Classics Considered

This was a curious little book that I stumbled across in the bookstore. First published in Charles Dicken’s magazine in 1859, Lois the Witch is a historical novella by Elizabeth Gaskell set in New England during the Salem witch trials. Young Lois Barclay, made suddenly an orphan, is sent away from England to the land of the Puritans with the expectation that her uncle Ralph Hickson will look after her. Once she arrives, however, things are not quite right; she is viewed as an unexpected (and unwelcome) nuisance by her aunt and cousins. Pining for her English lover yet determining to be noble and kind, Lois endeavours to settle into life in America, even while rumors and paranoia of witches are beginning to creep across Massachusetts.

I can hardly describe this book better than Goodreads reviewer Lady Selene, who writes:

...the absolute worst moment of them all- sheer brilliancy on Gaskell to kickstart the actual Horror story within the Historical Fiction with the horror of an unreceived letter that was supposed to announce someone’s imminent arrival – and the horror of having to receive an unannounced guest – and the horror of being received as an unannounced guest.

Indeed, the horrors in this story are not in the big moments but in the small ones. The uneasiness with which Lois begins her American life ebbs and flows but always lurks in the background. Lois struggles to adjust to a new culture that is somewhat familiar and yet also very different, especially in the tension caused by her Church-of-England background considered too Catholic by her relatives. The cause of uneasiness is not only external, either, for Lois finds herself believing in witches and becomes to a degree caught up in the terror, both of occult activity in others and in her self.

Gaskell’s pacing and tension-building are excellent. There are some subtle character arcs as well, such as Lois’s increasing trust in her aunt, “for her aunt, stern, harsh, unloving as she might be, was truth itself” (p. 102). Throughout the book, it is made clear how proximity and environment can forcefully shape one’s emotional and spiritual states, even in a young woman so steadfast and levelheaded as Lois. I found this especially impressive in a story that is only about 130 pages. I did not remember Gaskell being such a skilled writer, though to be fair I have only read North and South before (and a very long time ago).

…as cowardice makes us all cruel, men who were blameless in many of the relations of life, and even praiseworthy in some, became, from superstition, cruel persecutors about this time, showing no mercy towards any one whom they believed to be in league with the Evil One. (p. 36)

In terms of Gaskell’s perspective on early America, I was struck by how she sought to critique the treatment of indigenous peoples, as well as deftly question patriarchal prerogatives in the character of Lois’s cousin Manasseh. For the time this was written in, these views would have been fairly bold. That is not to say the book doesn’t contain some very dated elements—such as the portrayal of and interactions with indigenous characters—but Gaskell’s social commentary was clearly thoughtful and intentional. Perhaps it was easier for her to make such observations across the pond than in the antebellum States.

My main quibble with the novella (and it is not a small one) is the soapy nature of the plot. Much of the conflict hinges on Lois and her Mary Sue-like propensity to attract all the young men she comes into contact with. Other parts of the book do not follow suit, leaving me with a great deal of frustration by the end of it. A bit more consistency, either towards soap opera or towards realism, would have made this book a 5-star read instead of a 3.5 star one. Still recommended for those who appreciated Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and want more literary perspectives on these historical events.