The article focuses on the works of novelist Elizabeth Goudge. Her style of writing has been described as adult fairy tales. Her works were greatly influenced by the Victorian Period. Goudge\u27s book  The White Witch  presents the historical backdrop of the English Civil War. Writer Josephine Lawrence stated in her review of the novelist\u27s book  Gentian Hill  that the Victorian side of Goudge makes it appealing

Salter, Anne A.

English

DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University

Georgia Library QuarterlyVolume 43 | Issue 4 Article 5January 2007Elizabeth Goudge Revisited: The Lost Art ofHappily Ever AfterAnne A. SalterOglethorpe University, asalter@oglethorpe.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glqPart of the Literature in English, British Isles CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in GeorgiaLibrary Quarterly by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@kennesaw.edu.Recommended CitationSalter, Anne A. (2007) "Elizabeth Goudge Revisited: The Lost Art of Happily Ever After," Georgia Library Quarterly: Vol. 43 : Iss. 4 ,Article 5.Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol43/iss4/514   Winter 2007   Georgia Library QuarterlyAs we grow up and examine ourlives, it is truly amazing to think thatour parents actually had their ownpassions outside of their children.My mother’s love for reading was ahuge part of her world, and shehappily shared it with me as I beganto expand my reading repertoire. Herfavorite author, Elizabeth Goudge,has been described as a writer whosebooks are really “grown up fairytales.” For most critics of the time,this style of writing and its greatappeal seemed quite odd and theobject of contempt. Fortunately, this20th century entity, heavilyinfluenced by her 19th-centuryupbringing, has made a lastingimpression. Her style of “escape”literature has influenced greatly theworld of today’s readers through amost interesting twist.The post World War II cynicism of theWestern literary world foundGoudge’s adult fairy tales too sweetfor their taste. Their disdain for theremnants of anything Victorian isrevealed in their harsh critiques of herworks. Yet the public read her booksin droves, the titles sold millions andthe best seller list was often toppedby one of her titles.Goudge’s books entered my lifethrough my mother’s influence. Irecall being told frequently that acertain book was “too old” for me. Iwasn’t sure what that meant exactly,but I did know that my older sisterwas the right age for these titles thatincluded such works as A Tree Growsin Brooklyn and The Group. Otherbooks were my haven, and I soonbegan to read the same titles mymother was reading. The authors weenjoyed together included Nora Lofts,Victoria Holt and Elizabeth Goudge.Ms. Goudge was my mother’sfavorite and with the publication ofThe White Witch, forever mine. Herbooks were not only hours of enjoy-ment for us but investments thatcrowded our bookshelves at home.In the 1960s, hardbacks were stillpopular and paperbacks were rare.We had no Amazon, no Barnes &Noble or Borders. The culture of theday was to either go to the libraryand check out the book you wantedor head to the department store inAtlanta — Rich’s or Millers — andpurchase it. Thus I was able to see mymother slowly but steadily acquirethe hardback copies of Ms. Goudge’sworks as she read through them allone by one.I cannot tell you when she beganreading Ms. Goudge but it must havebeen early in this author’s career.My mother, like Ms. Goudge, was aproduct of the Victorian age, forparents who were from that timeraised her. Like Ms. Goudge, mymother’s gentle and spiritualcharacter saw and treated her worldand its surroundings in a way thathas sadly vanished from us. Victorians— the quintessential good soldiers —mustered on through the hard times,quietly and patiently enduring untilbetter times came. Those better timesalways did arrive no matter howminiscule or unassuming. Optimismand imagination are often happilylinked in those end-of-the-19th-century minds, and Ms. Goudge’swriting style and personal historyreveal nothing less than theunsinkable spirit — a product of herupbringing. Goudge’s books helpedmy mother through some hard times,so much so that my mothercorresponded with Goudge to thankher. She received a nice reply.Elizabeth Goudge was born in 1900,one of the last true Victorians. Shewas influenced greatly by that age,and her books reflect the passionatelink between creation and humanity,a respect for the world andawareness of the infinite linksbetween all creation. The words“gentle spirit” come to mind when Ithink of her works. During the courseElizabeth Goudge Revisited:The Lost Art of Happily Ever Afterby Anne A. Salter1Salter: Elizabeth Goudge RevisitedPublished by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2007Georgia Library Quarterly   Winter 2007   15of her writing career, she producedabout 17 novels, nine series titles, 17collections of stories, threeanthologies, four works of non-fiction, and one autobiography.Her literary career was not withoutreward. Her children’s book, The LittleWhite Horse, won the LibraryAssociations Carnegie Medal in1946. Her best-known novel, GreenDolphin Street, was made into a filmin 1947 with a stellar cast thatincluded Van Heflin, Lana Turner andDonna Reed. Goudge writes of thisevent in her autobiography as beingquite astounding and unexpected.Her life, as revealed in her auto-biography, Joy of the Snow, reads likeanything but her optimistic andhappy-ending novels. Yet through itall, Goudge remains undaunted andaccepting of what life measures out.Her parents were her models. Herfather, a prominent clergyman of theAnglican Church, moved severaltimes, uprooting the family on eachoccasion. Her mother, an invalid mostof her life, suffered terribly from aback injury. Yet Goudge’s life isrevealed as that surrounded by aloving family to whom hardshipswere part of life and the good timesfound in the source of a sunny day,an abundantly blooming lilac bushand a peaceful walk with the familydog. Goudge seems to have appliedher talent in writing at a young ageand became a success but notimmediately.1Her style of writing is a lost art, astyle that was vastly popular in its dayyet very underrated by critics. Shedrew characters and settings fromthose around her. She carefully woveher love for England and its historyinto charming stories with historicbackgrounds and engagingcharacters. Research and writingwere her gift, and she was a masterat creating what is now the old-fashioned historical novel. Unlikesome of her contemporaries, herworks lack the larger-than-lifeheroine characters. Instead she usesher knowledge of real people, theirrelationships and the ways in whichthey work out those relationshipsagainst the backdrop of multiplehistorical settings.In her book The White Witch,Goudge weaves one of her mostintriguing stories. Set against thehistorical backdrop of the EnglishCivil War, the novel combines historyand characterwith folklore.This narrativeincludes researchthat Goudgeconducted onthe Gypsy peopleof England.Using the worksof CharlesLeland, shedevelopssympathy for theGypsy charactersand their cultureinto the plot.Leland was oneof the firstpeople to study,interview andbecomeaccepted in the Gypsy society ofGreat Britain.2Today his works are little known andhard to acquire, but Goudge drewheavily from them to create her storyand characters. The Gypsy culture isperhaps one of the last left in the21st century that nourishes that sameconnection to nature so ingrained inGoudge’s stories.Her wit combined with charm and adesire to make a happy ending werea recipe for success. Readers adoredher. Her titles were on the best sellerlist more than once, and many of hernovels were Literary Guild choices. Inher own words Goudge admits:“I know that happy endings aresometimes inartistic, and certainly notalways true to life but I can’t writeany other kind. I am not a seriouschronicler of the very terriblecontemporary scene but just a story-teller, and there is so much tragedyabout us everywhere today that wesurely don’t want it in the story-books to which we turn when weare ill or unhappy... We must escapesomewhere.” 3Most of her works were critiqued inthe SaturdayReview ofLiterature andTime. The reviewof Pilgrim’s Inn(also known asThe Herb ofGrace) providesan illustration ofthe rathersarcastic andcynical viewcritics heldtoward Goudgeand similarauthors. Thereview in Time in1941 includesGoudge’s workand that ofHiram Haydn’sThe Time Is Noon, a popular title thatconcerned life in America in 1929.Using a rather unfortunate metaphorof the “hatched chick” to describethe authors’ new titles, the review isnot overly flattering to either author,but most pointedly unkind toGoudge. The reviewer depicts her as“a happy ever after” lightweight andadds that Hollywood likes her just theway she is. Times have indeedchanged. However, the underlyingtone of the review is how can such apiece of fluff be taken seriously?4Green Dolphin Street was reviewed inTime in much the same air ofamazement as Pilgrim’s Inn. First thewriter derides Louis B. Mayer for“I am not a seriouschronicler of the veryterrible contemporaryscene but just a story-teller,and there is so muchtragedy about useverywhere today thatwe surely don’t want it inthe storybooks to whichwe turn when we are illor unhappy...”— Elizabeth Goudge2Georgia Library Quarterly, Vol. 43, Iss. 4 [2007], Art. 5https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol43/iss4/516   Winter 2007   Georgia Library Quarterlypaying $125,000 for what is termeda “Technicolor marshmallow,” or thescreen rights to Green Dolphin Street.According to Goudge’s biography,she was amazed at the sum as wellbut received less than the full amountonce everyone involved had theirpart. The review tells the plot in greatdetail and reserves comment exceptto say that critic Harry Hansen seesher books as suited to readers whowant a “decorative style free fromprofanity and coarse express.”5The Saturday Review of Literature of1948 reviewed Pilgrim’s Inn in quitestriking contrast to the sarcastic toneof Time’s review. The review byRosemary Carr Benet acknowledgesthe Pollyanna sweetness of thenovels, referring to them as grownup fairy tales, yet admits they arepopular reading and the public likesthem. All this is done in a respectableformat that leaves off the cynicism ofthe 1941 review. “What this really is,is escape reading certainly, escape tounreality and sylvan enchantment.Like the Eliots, most readers need toescape from something now — ifonly the newspaper headlines — andMiss Goudge’s pleasant floweringcountryside may appeal to them as arefuge.”6One critic in particular, JosephineLawrence of the Saturday Review,begins to discover what it is aboutGoudge that makes her popular.Lawrence’s 1948 review of GentianHill remarks that “it is completelyincredible, even when accepted inthe spirit of far-away and long ago,but it is also rich in legend and loveand a beautiful passion for settingthings right.” She is now discoveringwhat makes the novels so appealing,and it is that Victorian side ofGoudge that is suddenly apparent.Lawrence doesn’t stop there butactually remarks on what other criticsdared not mention: “I have neverbeen able to understand why it is sooften severely criticized. MissGoudge, who may or may not belonely and afraid, manages throughher books to speak directly to manyreaders who are both fearful andalone; if for only a few hours she canquiet their panic with dreams, surelyshe has reason to be proud.”7Bring on again that cynical andsarcastic Time review and suddenlythere appears to be a note of findingthe Victorian as well. Could it be thatsomeone read Ms. Lawrence’sreview? Gentian Hill is suddenly seenas yet another book by Miss Goudgethat amazes the reviewer in itspopularity. “It is a minor literaryphenomenon of the mid-20thcentury that novels in the style of themid-19th century should still behugely popular. And it is plainlyuncanny that such a writer as novelistGoudge, with almost nothing to say,and small style to say it with, shouldbe the one to write them.”8  Thecritic mentions that Goudge’s bookshave sold more than a million copieseach and have been Literary Guildpicks, yet she is still judged as a“middle-aged Victorian lady withgenteel literary inclinations.” LikewiseTime provides very short treatment ofThe Heart of the Family. Goudge’swork is dismissed as “a cozy novelwith a basically predictableoutcome.”9Goudge has left us a legacy of goodold-fashioned storytelling andappreciation for those simple things inlife that collectively make uphappiness. Deep within, she hasconcocted characters based in reality,flavored by historical research, andtempered with the current-day needto escape from the present. Her deepseated “Victorianism” with itsoptimistic joy in the small things of lifeand its ability to shoulder burdensuntil the sun shines again, makes hercharacters appealing, especially toreaders with similar trials.Her style is not lost to the ages nor isher ability to inspire. Take for examplethe unprecedented rise to fame andpopularity of the Harry Potter books.It is perhaps the most singular eventof the century which has inspiredreaders of all ages to leave theirlaptops and pick up that thing called a“book.” It is that “good story,” filledto the brim with imagination, fairy-tale-like surroundings and characterswho solve their problems in mostcreative ways that keep readersstanding in line in bookstores to bethe first to get their next installment.Once again the recipe is imagination,good will, the desire to entertain andto provide escape from the cares ofthe world. It is no coincidence thatJ. K. Rowling’s favorite children’sbook was the Little White Horse byElizabeth Goudge.10  Anne A. Salter is director of the PhilipWeltner Library at Oglethorpe Universityin Atlanta. Her email address isasalter@oglethorpe.edu.References:1 Elizabeth Goudge, The Joy of the Snow: An Autobiography(New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1974).2 Elizabeth Goudge, The White Witch (New York: Coward-McCann,1958).3 Rosemary Carr Benet, “Grown Up Fairy Tale,” Saturday Review ofLiterature (April 24, 1948): 18.4 “A Pot in Every Chicken,” Time (April 5, 1948): 100.5 Books, “Tycoon Mayer & Tycoon Nobel,” Time (September 4, 1944): 95.6 Benet, “Grown Up Fairy Tale,” 19.7 Josephine Lawrence, “Magic in Devonshire,” Saturday Review ofLiterature (December 31, 1949): 16.8 Books, Time (January 2, 1950): 66.9 Books, Time (September 21, 1953): 114.10 “Magic, Mystery, and Mayhem: An Interview with J.K. Rowling,”Amazon.com (UK): http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/6230/104-9170968-9498314.3Salter: Elizabeth Goudge RevisitedPublished by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2007

Elizabeth Goudge Revisited: The Lost Art of Happily Ever After

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Elizabeth Goudge Revisited: The Lost Art of Happily Ever After

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