Sociable Silence

In Harper’s Weekly, an article titled “Sociable Silence” is published anonymously along with part XXI of The Moonstone does not explicitly express contempt of the foreign Other. However, it subtly indicates the view of English culture being superior as it describes a certain degree of “silence which is felt to be sociable” (331) that is an expected part of the culture. This is seen in that to speak or remark upon one another is considered to be taking “the liberty” (331) to do so, and that there are different types of silences reserved for friends and for strangers as is accustomed to English propriety. This expected “sociable silence” (331) indicates the constraints the English live within as their culture is greatly focused upon propriety in order to establish their authority as the dominant culture, indicating the “virtues of the Victorian detective story, its standing as a genre, its ideological affiliations” (Radford 1187) that can be read in The Moonstone. This supports the reading of The Moonstone for English cultural superiority as with “[t]he guests present being all English, it is needless to say that… the conversation turned on politics as a necessary result” (Collins 279). However, Mr. Murthwaite, being not English-born, remained silent upon the subject as others conversed with one another as though he is a celebrated person, he is not within the familiarity of the others nor the subject and remains silent until addressed by Mr. Bruff upon “The Indian plot” (Collins 280) regarding the missing diamond.

Works Cited

Collins, Wilkie. “Chapter III.” The Moonstone. Ed. John Sutherland. Oxford University Press, 2008. 199-132. Print.

Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization.23 May 1868. 31. Print.

Radford, Andrew. “Victorian Detective Fiction.” Literature Compass, vol. 5, no. 6, 2008, pp. 1179–1196.