Victorians

[osprey_archer]

There are two things I love about history: finding surprising or delightful people or events, notes of grace (all the lovelier because history, as a whole, is not graceful), and running across bits that don't fit - that point to lacunae in your own knowledge, or in received history, or in knowledge of history as a whole.

I had one of these experiences a few weeks ago, reading Louisa May Alcott's Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom. Eight Cousins is actually a bit dull, but Rose in Bloom is cracking good, with surprisingly well-developed and conflicted characters, a good clip on its plot, and a sweet romance (in which the hero proves his manliness by writing a book of poetry. Be still my heart!).

But what caught my attention in this instance is a minor secondary character, a Chinese immigrant named Fun See who moves in the social circles of our heroine, Rose, and -

"Oh, Mac! Annabel has just confided to me that she is engaged to Fun See! Think of her going to housekeeping in Canton someday and having to order rats, puppies, and bird's-nest soup for dinner," whispered Rose, too much amused to keep the news to herself.

"By Confucius! Isn't that a sweet prospect?" And Mac burst out laughing, to the great surprise of his neighbors, who wondered what there was amusing about the Chinese sage.

Okay, so it doesn't radiate racial sensitivity. But, while Rose and Mac think the engagement is entertaining, they aren't a bit shocked or offended by it; and there isn't any sense in the text that Alcott thinks she's doing anything daring, or that a white upper-class girl marrying a Chinese man would offend anyone.

And - why? The only thing I know about the history of the Chinese in 19th century America - the only thing I thought there was to know - is the history of the Chinese on the West coast, and I was distinctly under the impression that white people frowned on mixed marriages. So why, in an inoffensive children's book published in 1876, is it all right Annabel to marry Fun See?

And that's the lovely thing about studying history: because it shows you constantly that the world is much wider than you know.

(And when I figure out why the good ship Annabel/Fun See can sail, I'll be sure to let you know.)

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

That *is* fascinating. Apparently they must have distinguished between laborer-level Chinese and intelligentsia-level Chinese? Or maybe it *was* an unusual attitude, but this was Alcott's way of proselytizing? It would be interesting to see if reviewers of the period remarked on it.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Alcott is usually not a subtle proselytizer - the Rose books include screeds against corsets, fashion, penny dreadfuls and French novels. On the other hand, corsets, fashion, penny dreadfuls and French novels were all pretty safe targets, whereas going mano a mano with racial attitudes and miscegenation laws might wreck her rep as a nice clean children's author. So perhaps she was trying to sneak it in under the radar? (Although it can't have been too controversial or that tactic wouldn't have worked. I can't imagine Alcott could have married Annabel off to an African prince without causing howls of protest.)

It occurs to me that all the material I've seen on the Chinese in America in the 19th C is about laboring Chinese; it's quite possible intelligentsia level Chinese were seen as quite a different thing. Certainly it would remove some of the economic causes of resentment.

[silksieve.livejournal.com]

I'd never read Rose in Bloom...that's a rather lovely bit. :) A lot of the Chinese who first immigrated (and landed on the West Coast) came as workers and laborers, so class may have something to do with this match, but it's nice all the same.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking its class and the east coast - there were so few Chinese on the East Coast that they must not have seemed threatening. And after all, Fun See is a very Westernized Chinese man - which ties back into class, I guess, because he's here to attend school (IIRC) and learn Western culture and the laborers don't have time for that, obviously.

(Also, your icon makes me smile every time I see it. Robin Hood DESERVES to be fangirled, especially when he's a fox.)

[silksieve.livejournal.com]

Well, while I would debate your statement that having less of a people would make them seem less threatening to resistant forces, you also mentioned that Fun See was already in Rose's social circles, so I'm sure that familiarity helped somewhat. And if he was in the same social class, with money and whatnot, I'm sure that always helps pave the way a bit.

And what are you talking about, Robin Hood is always a fox. :DDD

[athenais.livejournal.com]

Fun See has not only come to the States to study, he has done well in business...Annabel is going to marry into money, as I recall, because he comes from a mercantile background. I think that's part of what makes it all right. But it really is remarkable for the period.

I find LMA's prose so cloying as to be almost unreadable sometimes. Other times, I skip past the morals and am able to have fun with the story. I like Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom better than almost any of her other books, barring Little Women.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I must admit, my appreciation of Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom is heavily influenced by the fact that I absolutely dreaded reading them - because I expected them to by cloying as canned icing - and going in with that expectation would make almost anything seem surprisingly pleasant.