First of all, the author of this paper states the background of theses authors as being from the "Big House" families of Castletownshend and also, from Dublin. This suggests the involvement, or rather membership, they have in the Ascendancy class since birth. What is not mentioned is that it is the mother's side of the family who have this connection to the money and power. This lineage is an important issue because it is the turn of the century when women's rights are starting to emerge and it could be seen as a motivation for the girl's writing. Along with their involvement with the Ascendancy class, the history of their birth was barely mentioned. There was little about the birthplace, Dublin, of Martin Ross, and the effect that this experience of city life may have played in her upbringing and in the views she portrayed in her works.
Another important issue that was barely discussed was the revelation that the girl's shared about a vision in the upper window in a friend's old mansion of a dreadful old women (Charlotte, xiv). According to the introduction of their book The Real Charlotte, this revelation placed an impact on the overall theme of their literature. It caused them to discard and actually, rebel against their traditional roles as both women and members of the Ascendancy.
This paper does go into sufficient detail on the works of these two authors, mentioning the assorted pieces they have published and the statement they make about the Irish and the Irish world that they experienced. With this description, the question emerges regarding the placement of these women in Irish society, whether as Irish authors or English authors. It was mentioned in various sources that they were both Irish authors and English authors. Which could be found to be more true? Is this pair which is composed of a foreigner born in Corfu, Greece, and a native born in Dublin, and who are considered from the Ascendancy, actually Irish? This topic would have been a worthwhile subject to approach considering their is such a division in Ireland among the English and the Irish.
The author of this topic discussed in depth the interaction that the two cousins shared and how their friendship was immediately compatible. It also touched upon the roles they had in the literature they produced, including the motivation that was sparked from their collaboration. With these similarities given, there was an opportune place for the author to include distinguishing contributions of the two writers. Overall, there was much less provided about the life of Martin Ross, possibly because she passed away first. However, details about her writing style, the fact that she did most of the writing while Edith produced most of the illustrations, would have been an asset in comparing the work of Edith after Martin's death as to before her death.
In writing this paper, the author was presented with the problem of limited resources. This limitation may have been expanded through the increased use of sources on the subject of English novelists. This approach might have also lead the author into an increased exploration of the subjects as English writers versus Irish writers.
This paper does provide an adequate background of Edith Somerville and Martin Ross and the purpose of their writing as well as a detailed description of their works. It was clearly written and its thesis was stated specifically in the opening paragraph. The only suggested improvements would be to provide a more detailed background on each of the authors and develop the topic, possibly including more information on the actual views of the Ascendancy class.
Works Cited
Somerville, Edith Eonone, and Martin Ross. The Real Charlotte. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1986.