes deep down she knows how she wants to carry on in her future. Then comes the breaking point, and thereafter, the point of view is from David's perspective. This is highly annoying. The reader does not get to follow Meg's feelings about the people she is encountering, her views on her life, her views on her brother. All of that just disappears and the rest of the novel is David telling you how he perceives Meg, her feelings toward things and then he is taken off guard when she figures out her life. The reader, in their turn, is also frustrated. What happened? Why does she make the decisions she does?
In my opinion, I actually think that Wilson wanted to write a novel about David, the gay man, but possibly he didn't think it would be accepted (not sure,) so he combined it with this novel about a middle-aged woman. I'm sure there must be some already interesting scholarship about David, gay relationships etc from this novel.
I would still recommending reading it, despite my criticism, but remember that the language and structure will be that of mid-20th century English novels, and that takes a bit of adapting to, especially from current-day writing style.
This is an exemplary post-modernist novel. It is possible to see the clear influences of late-Victorian and modernism on Wilson's writing. There are some stellar segments in the novel where the writing just flows, however, unfortunately, there are parts that feel stodgy and stilted.
The reason why I chose to read this novel is because, as Drabble points out in her introduction, Mrs Eliot was the first middle-aged female character that didn't fit the stereotypes associated with women of her age in the mid-20th century. Mrs. Eliot, it can been seen, was a refreshing character for the time, and Wilson's work influenced many feminist writers in the 1960s and 70s. It is evident why this novel influenced them. Meg has real agency in this novel. That being said, I did find the unfolding of the plot problematic because of the different point of views. As a consequence, this novel felt like it was two novels.
In essence, for the most part, the narrative is from the point of view of Meg. Her husband dies, she is left poor, and she must find a way to carry on by herself in her own way. For most of the novel, the reader follows Meg as she encounters different ways of surviving, and realizes deep down she knows how she wants to carry on in her future. Then comes the breaking point, and thereafter, the point of view is from David's perspective. This is highly annoying. The reader does not get to follow Meg's feelings about the people she is encountering, her views on her life, her views on her brother. All of that just disappears and the rest of the novel is David telling you how he perceives Meg, her feelings toward things and then he is taken off guard when she figures out her life. The reader, in their turn, is also frustrated. What happened? Why does she make the decisions she does?
In my opinion, I actually think that Wilson wanted to write a novel about David, the gay man, but possibly he didn't think it would be accepted (not sure,) so he combined it with this novel about a middle-aged woman. I'm sure there must be some already interesting scholarship about David, gay relationships etc from this novel.
I would still recommending reading it, despite my criticism, but remember that the language and structure will be that of mid-20th century English novels, and that takes a bit of adapting to, especially from current-day writing style.
July 12, 2019
I so enjoyed Anglo-Saxon Attitudes and vowed to read more Angus Wilson. This looked promising from the description: the change in status of Mrs Eliot following the death of her husband and reduced economic circumstances. So post war 1950s England social mores and such. Add a gay brother and his partner into the mix and this looks like a really interesting novel for being written in 1956. However I found it plodding, over long descriptions of interiors, gardens, not a lot happens for very many pages. I didn't connect with Mrs Eliot. Are we meant to sympathize with her circumstances or find her annoying? Both maybe.
July 2, 2023
I’ve really enjoyed previous Angus Wilson books, Hemlock & After, and the story collection The Wrong Set. But this one was a slog. The setup of a wealthy barrister’s wife and charity busybody feels a perfect occasion for British satire, a la Pym, Brookner, or Wilson etc. But the windup was a bit tedious. The party scene early on felt unnecessary. Maybe the central character wasn’t strongly drawn enough—too prim, too repressed, too clueless—for the satire to work?
DNF around 100 pp. Planning to read more Wilson in future though.
DNF around 100 pp. Planning to read more Wilson in future though.
August 23, 2017
Dated in some ways (the narrator's and characters' psychological analysis especially so) but an interesting read.
July 8, 2024
I do not know why I liked this book so much but I really did. Although, thematically it has nothing in common, it reminded me a lot of In This House of Brede.
February 21, 2024
The story in this book is very British, it tells the social class transition, due to widowhood, of a forty-year-old woman in the 1950s. At the beginning of the book she is an "upper-middle-class" wife, involved in charity work and in taking care of the house and her husband; she then finds herself having to completely change her life and environment. In an inexplicable way, over the course of the book the point of view shifts from hers to that of her brother, so something is lost in the ending.
Read
January 20, 2008date i stopped reading this book... january 2008.
ugh. just couldn't finish it. i kept waiting for the very self-centered characters to evolve. and then i got tired of waiting for it.
ugh. just couldn't finish it. i kept waiting for the very self-centered characters to evolve. and then i got tired of waiting for it.
April 1, 2016
A very slow first third, a middling middle, and a much more interesting last third. If only the brother had surfaced sooner, the whole book might have been much more interesting.
Want to read
February 19, 2019Intertextually influenced by Emma.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews