A City Girl: A Realistic Story

by Margaret Harkness, Tabitha Sparks (editor)

In April 1888, Friedrich Engels wrote a letter to the English novelist and journalist Margaret Harkness, expressing his appreciation for her first novel, A City A Realistic Story, calling it “a small work of art.” A City Girl was one of many slum novels set in the East End of London in the 1880s. It tells the story of a young East Ender, Nelly Ambrose, who is seduced and abandoned by a middle-class bureaucrat. After the birth of her child and betrayal by her family, Nelly is rescued by two outside the Salvation Army and a sympathetic local man, George, who wants to marry her despite her “fallen” status. While Nelly’s relative passivity and social ignorance distinguish her from contemporary New Woman heroines, Harkness’s sympathy for Nelly’s position and refusal to judge her morally make A City Girl a fascinating and original novel.



This Broadview Edition includes contemporary reviews of A City Girl along with historical documents on London’s East End, fallen women in late-Victorian fiction, and reform organizations for East End women.

Genres: Fiction, 19th Century, Victorian, School, Classics

182 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1887

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

fellas is it gay to keep wishing you were back in the army instead of getting married

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 19C British novel is wide-ranging in form. The Sensation Novel, the Newgate Novel, the latter end of the Gothic Novel, the great novels of Dickens, Trollope and Hardy. Well, you get the idea. With the exception of the work of Gaskell, however, I have not read much of what could be termed the Factory Novel. The novel A City Girl by Margret Harkness (published under her pen name John Law) offers the reader a novella length look at the perils of a lower class young woman, burdened by a useless mother and lazy brother, who tries to make a life for herself as a seamstress and strives to peek into the world that exists beyond her grasp in 1880's London. Nelly, the protagonist, works as a casual, earning her money by making garments. Somewhat vain, and described as a "masher" or very attractive young female, Nelly's boyfriend is an honest but somewhat plodding manager of a large apartment complex. Nelly wants more from life. It appears she will be doomed to her station until she meets a slick talking married man from the West end of London.

Needless to say, her heart is quickly wooed by Arthur Grant and becomes pregnant. Enough of the plot. The novella is more focussed on the ways, treatment and lifestyle of the poor than it is on developing nuanced character, the use of sophisticated symbolism or creative prose. The purpose of the novel is to explore the treatment of the casual worker, to reveal their daily struggle for dignity and life and to question the effort, or lack of it, offered by the people and policies of London. The novel's best claim to fame today is the fact that Engels initiated a correspondence with Harkness because of this novel. Engels found it to have "realistic truth" and read it " with the greatest pleasure and avidity."

While A City Girl may seem thin in its value to today's reader it is, nevertheless, an important novel to be aware of within the context of its time and the interest it received.

[Julie Holland · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole time with this book I was like, "Wow, I am actually enjoying this! This has to be the first Victorian novel that keeps my interest and that I am actually excited to pick up!" I was throwing myself a celebration, a party in happiness that I finally found an old English classic that I thoroughly enjoyed and didn't just look at for literary analysis and critical assessment. And then...and then. Right around midway everything went sliding downhill so fast I was actually thoroughly pissed off. I celebrated much much to early.

Now, I must say, it was not the books fault or was it Harkness's fault. This book was just too realistic and being a woman of the 21st century it pissed me off. Harkness did a beautiful job, a wonderful job, and ultimately she did what she set out to do. I thank her for writing a novel like this that honestly represents what SO many women went through during this time. It was not easy for her by no means. I had to do some critical assessments and literary analysis on this book for a Victorian class and part of that was doing a presentation. My job was to look at the reviews Harkness received about the book and present them to the class for us all to analyze and look at with a critical lens. There were SO many reviews about how it wasn't accurate, or that Harkness had gone crazy. Many at the time didn't even know she was a woman since she used an alias(Law, John), and apparently for good reason. If they knew that she was a woman, and later on they did, she would have been killed. The things people were saying...I encourage you to look it up.

So, I love what Harkness did, and I love that she created something despite the societal belief that women should have nothing to say. Feminist me truly, whole heartedly supports everything she was doing with this book. However, the ending is what pissed me off and I'll tell you why.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

All throughout, Nelly the MC wants more from life than to marry George, an ex sailor of some kind - basically a political man with no other personality but to be in charge. He is also only interested in Nelly because I quote, "She is beautiful." Hello? Gaston, is that you?

Keep in mind Nelly has been emotionally abused by her mother but especially by her brother. Nelly is tasked with being the only one who works to support the family (a very feminist idea at the time which I love but is also still sad), so her family basically walks all over her. They also live in the poor part of town where Harkness herself lived for a very long time. Needless to say, Nelly is no stranger to adversity and obstacles in every shape and form, yet she still stays away from George knowing he wants to pursue her. Even wanting to leave and find a new life, she stays clear from George. I admired that. I loved that. While I wanted her to break free, (cue High School Musical) from her brother and mother, I was content with her at least standing her ground with George.

Though, George continues to let's just nicely say fancy Nelly because she is pretty and he figures, what the heck, can't do much worse. At least she doesn't break a mirror. And while he is I guess trying to court Nelly he is consistently complaining about politics and life, saying over and over, "I should have never left the army." Again, Gaston, is that you? I am beginning to think this whole story is just Beauty and the Beast before Disney.

However, in walks a new man that she has set her sights on, Arthur Grant. At first I like him quite a lot more than George. Do I love him? Absolutely not. But, he seems to care about the world more outside of politics and has an appreciation for the arts and things like that. He is a treasurer in a hospital for poor women and children after all. Therefore, he is a least a bit better than George, or so it seems. Nelly takes a liking to him and starts hanging out with him on boat rides and the theatre. But, behold, he is married and has an affair with Nelly. This bomb is dropped, and the rug is ripped out from underneath you. The book kind of hints, but honestly I was entirely surprised. So...yeah...hate Arthur.

So then, a heartbroken Nelly gets fired from being a seamstress because she stands her ground and dares ask for a break, then her brother kicks her out due to being fired. All the while, another surprise, she is pregnant and refuses to tell anyone who the father is (though it is pretty clear - Arthur, I am looking at you). After sobbing on the street for hours cold, hungry, heartbroken and pregnant, George helps her (Hey, the man is making a come back! Though he doesn't know she is pregnant yet. Just broke and homeless.) He takes her to a friends house who is connected to the Salvation Army. Here she meets some actual decent human beings who help her kindly.

She stays there for a while and George actually starts being sweet. He seems to care for Nelly. The man steps up his game. Until he finds out about the baby. He dumps her (even though they weren't dating) and leaves her high and dry. (Instantly everything kind the man has done, just whoosh! Down the drain it goes) Nelly pretty much has no one. She even goes to the church and they basically banish her.

The church is another issue outside of just Nelly. There are two characters who want to get married but are told they can not get married because they are both disabled. Like...really? Ugh. Pisses me off. Then when Nelly has the baby they won't baptize him for her which is insanely important to her because he is a "bastard baby." I could say the same for you Mr. Priest! He even goes as far to say that Nelly should just basically call it a day and leave this world because of her fallen status. *major eyeroll here* Truly, the church is an entirely other topic I could rant about forever.

Fast forward, her baby boy named Arthur (hint-hint) gets sick and she rushes him to the hospital where she gets little to no help. The hospital for poor women and children...umm...wouldn't they be the place to go for help? Apparently not! (Megamind voice here. If you know, you know). The nurses kick Nelly out onto the streets at night keeping her son inside to be "monitored." They tell Nelly she can't stay with her son and after fighting back, Nelly gives in and sleeps on the street. She wakes up, rushes to the hospital, can't find her baby, then when she finally does, he has died. Refusing to believe it, she carries around his corpse and talks to him like he is still living. The nurse tries to take him from her, but Nelly freaks out and runs into the halls cradling her dead infant son and talking to him. She repeats over and over that he is just merely asleep. Yeah...this scene will break your heart. Although not like it wasn't already broken. This poor girl has severally suffered.

Although, stop the story here for a moment, I liked that. Not saying I like her suffering, I in fact do not, but it was an accurate portrayal of what women were facing. It was bringing in awareness to the heartbreaking and tragic lives women were left to live, especially those who lived in the slums and had a "fallen" status. Therefore, I liked it in that regard. Nothing like this had ever been written, and Harkness finally brought it to the light. While it is horrible in every way, it was feminist in the idea that by showing what women go through, by bringing in awareness, perhaps lives like this would be helped rather than cast away.

But, back to the story.

While Nelly was slowly leaving the hospital with her dead son in her arms, she runs into Arthur who she had an affair with. It is his hospital she is at. He questions her, but being as upset as she is she loses it and literally lightning fast tells him the dead baby in her arms was his and then she leaves.

Next thing you know the Salvation Army and the people she has been living with are helping her plan a funeral for her son. When all of the sudden Arthur shows up at the door, saying he just felt so sorry for himself. Yes, sorry for himself. Not for Nelly, not for his dead infant son, but for himself. Real winner this guy. But the people Nelly is living with and who work for the Salvation army, they send him away before Nelly sees him. Before he goes, he offers to pay for the funeral...how sweet. (NOT)

Then Nelly goes to the funeral. She is there by herself except for the Salvation Army folks who helped her. She mourns her son and then heads home. When she gets home...by golly...there sits George on her doorstep. She invites him inside and he essentially doesn't ask how she is, doesn't ask how she is doing, literally does not giving a flying flip that she just got home from her son's funeral...her infant son's funeral. But, what he does do is launch into this big long speech about how she is still beautiful and he is willing to take her back. He is leaving and doesn't want to go alone and he supposes that he will just marry her. That's right...he doesn't even ask. Just tells her he will marry her and she can come. I AM PISSED at this point.

She starts crying, saying that she could never make a good wife and she is damaged goods and George could do so much better and that she doesn't deserve this. Girl, please. Don't you dare stroke this man's ego, it'll grow bigger than the Empire State Building. But, that is pretty much where it ends. The last line of the novel is George speaking. After he has told her he will marry her he says, "I should have never left the arm." Yeah...you shouldn't have. (I literally closed the book and stormed off. Took me forever to even look at it again.)

So, after everything, this is supposed to be the happy ending. Nelly, despite her "fallen" status gets to marry the man she never wanted to. Happily. Ever. After.

That is why it pissed me off greatly. Not because Harkness wrote a bad novel, or that I was bored, but because after everything I was hoping Nelly would get an actual happy ending. When, in fact, this is what was given. *ew*

Now, almost a year later writing this review, I have thought about this book and everything that happens. After really thinking, I think there can be an argument made that the ending of this book really isn't supposed to be framed as a happy one, but rather a realistic one. I think again, Harkness was giving that realistic ending where the best happy ending a woman of Nelly's unfortunate life and status could ever allow her to get, was this one. Once I realized that, I started to appreciate it more even though it still ticked me off due to everything. I would say Harkness agrees that this ending seriously sucks, and that that is the point. Again, I applaud Harkness.

I also find it extremely fascinating that this book is basically unheard of. It is never talked about, and I am left to wonder why exactly that is. Perhaps it is because it pissed everyone off, or maybe it is because Harkness showed a truth they wanted kept hidden. Perhaps it is both reasons, or neither. No matter, I do think this book deserves much more attention. While it is nothing but trauma, heartache and sadness, it shows the brutality in which women were forced to live. And in terms of storytelling it really was interesting, I stayed hooked, which most Victorian novels fail to do. So, all in all, while I am still not a fan of what takes place, I realize that Harkness doesn't agree with what she wrote either, because that is why she wrote it.

[Cameron Greenberg]

I didn’t actually finish this but whatever lmao it’s alright but it’s neat to see how harshly it critiques many cultural behaviors that still exist today!!

[carly · Rating 2 out of 5]

rip margaret harkness you would have loved female rap duo city girls

[Matthew White Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harkness’s voice is quite clear and her sense of irony is pretty on point. She never tells and seems pretty committed to showing the reader what she wants him or her to know. Sometimes I felt the chapters ended a bit abruptly, and because the story spanning two years is written as a novella and not a novel, I felt the pacing was really strange. Like, Nelly suddenly has a baby and the birth scene itself either never happened or I just missed it. Either way, the book was interesting and I felt sad for Nelly by the end, even if things wrapped up a bit too neatly.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Interesting slum novel, somewhat politically contradictory as you’d expect, but featuring some beautiful writing and very insightful passages of characterization esp of the middle class character who exploits the main character (whose background most closely matches Harkness’)

[grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish this one had struck a better chord with me. The prose is decent, and there’s an interesting shift away from the archetype of the fallen woman. It is, of course, deeply political and a bit of a drag. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much of what even happened.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. Some major gaps in the story line. Clean language.

[Max Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A semi-tragic and purposefully terse narrative reflecting the childlike simplicity of a working-class heroine’s phenomena

[Marta ౨ৎ˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a good reading start to the year...

[Ellie Rayner]

For uni x

[Jackie]

LOVE!

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm actually sick. Mr. Grant is on my list.

[Alexandra Brovco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've yet to understand why I liked this book so much as I did. It's written very simply -- this short novella spans nearly two years. It's got a simple storyline -- it's late XIX century, and a man from West End impregnates an East End girl. The only reason this book was ever printed in 1950s Russia is because Engels wrote a letter to Harkness and mentioned how he liked it.

I seem to have liked it too, very much, but I have no idea why.

[Emilia]

fucking bleak my god

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad that I read this book for class; Professor Tabitha Sparks (given her editorial status on the book) knows this book so well and was really able to bring the characters and story alive.