"Lady Audley's Secret"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the passage that concludes Volume I, Chapter V of "Lady Audley's Secret" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. The paper describes the way in which the novel suggests the importance of physical objects in characterizing women in Victorian, sentimental novels. The paper focuses on how Braddon uses physical details and trifling objects of domestic life in her descriptions.

From the Paper:

" When the young man engages in an internal dialogue, before the re-entry of other characters, the significance of sentimental objects in the moral values of the novel is reflected in the man's protest about the lady's portrait and also his question about "they," indicating his familiarity with the other people of the house. The young man attempts a formality of discourse with the words, "woman of the house," but is unable to think of the woman that way--instead, he breaks down into manly tears. He conceals his face, which according to the conventions of the Victorian romantic genre, suggest he is a perfect romantic hero--he is ashamed of a display of potentially womanly emotion, but too emotional to resist such powerful sentiments within his heart."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Braddon, Mary Elizabeth. Lady Audley's Secret. New York: Penguin Classics, 1998

More papers on "Lady Audley's Secret":

• Book Review # 116343 : "Lady Audley's Secret" and Roles of Women"
• Essay # 143760 : "Logical Critique Of The Secret (2006)"
• Analytical Essay # 24903 : "Two Victorian Novels"

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