The novel was originally published in serial form in The Weekly Mail from February 1864.[1] Unfortunately this cannot be verified as copies of the newspaper have not survived.
At the reading of the will of Mr Hogarth, a Scottish bachelor, it is discovered that he has not left his money to the two nieces he raised, but rather to a son that no-one had previously heard of. The two young women are forced, by the conditions of the will, to make their own way in the world, without any possible help from the son, even though he would like to provide it.
Critical receptionedit
In the chapter titled "Literature and Melodrama" in The Oxford Literary History of Australia, Robert Dixon writes of this novel, as with others of the authors, that "it is as if the mode of domestic realism resists the excesses of melodrama, holding it at a distance, both spatially and stylistically".[2]
Emma on "The Australian Women's Writing Challenge" website notes: "Spence mixes a set of characters who have lived in Scotland all their lives and some who have lived in Scotland and in Australia. It allows her to compare the two ways of life and advertise life in the colonies. Through her characters, she discusses a lot of topics but I think that the most important point she’s making are that people should be judged according to their own value and accomplishments and not according to their birth...Mr Hogarth’s Will isn’t just about giving a forum to Spence’s ideas. It is also a wonderful Austenian novel with lovely characters. Jane and Elsie have something of Elinor and Marianne and of Jane and Elizabeth. Francis Hogarth could have been friends with Mr Knightley. There’s a Miss Philipps who could be Miss Bingley’s offspring. I had a soft spot for Mr Philipps, an affectionate man who gives a real shot at fatherhood and has quite a modern way to interact with his children. He seemed to be a better version of Mr Bennet."[3]
On the ANZLitLovers blog Lisa Hill commented: "Mr Hogarth’s Will is not, despite its romantic entanglements and happy resolution, a soppy romance. The plot is absorbing over the full length of the book because the girls’ problems seem insurmountable and this novel is an early example of feminist realism in an entertaining package. Spence was on a mission to expose the structural problem of female unemployment and the poverty of single women."[4]
Publication historyedit
After its original 1864 publication in The Weekly Mail, the novel was published as follows:
hogarth, will, 1864, uphill, work, novel, australian, writer, catherine, helen, spence, authorcatherine, helen, spencecountryaustralialanguageenglishgenrefictionpublication, date1864media, typeprintpreceded, bytender, true, colonial, tale, followed, bythe, aut. Mr Hogarth s Will 1864 aka Uphill Work is a novel by Australian writer Catherine Helen Spence 1 Mr Hogarth s WillAuthorCatherine Helen SpenceCountryAustraliaLanguageEnglishGenreFictionPublication date1864Media typePrintPreceded byTender and True A Colonial Tale Followed byThe Author s Daughter The novel was originally published in serial form in The Weekly Mail from February 1864 1 Unfortunately this cannot be verified as copies of the newspaper have not survived Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Critical reception 3 Publication history 4 See also 5 ReferencesSynopsis editAt the reading of the will of Mr Hogarth a Scottish bachelor it is discovered that he has not left his money to the two nieces he raised but rather to a son that no one had previously heard of The two young women are forced by the conditions of the will to make their own way in the world without any possible help from the son even though he would like to provide it Critical reception editIn the chapter titled Literature and Melodrama in The Oxford Literary History of Australia Robert Dixon writes of this novel as with others of the authors that it is as if the mode of domestic realism resists the excesses of melodrama holding it at a distance both spatially and stylistically 2 Emma on The Australian Women s Writing Challenge website notes Spence mixes a set of characters who have lived in Scotland all their lives and some who have lived in Scotland and in Australia It allows her to compare the two ways of life and advertise life in the colonies Through her characters she discusses a lot of topics but I think that the most important point she s making are that people should be judged according to their own value and accomplishments and not according to their birth Mr Hogarth s Will isn t just about giving a forum to Spence s ideas It is also a wonderful Austenian novel with lovely characters Jane and Elsie have something of Elinor and Marianne and of Jane and Elizabeth Francis Hogarth could have been friends with Mr Knightley There s a Miss Philipps who could be Miss Bingley s offspring I had a soft spot for Mr Philipps an affectionate man who gives a real shot at fatherhood and has quite a modern way to interact with his children He seemed to be a better version of Mr Bennet 3 On the ANZLitLovers blog Lisa Hill commented Mr Hogarth s Will is not despite its romantic entanglements and happy resolution a soppy romance The plot is absorbing over the full length of the book because the girls problems seem insurmountable and this novel is an early example of feminist realism in an entertaining package Spence was on a mission to expose the structural problem of female unemployment and the poverty of single women 4 Publication history editAfter its original 1864 publication in The Weekly Mail the novel was published as follows Richard Bentley UK 1865 5 Penguin Books Australia 1988 6 See also edit1864 in Australian literature The full text of this novel is available at Project Gutenberg Australia 7 References edit a b Austlit Mr Hogarth s Will by Catherine Helen Spence Austlit Retrieved 19 July 2023 The Oxford Literary History of Australia OUP 1998 p80 Catherine Helen Spence Mr Hogarth s Will review The Australian Women s Writing Challenge 7 June 2022 Retrieved 19 July 2023 Mr Hogarth s Will 1865 by Catherine Helen Spence ANZLitLovers Blog Retrieved 5 August 2023 Mr Hogarth s Will Richard Bentley National Library of Australia Retrieved 19 July 2023 Mr Hogarth s Will Penguin National Library of Australia Retrieved 19 July 2023 Project Gutenberg Mr Hogarth s Will Project Gutenberg Retrieved 19 July 2023 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mr Hogarth 27s Will amp oldid 1168784094, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
