ABSTRACT
AlargepartofGissing'sfictiontakesplaceinsidetheminds ofoutsiders-artisticmisfits,rejectedlovers,thehopelessly aspiring.Inmorethantheobvioussenseittakespla<;:einsidehis ownmind,forhesawhimselfalwaysasanaturalstranger.He lacked,itistrue,mostofthecustomarycredentials:hewasnot illegitimatenorhomosexual,notJewish,noragenius,normad. Nevertheless,formuchofhislifehesufferedfrombothalienation andexile;hefelthimselfoutsideallexistingcommunitiesand doomedtoexclusionfromanidealcommunity-both'unclassed' and'borninexile'.Thecauseswerecomplex,butacrucialclueis containedinaletterhewrotetoMorleyRobertsin1894.Asserting thathisbooksdealtwithmanysocialstrata,headded,'Butwhat Idesiretoinsistuponisthis:thatthemostcharacteristic,the mostimportantpartofmyworkisthatwhichdealswithaclassof youngmendistinctiveofourtime-welleducated,fairlybred, butwithoutmonty'.Hewentontolistsomeinstances:'Reardon, Biffen,Milvain,Peak,Earwaker,Elgar,Mallard'- mostof them,hesaid,'martyredbythefactofpossessinguncommon endowments'. 1Thislist-which,interestingly,cutsacrossthe linesofexplicitauthorialapproval-mighteasilybeextendedto otherexamples(Waymark,KingcoteandlaterWillWarburton) aswellastoacomparableclassofyoungwomen(EmilyHood, RhodaNunn,theMaddenandMilvainsisters).Whatallthese charactershaveincommon,despitetheirobviousdifferences,is experienceofclassdisplacement.GeorgeOrwelloncesaidthat Gissing'scentralthememightbestatedinjustthreewords:'not enoughmoney'. 2Buttotheseweshouldappendanotherthree: 'toomuchintellect'.ThetypicalGissingprotagonistiscertainly cursedwithashortageofcash,butalsowithasurplusofbrains. Exaltedbyculture,depressedbypoverty,hesuffersadouble alienation.Hisexceptionalintelligenceandaspirationslifthim abovethemajorityofpeople,buthisfailuretoprosperdragshim
hisownview,becauseofhisbrains.AfterstatinginHenryRyecrofl thatpovertyisrelative,hecontinues,'thetermhasreference, aboveall,toone'sstandingasanintellectualbeing'.Alifeofhigh culturedemandsahighincome,butGissingcravedthefirst withouthavingthesecond.LikeEgremontinThyr;;,a,hediscovered thatpovertycouldnotannula'birthrightofbrains';aswith WaymarkinTheUnclassed,therewasthatwithinhim'which accordedillwiththepositionmadeforhimbycircumstances'. Hostsofhischaractersarepainfullyskeweredonpreciselythis discrepancy.BiffeninNewGrubStreetisaclassicexample: belonging'tonoclass',heis'rejectedalikebyhisfellowsin privationandbyhisequalsinintellect'.Itwaswiththese,the culturallydisplacedpersons,thatGissingmoststronglysympathised.AsRobertssaid,'Thesortofpovertywhichcrushedthe aspiringisthekeynotetothebestworkhedid'.6Ifwetryto identifytheareasofpainthatthepressuresofpovertywereable toproduce,thefirstandmostobviouswasexclusionfromculture fromsheerinabilitytopay.Visitingmuseumsandgalleriesonthe Continent,Gissingfoundithardtomeettheentrancefees;at homehewasbarredfromWestEndtheatresunless,likeWaymark, hewouldsacrificeameal.'Sacrifice-innodrawing-roomsense oftheword',saysHenryRyecroftbywayofexplanationofhow hemanagedtoobtainhisbooks.AneditionofTibulluscould onlybepurchasedbygivingupaplateofmeatandvegetables. Books,saysRyecroft,weretheonlycommoditiesonwhichhe wouldwillinglydefrayexpense.ManyofGissing'scharacters, parchedintellectuals,likewiselongtohaveabingeonprint.In Eve'sRansomMauriceHilliardyieldstoextravagancebybuying 'afinelyillustratedfolio,atreatiseontheCathedralsofFrance', whileEveMadeleyonlyenjoysherselfwhenshetakesouta subscriptiontoMudie's.Withoutmoney,andtheleisurethat moneybrings,intellectualdesiresprovepunitive.GilbertGrailin Thyr;;,aandVirginiainTheOddWomenareboththevictimsof nervousbreakdownsfromstudiesundertakeninimpossible conditions-inhiscase,afterthirteenhoursadayinafactory;in hers,withinalifeofgenteelscrimping.'
