Motherhood: Exploring Social Ideas in The Yellow Book
Mary Ann Matias
Ryerson University
Introduction
The Yellow Book was a quarterly literary magazine published in London between 1894 and 1897, spanning only thirteen volumes. It was short-lived but has nonetheless become a symbol of the period. This exhibit examines representations of motherhood in The Yellow Book by analyzing two of its featured works. In the third volume, Frederick Greenwood, a prolific editor and journalist, published his article, “Women – Wives or Mothers?” This is a highly opinionated piece that focuses on the expected feminine behaviours and duties of women. Despite being written with a masculine authority, it feigns credibility by masking Greenwood under the pseudonym “A Woman.” In 1896, the tenth volume of The Yellow Book featured a water colour portrait entitled “Mother and Child” from a young Glaswegian artist, Margaret Macdonald. These two pieces can be attributed to The Yellow Book's collection of miscellaneous content, which sometimes expressed conflicting views. However, what this also means is that its vast range of literary and artistic genres embodies the 1890s, a documentation of the period's culture (Katherine Lyon Mix 3).
Maternity in The Yellow Book
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The Yellow Book's material is a collection of ideas that are distinct of the period and its culture. In particular, normative and emerging interpretations of motherhood and maternity were expressed in The Yellow Book's content. Both Greenwood's article and Macdonald's painting represent The Yellow Book's connection to social ideas. Macdonald is known for her contribution to Glasgow painters. Drawing upon a review written about the Glasgow School Exhibition in 1895, it is important to note the reverence with which this style is received. It describes a distinct personality in each piece that comes from being the “product of their own consciousness” (Lucy Monroe 374). Macdonald's connection to Glasgow style extends to her expression in The Yellow Book; her paintings were known for her stylistic choices, and it is the unique identity present in her work that cements any ideas about motherhood expressed in this painting. In regards to Volume 10 of The Yellow Book, Margaret Macdonald's painting is not named at all within a review's list of exceptional contributors that made it “much better worth its price than most books of other colours” (I. Zangwill 452). However, this absence supports the novelty of her painting and the ideas perpetuated by it. Greenwood is much more ingrained in social culture. In an article written about a dinner in his honor, the author, Herbert Paul, remembers Greenwood's writing for its vigour and strength, especially in regards to society and politics (67). He possessed no reliance on public authority, and within The Yellow Book Greenwood is clearly dedicated to his convictions. His article is noted as being “extremely flimsy” in a review of The Yellow Book's third volume (“Rev. Of The Yellow Book 3” 469), and it complains that the magazine is inconsistent in its content. It is a collection of so many different genres and beliefs that it can even appear messy, but this is a testament to the variety of material. Scholars have discussed The Yellow Book's immersion in social culture, and there is an even greater wealth of discussion about the representation of women in society of the 1890s. Particular conversations about motherhood in The Yellow Book has yet to be discussed. This study will not only highlight those specific conversations, but also emphasize why authorial voice is important to how they are portrayed. |
Front Cover
Aubrey Beardsley
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