The Old Wives' Tale

''The Old Wives' Tale'' is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. It deals with the lives of two very different sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, following their stories from their youth, working in their mother's draper's shop, into old age. It covers a period of about 70 years from roughly 1840 to 1905, and is set in Bursley (modeled on Burslem) and Paris. It is generally regarded as one of Bennett's finest works.

Bennett was initially inspired to write the book by a chance encounter in a Parisian restaurant. In the introduction to the book, he says

and

Bennett also found inspiration in Maupassant's novel '' Une Vie''.

Plot details

The book is divided into four parts. The first section, "Mrs Baines", details the adolescence of both Sophia and Constance, and their life in their father's shop and house (a combined property) in Bursley, a lightly dramatised version of Burslem. The father is ill and bedridden, and the main adult in their life is Mrs Baines, their mother.

By the end of the first book, the more adventurous and frivolous sister, Sophia (whose name reflects her sophistication, as opposed to the constant Constance), escapes Bursley to London and elopes with the travelling salesman, Gerald Scales, against her family’s wishes. Sophia and her husband alight to Paris and she leaves her family behind, ashamed that the money she used to find her freedom was stolen from her wealthy aunt. Constance meanwhile becomes engaged to Mr. Samuel Povey, who works in the shop.

The second part, "Constance", details the life of Constance from that point forward up until the time she is reunited with her sister in old age. Her life, although outwardly prosaic, is nevertheless filled with personal incident, including the birth of her son, Cyril; the execution of her brother-in-law, Daniel Povey, who had accidentally killed his alcoholic wife; and the subsequent death of her husband, Samuel, whose health fell into rapid disrepair after his brother’s conviction; and her concerns about the character and behaviour of her son, who nevertheless performs well enough at school to win a competitive and coveted scholarship, which takes him away from home.

The third part, "Sophia", carries forward the story of what happened to Sophia after her elopement. Initially living off her husband, Gerald Scales, £12,000 inheritance, Gerald irresponsibly squanders the sum in a couple of years and runs off, insolvent. Abandoned by her husband in Paris, Sophia shrewdly survives the Siege of Paris and the Paris Commune using a small sum of money she stole from Gerald before his insolvency and eventually becomes the reputable owner of a successful pension.

The final part, "What Life Is", details how the two sisters are eventually reunited and reflects upon how their lives and fates, despite the vast difference in their demeanor, end up in the same town that had connected them from birth, even as the very character of the town changes underneath them. Sophia returns to England and the house of her childhood, where Constance has never left. The last part follows both sisters until their deaths, with Constance’s death coming after she mustered her last physical strength to vote against the federation of Bursley and the Five Towns into a combined city, with deleterious effects on Bursley’s aged city center. The vote fails, a seeming victory for Constance, who passes away. After her death, a loophole is discovered that invalidates the vote, and Bursley is federated with its neighboring cities, a dramatised version of what is today Stoke-upon-Trent.

Details and legacy

According to Tom Wolfe (''Hooking Up'', p. 148), the book was "wildly successful," with the author demurring with "I don't read my reviews, I measure them."

In 1998, the Modern Library ranked ''The Old Wives' Tale'' No. 87 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

A facsimile edition of the manuscript has been published, which is a testament to Bennett's calligraphic skills. The original manuscript is in the Lilly Library, Indiana.

It was adapted into a 1921 film '' The Old Wives' Tale'' starring Fay Compton. It was made into a TV series by the BBC in 1988 as '' Sophia and Constance''.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Wives' Tale
1908 British novels
Novels by Arnold Bennett
Novels set in Staffordshire
Novels set in Paris
Chapman & Hall books
British novels adapted into television shows
British novels adapted into films