Summer School Report 2009

Rushbury village Hall,  Wall-Under-Heywood, Wenlock Edge, Shropshire      27th & 28th June 2009

Programme for  Saturday

Registration and welcome
Dr Gladys Mary Coles   "Hazel Woodus & Tess Durbeyfield" - Compare and contrast the two characters
Margaret Austin             "Mary Webb remembered"
Lunch at The Plough Inn, Wall-Under-Heywood
Dr Stella  Hockenhull      " Neo-Romantic Landscapes: Pictorial Aesthetics in Powell and Pressburger's Gone to Earth"

Rushbury village hall  was the setting for our 29th annual summer school and the weather proved to be very kind to the 42 members attending. Members were greeted by chairman Gordon Dickins who extended a special welcome to Ellie Spence and her family who had travelled all the way from Colorado U.S.A.

The first lecture by Gladys Mary Coles  asked us to compare the two characters of Hazel Woodus  and Tess Durbeyfield from Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the Durbervilles" Mary Webb was introduced to the works of Thomas Hardy by her governess Miss Edith Lory at the age of about 13. She admired Hardy and dedicated "Seven for a Secret" to him. She received a letter from him and they were due to meet, but sadly this never happened due to Mary's poor health.
In  "Tess" Hardy drew upon the themes of ballads and broad sheets of the 18th century which also featured in his poem "A ruined maid" "Tess" was Hardy's penultimate novel published in 1891 with the alternative title " A pure Woman". He received a lot of critiscm after publication in that age of prudery and double standards. The novel was described as "..a morally squalid fairy tale".
Both characters are victims of a dire fate; to quote Hazel "Life's a big spring trap and all of us are in it" Some of the common themes are: fallen innocence, both being teenagers and sexually innocent at the start, double standards of morality and rivalry in love, both girls are pursued by two men.
Tess has more responsibilities than Hazel, being the eldest of the family, she is educated, has a circle of friends and takes part in village life. Hazel, on the other hand has no formal education and lives with her father in isolation. Her legacy from her mother is a book of spells and her life is ruled by superstition and country folklore. Her caring spirit is mainly focused on her love for her wounded wild creatures who are as brothers and sisters to her. This caring spirit and naivety leads to the downfall of both girls; Tess to meet Alec Durberville , and Hazel to marry Edward Marston, " the first as comes."
Both mothers unwittingly play a part in their downfall, Mrs Durbeyfield in pushing Tess to trace their supposed wealthy lineage and Hazel's gypsy mother's spell book which leads her to Reddin at Hunter's Spinney.
In the conclusion of the novels Tess and Angel are fugitives from the law after Alec's murder and Tess is pursued to her death by the establishment  in the same way as Hazel and Foxy.
This lecture certainly stimulated discussion and Gladys Mary was able to once again  offer a new perspective on Mary Webb.

Margaret Austin, a life member of the Society gave a talk entitled "Mary Webb remembered" in which she shared some of her memories and those of others from the earliest days of The Mary Webb Society since its foundation in 1972. Material was taken from the Society's archives held in Shrewsbury's   reference library. Margaret thanked Delaine Haynes, a past member for her work as archivist. Another valuable resource was a book by the late Peter Mastin , "The First Twenty Five Years of The Mary Webb Society". Peter produced this excellent book by trawling through accounts of meetings over the years and it is interesting to see how the Society has developed and changed. The late Dorothy Wrenn, author of "Goodbye to Morning" an early biographer of Mary Webb contributed greatly to Society events, in particular, her memorable summer school lectures. Margaret reminded us of some of the milestones celebrated ie in 1977, various events were held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mary's death. A slate plaque was commissioned which is still  on display in the Mary Webb library in Bayston  Hill. Margaret played a selection of taped interviews she had made which brought back memories of founder chairman, Dennis Purcell and the distinctive voice of Dorothy Wrenn. Margaret had  also interviewed local people, some quite elderly who had personal recollections of Mary Webb herself.
We thank Margaret for her valuable contribution to the Society over many years and in particular for taking the trouble of recording these unique  reminiscences  which otherwise would have been lost for ever.

After lunch we were given a totally fresh take on our favourite film, "Gone to Earth" by Dr Stella Hockenhull, a senior lecturer in film studies at Wolverhampton University and an art historian.  Stella's fascinating talk was based on her extensive research for her  recent book "Neo-Romantic Landscapes: An aesthetic approach to the films of Powell and Pressburger"  She focussed on  the correlation between film and painting of  four of the films of Powell and Pressburger . The films she had chosen were "I know where I'm Going", "Canterbury Tale", "Gone to Earth" and "Black Narcissuss" She describes the films as artistic and painterly.
Neo-romantiscm  was a style of painting which had a resurgence during the war years of the 1940s which featured  dramatic landscapes  sometimes foreboding, often with a solitary figure. Paintings depicted the spiritual quality of the landscape rather than a cosy rural idyll. Artists in this style included; John Piper, Graham Sutherland and John Craxton.
Stella illustrated her talk with shots from "Gone to Earth" which clearly show dramatic landscapes which benefit the spectator but which do not further the narrative. The Shropshire  landscape steeped in myth and legend lends itself to this dramatic treatment. Unfortunately the neo-romantic movement was waning at the time "Gone to Earth" was released  and it was not as well-received as some of the earlier films.
     

Programme for Sunday

Elizabeth Williams  "Cranford and Manchester - The divided life of Elizabeth Gaskell"
Lunch by Carol Griffiths
Coach trip and visit to Thresholds Centre, Picklescott

Elizabeth Williams is chairwoman of The Gaskell Society. There has been renewed interest in the works of Elizabeth Gaskell following the recent BBC production of "Cranford". She was born in Chelsea in 1810 and next year the Gaskell Society will be dedicating a window to her in Westminster Abbey to commemorate the bi-centenary of her birth.
Elizabeth Gaskell is associated with Knutsford which she recreated in Cranford. She moved to Manchester when she married William Gaskell, a minister. Her husband suggested novel writing to help overcome her  grief at the early death of one of her children.
She wrote during the 1840s, a time of depression and social inequality. She witnessed at first hand the poverty of the working class through her Sunday school work  and her husband's ministry and work in education. Her first novel "Mary Barton"  empathised with mill workers but brought her critiscm from mill owners. Her work was often seen as controversial . She was hospitable and enjoyed entertaining. She had "a talent for friendship" and was a prolific letter writer.She visited Charlotte Bronte and was later to write a major biography of her at the request of Charlotte's father.
Other works include "Ruth" and "North and South". Elizabeth Gaskell was concerned about double standards for women and her novels reflect this.She once wrote to Dickens to help a young vulnerable girl to emigrate. Her Unitarian faith taught her to believe in progress through concern for others and education.  She travelled extensively and these travels were to inspire short stories.
Her final novel "Wives and Daughters" was written at a time of frenetic activity when she was also buying and furnishing a surprise retirement home for herself and her husband in Hampstead. She died of a heart attack at the age of 51 leaving the novel unfinished and it was left to her daughters to finish the novel. She is buried at Knutsford.
This talk was well-received with comparisons made between Mrs Gaskell and Mary Webb namely their early deaths and unfinished final novels.
It is hoped to have a joint event between the two societies in the future.
   

Thresholds is situated on a northern outlier of the Long Mynd at the head of the Upper Onny valley in the heart of the secret hills of South Shropshire which is part of Shropshire Hills AONB. Thresholds is adjacent to The Shropshire Way and within a short distance of Wild Edric's Way.

Thresholds farm was a place very dear to Mary Webb and was mentioned in her work including the poem "Thresholds" 

 "Through weary times of brooding harm

In haste we leave the wicket swinging

and whisper, splashing through the mire
of music and of colours bright like fire

    at Thresholds Farm"...Mary Webb