The Wideacre Trilogy

 

The trilogy of Wideacre has fascinated me for at least 2 reasons. One being women being at the forefront of the decision making process, in spite of it being a man's world and two a rural setting with a farm at hand. 

Even though the books are a trilogy they were written in different years and therefore almost a mini generation (2/3 years) apart from each other making the reading experience even more authentic. (The main characters in each book are generally one generation apart from each other.)

The central theme of the books is the extreme love of the land whether it may be through the eyes of the gentry or the village people (Laceys/ Tyackes) with a feminist twist. 

Considering that this is historical fiction,  during which the United Kingdom with the rest of Europe was on the cusp of the industrial revolution, the feminism involved is adequate. This was a time when entails were generally handed down to the next male heir of a family whether it may be a son or a cousin, but not a daughter unless it was specified. It was not easy task in those days to change an entail. The women protagonists in the book seemed to be fully aware that they needed a space in the world, which was a man's world, by using the existing "rule book" by making sure that there was enough money for them to live on.   

At the time all three of the books were published, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the leader of the Conservative Party. The main Character Beatrice from the first book seemed to have about the same will as Thatcher. I am not sure if the government of the day helped create the ideology in the books with regards to giving the power back to the people who farm the land. Quoting from the novel," Why should the man who invests his money have his profit guaranteed, while the man who invests his labour, even his life, have no guaranteed wage?" Thatcher was taking the opposite approach at that point in time. 

At this point in time in 2021, I find this statement from Meridon to be very true in Saskatchewan and Alberta. "You'll buy cheap and you'll sell dear. You'll overwork them and you'll underpay them. When they revolt you'll bring in the army and tell them it's for their own good. You'll refuse to educate them and then you'll say they can't be trusted because they're so ignorant. You'll keep them underfed and ignorant and dirty and then complain that they smell different or that they cannot talk properly" 

Something struck me as I thinking about the 3 books collectively. Was it the wish of the author to have the land returned to a true person of English heritage i.e. Tyacke from the Laceys who came to rule the land with the authority of the Normans in 1066? Was it more to do with the wife being the property of the husband? Did patriotism and feminism go hand in hand in the trilogy? What about the "socialist" values espoused in the books?  

In order to truly understand the authors intentions, I think it would be imperative to take a closer look at every chapter in the 3 books and break it down based upon modern day media reports. Media reports including main stream stories and stories posted on social media platforms.