I agree with many of the aforementioned interpretations of alcohol and it’s role within the novel. For many of the characters, including Sir Condy, drinking appears to be a double-edged sword. As is evident in today’s drinking culture, alcohol lowers inhibitions, and encourages people to exercise less personal control. With Sir Condy, his charismatic oratory skills are, in part, a product of his drinking. Yet, his lowered sense of judgment leads him to make political agreements that he cannot uphold, ultimately contributing to his demise. The utility of alcohol within the text actually reminded me of artist William Hogarth’s Beer Street and Gin Lane prints from the mid 18th century. In the Gin lane print, Hogarth illustrates the social and moral corruption of excessive drinking; using violent images to illustrate the potential for the demise of the English culture. Though it may be a stretch, I wonder whether Edgeworth is embedding a similar message about drinking and the demise of the Irish traditional values, by associating it with this slowly deteriorating family, The Rackrents. Furthermore, Hogarth glorifies the drinking of beer in place of hard alcohols, as illustrated in the jovial imagery of "Beer Lane".
I think your theory that Edgeworth is using the Rackrents as almost a case study in the demise of Irish traditional values is definitely plausible. Edgeworth may also be cautioning against the drinking particular types of alcohol, and for certain purpose. Alcohol for entertainment or political game is fine, and allows the family prosperity, but when it is done in excess, or out of spite, it leads to death and demise.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post, and ironically just studied both prints discussed in another class. In the Beer Street print, there is a part of the picture where there is a gin bottle hanging from one of the signs in the center of the town. It suggests that the temptation is always there and the threat of Gin Lane is ever-present on Beer Street. I also agree that the motive behind drinking is what is being questioned and cautioned in this tale more than the act of drinking itself.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and find this a very interesting conclusion, especially within the context of Ireland. That is, Irish culture is simultaneously found to be one of the most pious and drunken, though the Christian bible explicitly warns against this (in Galatians, Ephesians and Proverbs, to name a few).
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