A Girl of the Limberlost

I had never read Gene Stratton-Porter's book, A Girl of the Limberlost, so I was rather looking forward to the June selection for Carrie's bookclub.  I have mixed feelings about it now that I've finished it.  I'm glad I read it, even though I didn't always enjoy it while reading.

My favorite aspect of A Girl of the Limberlost was the heavy emphasis on nature and self-education, both of which appeal to the homeschool mom in me.  I appreciate the example of a young lady who is determined to learn and sets out to do so without being propelled by any teacher, parent, or artificial motivation.  Even more, I love that her most valuable knowledge--that which provided her with the income to attain her dreams and caught the interest of her "worthy suitor"--was obtained outside of the restrictions of school and classroom learning by pursuing and immersing herself in her interests--self-directed learning at its best.  That simply delighted me and this example alone provides the book's merit.

In our current age when children are shoved through education factory-style (irrespective of unique talents) I enjoyed Elnora's individuality.

What you have to give is taught in no college, and I am not sure but you would spoil yourself if you tried to run your mind through a set groove with hundreds of others.  I never thought I should say such a thing to anyone, but I do say to you, and I honestly believe it; give up the college idea.  Your mind does not need that sort of development. (153)

I can imagine reading this book aloud with my children as part of a unit study on Lepidoptera, looking up pictures of the insects she names, and trying to identify those she describes but doesn't name.  I can imagine this reading inspiring my children to begin their own insect collections complete with pinned specimens and identification tags from perusing field guides.  Reading this book resonated with my reading of Charlotte Mason's philosophies as it emulates a love for nature and nature study--all in a living book!

On the other hand, I had a hard time connecting with the style of writing.  I realize part of that likely stems from the time it was written (early 1900s), but it was also a little. . .flowery and romantic for my taste.  (By romantic I don't necessarily mean romance as in love, although that was present in the end of the book, but rather I mean impractical and "over the top").  I think the style was the main reason it took me several days to get past the first few chapters, but once I got used to the style, I actually finished the book in just a couple days.

I was also conflicted at the mother/daughter relationship and the competing daughter/neighbor relationship.  I'm certainly well aware that mothers aren't perfect, and they are frequently self-centered to the point of hurting their children emotionally.  But just because I'm aware of it, doesn't mean I like it, nor especially to read such foolishness.  With Elnora, I agree tragedies "in quite as tragic a manner, have happened to thousands of other women, and they have gone on with calm faces and found happiness in life by loving others" (107).  I simply don't understand a woman shutting herself off from her child and wallowing in her own unhappiness and grief.  Then as the story turned and the mother's "love" (idolatry!) for her dead husband was killed by the knowledge of his unfaithfulness, she realized "the width of the gulf that separated her from her child" (112) and poured herself into "earning" her daughter's love and trust by cooking tasty morsels, updating her appearance (did that make any sense to anyone?), and learning about moths and butterflies.  Too little too late?  Not for Elnora, for she had "grown bigger on knocks than she would on love" (39).

This leads me to another theme it would be fun to discuss in a book club meeting of this book:  child rearing.  I think it would be quite fun to contrast Elnora's upbringing and her mother's philosophy that it's best for children to face trials alone and develop character through working to overcome those trials with the philosophy held by Wesley and Margaret.  Then we could discuss Philip and Edith and contrast Elnora's character with Edith's:

I cannot understand these people I hear about who live only for their own amusement.  Perhaps it is very great; I'll never have a chance to know.  To me, it seems the only pleasure in this world worth having is the joy we derive from living for those we love, and those we can help" (140).

And we could discuss marriage, its purpose, and the roles played by the man and the woman and compare them with the perceptions held by Philip, Edith and Elnora.

If you could have your choice you wouldn't have a society wife, either.  In your heart you'd like the smaller home of comfort, the furtherance of your ambitions, the palatable meals regularly served, and little children around you" (229).

The more I think about it, the more I enjoyed it and find it worthy of a book club discussion.  Sometimes I felt a little mocking of it for the drama and moralizing, but overall it was well worth reading.  I think my 16-year-old daughter would enjoy it.  Thanks to Stephanie for bringing this title to my attention!