East Lynne

“It has been the custom in romance to represent young ladies […] as being altogether oblivious of everyday cares and necessities, supremely indifferent to the future prospects of poverty […] but, be assured, this apathy never exists in real life.”

This quotation appears in the context of Isabel discovering she is penniless following the death of her father. The narrator challenges the narrative convention that depicts women as removed from or ignorant of their financial situation, revealing how a sensational plot can still contain elements of realism and social commentary—e.g., on economic realities or gender roles. Isabel’s financial precarity contributes directly to her reckless decisions, developing the theme of The Anxieties and Opportunities of Unstable Social Positions.

“She shall marry the first who asks her […] I’ll take care of that.”

Lady Mount Severn says this when she learns that Isabel is going to be living in her household since she has nowhere else to go. Lady Mount Severn is jealous and resentful of Isabel and does not want a beautiful young woman present to upstage her. The quotation shows how Isabel’s vulnerable position directly leads to her hasty marriage, setting the stage for future unhappiness.

“I like you very much; I esteem you and respect you; but I do not yet love you.”

Isabel says this to Archibald after he proposes to her. The quotation shows Isabel’s honesty and integrity; she does not misrepresent her feelings. It also reveals part of why Isabel is so susceptible to her infatuation with Francis Levinson: She has never experienced romantic love and therefore is unfulfilled and vulnerable to exploitation by the charming and manipulative Francis.

“Oh, that she had had the courage to speak openly to her husband! That he might, by a single word of earnest love and assurance, have taken the weight from her heart.”

This quotation reveals the gradual erosion of Isabel’s marriage due to a lack of communication and trust. Isabel is very unhappy because of the way that Cornelia treats her but does not confide this to her husband. As a result, Archibald doesn’t realize the extent of his wife’s misery and doesn’t take any action to make her life better.

“There never was a passion in this world, there never will be one, so fantastic, so delusive, so powerful as jealousy.”

This quotation occurs after Isabel overhears gossip about Archibald and Barbara and pleads with Archibald to promise that he will never marry Barbara. Jealousy of Barbara becomes an obsession for Isabel and severely compromises her judgment, developing the theme of Jealousy Leading to Irrational Decisions. This quotation illustrates the novel’s occasionally didactic tone, which attempts to convey moral lessons to readers.

“Are grown children otherwise? Do we not all, men and women, become indifferent to our toys when we hold them securely in possession?”

This quotation occurs shortly before Isabel leaves on her trip to France, when she muses on how Archibald is less affectionate with her than he used to be. The narrator displays sympathy toward Isabel’s disillusionment but also rationalizes that it is normal for passion to dissipate over time. The quotation reveals that Isabel is naïve and somewhat spoiled, expecting to be lavished with love at all times.

“She did not dare to analyse her feelings, but she was conscious that all fresh emotions of her youth had come again.”

This quotation occurs when Isabel encounters Francis while she is in France. Isabel’s previous attraction to him immediately resurfaces, its excitement contrasting with the mundane nature of her life as a wife and mother—supposedly all a Victorian woman needed to feel fulfilled. The reference to youth hints at why Isabel is still so drawn to Francis: He reminds her of a different stage of her life.

“Oh, reader! Never doubt the principles of poor Lady Isabel, her rectitude of mind, her wish and endeavor to do right, her abhorrence of wrong.”

Isabel plans to leave France and get away from Francis to avoid any temptation to behave inappropriately. The quotation is an example of direct address, in which the narrator speaks directly to the reader, which enhances the work’s didactic and moral lens. It also evokes sympathy for Isabel, softening her subsequent actions by making it clear that she initially resisted Francis’s attempts to seduce her.

“Be avenged on that false hound, Isabel. He was never worthy of you. Leave your life of misery and come to happiness.”

Francis says this to Isabel just before she finally agrees to run away with him. Francis plays on Isabel’s jealousy and False Perceptions of Innocence and Guilt, convincing her that some sort of illicit relationship exists between her husband and Barbara. The quotation is significant because it shows that Isabel only runs away because she thinks that Archibald is unfaithful to her, which again tempers her moral responsibility.

“‘She is not dead,’ he answered. ‘Worse than that,’ he added in his heart.”

Archibald says this when he corrects the rumor that Isabel has died by suicide. He sees Isabel’s moral and social downfall as a fate worse than death, showing how rigidly Victorian society policed sexual “impropriety,” especially for middle- and upper-class women. The quotation sets the stage for how Isabel’s decision to leave her husband and children permanently taints her reputation.

“Never had she experienced a moment’s calm, or peace, or happiness, since that fatal night of quitting her home.”

The narrative resumes about a year after Isabel runs away with Francis; this quotation immediately establishes that she regrets her decision and is suffering its consequences. While Wood’s novel explores the then taboo topics of adultery and divorce, the narrative presents these events in extremely negative terms. Isabel’s decision is portrayed as a grave mistake for which she pays dearly.

“Oh, reader, believe me! Lady—wife—mother! Should you ever be tempted to abandon your home, so will you waken!”

This passage uses direct address to ensure that readers take the appropriate moral lesson from the novel’s plot. Especially since women were the primary readership for Wood’s novel (and other similar works), it was important that the text be in no way seen as endorsing the behavior it portrayed. Wood gives her readers explicit warning that if they act as Isabel does, they will suffer as a result.

“It is incumbent upon me, as your nearest relative, to see after you, now that you are alone again, and to take care—so far as I can—that you do not lapse lower.”

Lord Mount Severn says this to Isabel when he visits her in France and offers financial support to her and her child. His comment alludes to the possibility that Isabel might otherwise resort to being a “kept” woman or even a sex worker, establishing that he acts less out of generosity or empathy than a desire to protect the family’s reputation. It also shows how few options a woman (particularly a well-to-do woman with no experience of manual labor) had if she wanted to be financially independent: Isabel might not be able to support herself any other way.

“The very night that his wife went away, Mr. Carlyle gave orders that the child in the future should be called Lucy.”

This quotation reveals how Isabel’s actions impact her children—especially her daughter. Archibald changes his daughter’s name so that she goes by her middle name rather than the name she inherited from her mother; this decision symbolically reflects the desire to eradicate Isabel and her influence. Because of beliefs about both genetic and social influencing, many people would assume that little Lucy is destined to behave in a way similar to her mother.

“She is the oddest-looking person: wears spectacles, caps, enormous bonnets, and has a great scar on her mouth and chin; and though she can’t be more than thirty, her hair is grey.”

This is a description of Isabel’s appearance after the accident and after she has assumed her disguise. Part of why Isabel is able to remain incognito is because she goes from being vibrant, youthful, and beautiful to appearing sickly, unattractive, and seemingly elderly. The quotation shows the emphasis placed on external appearance, especially for women; Isabel has been so defined by her beauty that she becomes unrecognizable without it.

“I never was fond of being troubled with children.”

Barbara says this to Isabel shortly after Isabel begins working as a governess. In contrast to Isabel’s passionate love for her children, Barbara dotes on her own babies but is somewhat aloof with her stepchildren. This character development juxtaposes the two women and adds moral ambiguity to the narrative. While it is easy to characterize Isabel as a “bad” woman and Barbara as a “good” one, these comments show that the reality is more complicated, as maternal feeling was central to Victorian conceptions of femininity.

“There is no mistaking the tone of a gentlewoman […] how sad it is when pecuniary reverses fall upon us! I dare say you never thought to go out as a governess.”

Barbara says this to Isabel when Isabel is in disguise as Madame Vine. Barbara highlights the socially ambiguous position of the governess, implying that Madame Vine has lost her financial independence and must now work for a living, which was considered somewhat shameful, especially for women. Barbara’s remark shows that she does not view Madame Vine has her equal.

“He described the peculiar motion of his hand as he threw back his hair from his brow: he spoke of the white hand and the diamond ring, how it glittered in the moonlight.”

Barbara says this to Archibald when she finally confides her theory that Francis might be Thorn. She references the specific description that Richard has given and how it aligns with Francis’s distinctive appearance. This appearance, which is flashy and ostentatious, ends up being damning, showing that Francis is partially a victim of his own arrogance.

“Were you to die, you would go to heaven, and leave all the cares and sorrows of the world behind you. It would have been happier for many of us had we died in infancy.”

Isabel says this to her young son as it becomes clearer that William is going to die. Isabel does not deny this reality but instead consoles William with Christian theology. She even implies that it may be better to be dead and at peace in heaven than trapped in earthly suffering. Although William is unaware, Isabel is clearly referring to her own unhappiness, foreshadowing how she will subsequently die without regret.

“If I chose to live in London, and he chose to make a morning call upon me now and then, as an old friend, what’s that to anybody? Where was the harm, I ask?”

Afy says this when she is testifying during Francis’s trial. The interrogation reveals that Afy had an illicit relationship with Francis for several years after the murder, and she becomes very defensive about this relationship. Afy is anxious to protect her reputation, especially due to the public nature of the trial. The quotation shows how much public perception could damage a woman’s reputation and future opportunities.

“Richard, poor ill-used, baited Richard, was a free man again.”

This quotation represents the end of the plotline around the murder: When Francis is found guilty, it finally establishes Richard’s innocence. While Richard’s good reputation is recovered, the years of living as a fugitive are permanently lost to him. The quotation shows the possibility of redemption and contrasts it with Isabel’s fate.

“I thought I saw a spectre; the spectre of my dead lady.”

Joyce says this to Isabel when she admits that she has known Isabel’s true identity for several months. Joyce explains that on the night of the fire alarm, she glimpsed Isabel without her disguise and at first believed she was seeing a ghost. This quotation evokes the connection between the Gothic and the sensation novel; while the former relies on the possibility of supernatural events, the latter creates horror and dread based on events that are at least theoretically possible.

“I could have made your home happier, and I wish I had done so. I have wished it ever since you left it.”

Cornelia realizes that Isabel has been living incognito with the family just before Isabel dies. Surprisingly, Cornelia does not condemn Isabel but instead begs for forgiveness, admitting that she treated Isabel badly. This quotation adds complexity to Cornelia’s character and shows that she has come to regret her past choices.