The Secret Of Robert Audley: The Subtle Details Of Homosocial Desires In Lady Audley's Secret Shown By Richard Nemesvari

     (The Scene Where Lady Audley Shares Her Secret With Robert)

      

  The novel Lady Audley's Secret was known for pushing the social boundaries and the typical gender narratives of society. The author of the book, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, used her writing to discuss controversial issues and shows strong female characters. She also used her book to discuss topics that were considered forbidden in the Victorian Era. In the article "Robert Audley's Secret: Male Homosocial Desire in Lady Audley's Secret" by Richard Nemesvari, he argues that Lady Audley's Secret was about Robert Audley's love for his friend George Talboys. While the book has Robert Audley marry George's sister Clara, he feels that Braddon used subtle details of homosexuality to avoid criticism by the public and to discuss important issues about patriarchy. 

        In a brilliant argument made by Nemesvari, he first writes about how Mary Elizabeth Braddon uses the idea of homosexuality to show the need for female rights and freedoms. He says, "By portraying her putative hero, Robert Audley, as driven by repressed homoerotic desires, Braddon exposes  the self-interested and self-protective denial which underlies Victorian patriarchal society." (Nemesvari 516). He goes on to say, "The subtextual revelation of the "unspeakable" secret of male homosocial desire is essential to Braddon's feminist critique of the roles and behaviors forced upon women by men who are unwilling to acknowledge their own motives and insecurities" (Nemesvari 516). In this quote, he argues that men forced women into stereotypical roles for males were worried about their gender identities. This insecurity of identity is found in Robert Audley, who does not rest until he finds out why his friend has disappeared. 

    When examining the friendship between Audley and Talboys, he finds many times where this homosexuality is found in their relationship. The first example that he mentions is when Robert Audley finds out that George Talboys is married. Nemesvari quotes a particular part in the book in which Robert explains that George having a wife is "a preposterous joke." Nemesvari points out that Robert Audley is showing feelings of rage and jealousy towards George's wife. Robert exclaims that his marriage was a "joke," indicating that he is furious at him finding a wife and even mentions how he never pictured George settling down.  

    Nemesvari makes a connection between Robert's frustration towards George's wife and the foundation of the patriarchy. He says, "Because Lady Audley's criminal activities of bigamy and attempted murder embody challenges to a male-constructed social order, they are "spoken," into existence by a male detective who, having done so, is empowered to expose, punish, and therefore nullify her female aggression" (Nemesvari 527). He also argues that "In doing so Braddon reinforces her feminist attack on the status quo by calling into question male self-awareness, exposing the profound sexual ambivalence at the core of masculine power, and emphasizing that it is women who pay the price for preserving the secret upon which male privilege rests" (Nemesvari 527). The article shows how Mary Elizabeth Braddon uses the punishment of female characters to show the horrific details of the patriarchy. Through her writing, she can reveal how males punish females severely but only when hiding a secret of their own. Nemesvari points out that even though the book is centered around a female's mystery, the book is really about the secrets of male homosexual desires. 

    Nemesvari's article is very important to understand the deeper meaning of Lady Audley's Secret. At first, readers can find it confusing why Robert Audley is so invested in where his friend might be. However, Nemesvari can show in an understandable way that Robert is secretly attracted and infatuated with his best friend, but he cannot tell anyone. To compensate for his secret, he takes his frustration out on George's wife. Nemesvari allows readers to understand how Braddon was able to discuss controversial issues in her novels. By including the emotional relationship between Audley and Talboys, she can discuss homosexual desires and the secrets that men are keeping in a patriarchal society. 

Work Cited: 

Nemesvari, Richard. "Robert Audley's Secret: Male Homosocial Desire in" Lady Audley's Secret"." Studies in the Novel 27.4 (1995): 515-528.