As part of the “Victorian Monsters” class on Gothic literature, we have been keeping commonplace books, a common practice in the 19^th century.  In these books, people drew pictures and wrote of any poems, quotes, and bits of knowledge they found interesting.  We have done the same, focusing on subjects discussed in and interpretations of the novels we have read, as well as the Victorian era overall.  Crucially, journalist Tom Standage argues that the contents of commonplace books reflect the interests and worldviews of the authors, much like social media does now.  According to Standage, the writings were “a form of self-definition” and “a reflection of your character and personality” (2013), a view with which I agree.  Here, we will review how my commonplace book reveals my thought process to readers and so lends support to Standage’s argument through my inclusion of images of the novels’ scenery, scholarly articles, and the wide variety of sources of less formal material.

A primary aspect of my book that is of note is the fact that it contains many non-academic items such as reviews of the novels from distinct points of view, as well as inspiring quotes and even a poem from the era.  The presence of the reviews depicts my consideration of the importance of understanding the reactions to the novels.  For example, entry #8 incorporated a rather intriguing, wrathful 1890 review of Dorian Gray, which asserted that the book was immoral due to the sinful nature of the titular “protagonist” and of his mentor Lord Henry’s philosophies.  Others’ commonplace book entries have informed me that Oscar Wilde was ultimately put on trial over this book, showing that society in general despised it.  As for the quotes and poem, these reflect a wonder at the general philosophies of the era, as well as indicate my own views.  The poem was a simple one from an 1888 Good Housekeeping in Entry #1, remarking on how winter could be cruel with its weather and yet kind with its festivities, which I noted as a similar view to mine of the season and so admired for how little it had changed with time.  And one instance of a quote would be by Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre: “What you want to ignite in others must first burn inside yourself,” from Entry #4.  The incorporation of this statement into my commonplace book suggests correctly that I too am of the opinion that one should take initiative.  My beliefs are therefore reflected by these pieces.

Yet more official literature was hardly excluded, as it can be seen that I used multiple scholarly articles about subjects relating to the books.  The use of such sources uncovers my interest in not just the literary but the scientific and historical.  Entry #6 contained a quote from a scientific journal describing how mental illnesses were poorly understood in the 1800s, were referred to as being general “hysteria,” and were “often seen as manifestations of unconscious states” (Frankish & Evans 2009).  This was included in reference to Jekyll and Hyde, as perhaps providing inspiration for Hyde at the time, him being created so Jekyll could commit whatever obscene acts Jekyll wished while the good doctor could himself remain guiltless.  And in Entry #7, also on Jekyll and Hyde, I provide the introduction to an article from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) referring to a case of Multiple Personality Disorder from 1811; I could not access the rest of the article, but it certainly attracted my attention and made me wonder further about this case and what other records of mental illness cases from the era and how they were treated lay in the NLM database.  It is mentioned that “as in other early case histories, no mention was made of childhood trauma, a factor found in 97% of contemporary cases” (Goodwin 1987), showcasing again a lack of understanding during that time and again linking to Jekyll and Hyde’s dual nature in one body.  Based on this use of such sources, it will then come as no surprise that my favorite entry is #5, “Discovering Primary Sources.”  For that, I had stumbled across an 1850 document telling of the conditions of the small town of Haworth in England, at that time where Charlotte Bronte was living; her father was even involved in the bringing of the inspector who wrote the document.  I found this a fascinating discovery that provided insight into the author’s daily life, which possibly inspired her to write her heroine a terrible childhood as an orphan.  So my desire to seek scientific and historical fact is unveiled, with the former in particular offering a clue to my interests as I am pursuing a scientific profession.

Also of importance is the presence of a healthy mix of visual and textual entries, with most of the images being of actual places described in the novels or else similar locations.  This is because I like to visualize the events of whatever novels I read and as a consequence become very fascinated with the settings.  Additionally, I enjoy seeing the places that inspire writers and considering what they felt upon seeing these places or hearing of them.  In Entry #8 written on Dorian Gray, I included 19^th century illustrations of a theatre like that where Dorian and Sibyl, his love interest, may have met and of an opium den like the one he visited.  And in entries 10 and 11, written regarding Dracula, I worked similarly.  In #10, I put a picture of Slains Castle in Scotland, which Bram Stoker supposedly visited, and which inspired Dracula’s castle in the novel. And in #11, I included pictures of the Borgo Pass and landmarks in Varna, Bulgaria and Galatz, Romania, all settings in the novel.

Thus, these entries reveal my interest in being able to see in my mind’s eye literary settings and why they were used. Then by considering my point of view and Standage’s argument that the content of commonplace books represents the writer’s character, the diversity of my entries symbolizes the broad nature of my personality.  I have interest in both facts and people’s personal views, along with the concept of being able to truly become involved in a story through visualizing it.  Yet notice that I do not use many modern sources, other than those that remark upon the past (the scholarly journals).  This too means something: an avoidance of popular culture.  I am more interested in what has been than what is now.  And writing in this commonplace book has certainly increased that fascination with the past, with my inclusion of historical records, documents, and original novel reviews raising questions about what in the lives of the authors of these tales of horror brought them to write.

Works Cited

Frankish, Keith, and Jonathan St. B. T. Evans. “The Duality of Mind: An Historical Perspective.” In Two Minds: Dual Processes and Beyond, 2009, pp. 1–30., doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230167.003.0001.

Goodwin, J. Mary Reynolds: a post-traumatic reinterpretation of a classic case of multiple personality disorder. Hillside J Clin Psychiatry. 1987;9(1):89-99.

Standage, Tom. “How commonplace books were like Tumblr and Pinterest.” 9 May 2013. https://tomstandage.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/how-commonplace-books-were-like-tumblr-and-pinterest/