It was the kind of time period where men were almost expected to fuck around outside of their marriages, even if they were relatively happy.
I suppose it's easier to be relatively happy though when the inadvisable stuff you do really isn't your fault; it's just, society expects it of you so you really don't have a choice and might as well anyway. *extreme side eye*
If they were actively unhappy, then they could do anything they please and it wouldn't be their fault at all. While women couldn't even look at another man without risking their reputation...
Yes, and the risk ultimately originates in this idea of men not being trustworthy or able to control or restrain themselves around women, which. Wouldn't that argue for cloistering men away from society? It's also patently false, but again, the narrative sure let some bad actors live their best lives at the expense of pretty much everyone else.
She's very casually ambitious and focused on making herself comfortable, and honestly I find that great about her.
Yes! And again, I don't see anything different between Helen's ambition in that regard, and Avery's, seeing as this is the guy who went to India precisely to get 1) money, 2) status, 3) status symbol spouse. It's entirely arbitrary that his choice is generally considered rational, adventurous, etc. while women who pursue those goals (and are forced to do it in the reverse order) are seen very negatively for doing so.
She's very, very much a realist in a lot of ways; and while that clashes with poor Avery quite a lot, who obviously thought that he was marrying for love and only later figured out that Helen was marrying based largely on practical considerations, I cannot fault her for it at all.
To say nothing of the fact that Avery's definition of love largely boils down to "I think you're purdy," which (skipping ahead of things here) is what Blake explicitly warns him about! And the thing is, Avery on one level always knew she was choosing based on practical considerations: that's why she favored Keay before his departure, and Avery acknowledged as much. So it's a bit self-deceptive and self-serving on his part to convince himself otherwise when she very directly ends that engagement to marry the guy (i.e. Avery) with better prospects.
I'm not that much of a fan of infidelity as a plot device anyway... But at least have Avery have an affair with Blake, instead of dragging all these poor innocent women into it!
Yes, agreed. And at least some of my impatience with and dislike of it comes from the fact that it's so often been used as a cheap plot catalyst for the male protagonist's personal growth.
I must admit, that I do have a fairly involved fic idea in my head that involves Helen somehow being revealed as a former spy - perhaps due to a murder that she ends up having to investigate with Matty - and being convinced to work with Blake & Avery to bring Collinson down. It would be literally novel length, which is why I haven't even attempted to write it, but I still regularly return to play around with it. XD
I know I sound like a broken record, but I WOULD ABSOLUTELY READ THIS. It's such a fascinating idea, and I love the thought of Matty and Helen being just as effective as the boys (and perhaps society's low expectations of what they're capable of even amplifying that effectiveness)!
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Date: 2021-02-21 08:35 pm (UTC)I suppose it's easier to be relatively happy though when the inadvisable stuff you do really isn't your fault; it's just, society expects it of you so you really don't have a choice and might as well anyway. *extreme side eye*
If they were actively unhappy, then they could do anything they please and it wouldn't be their fault at all. While women couldn't even look at another man without risking their reputation...
Yes, and the risk ultimately originates in this idea of men not being trustworthy or able to control or restrain themselves around women, which. Wouldn't that argue for cloistering men away from society? It's also patently false, but again, the narrative sure let some bad actors live their best lives at the expense of pretty much everyone else.
She's very casually ambitious and focused on making herself comfortable, and honestly I find that great about her.
Yes! And again, I don't see anything different between Helen's ambition in that regard, and Avery's, seeing as this is the guy who went to India precisely to get 1) money, 2) status, 3) status symbol spouse. It's entirely arbitrary that his choice is generally considered rational, adventurous, etc. while women who pursue those goals (and are forced to do it in the reverse order) are seen very negatively for doing so.
She's very, very much a realist in a lot of ways; and while that clashes with poor Avery quite a lot, who obviously thought that he was marrying for love and only later figured out that Helen was marrying based largely on practical considerations, I cannot fault her for it at all.
To say nothing of the fact that Avery's definition of love largely boils down to "I think you're purdy," which (skipping ahead of things here) is what Blake explicitly warns him about! And the thing is, Avery on one level always knew she was choosing based on practical considerations: that's why she favored Keay before his departure, and Avery acknowledged as much. So it's a bit self-deceptive and self-serving on his part to convince himself otherwise when she very directly ends that engagement to marry the guy (i.e. Avery) with better prospects.
I'm not that much of a fan of infidelity as a plot device anyway... But at least have Avery have an affair with Blake, instead of dragging all these poor innocent women into it!
Yes, agreed. And at least some of my impatience with and dislike of it comes from the fact that it's so often been used as a cheap plot catalyst for the male protagonist's personal growth.
I must admit, that I do have a fairly involved fic idea in my head that involves Helen somehow being revealed as a former spy - perhaps due to a murder that she ends up having to investigate with Matty - and being convinced to work with Blake & Avery to bring Collinson down. It would be literally novel length, which is why I haven't even attempted to write it, but I still regularly return to play around with it. XD
I know I sound like a broken record, but I WOULD ABSOLUTELY READ THIS. It's such a fascinating idea, and I love the thought of Matty and Helen being just as effective as the boys (and perhaps society's low expectations of what they're capable of even amplifying that effectiveness)!