Another Species of Official Midge

While All The Year Round does not have any images or advertisements, that does not mean it’s devoid of other influences. All the Year Round has other novels, as well as essays and opinion pieces. “Another Species of Official Midge” is an opinion piece which attacks foreign minister officials because the author believes they are incompetent. The author states that “the private happiness and public career of thousands may depend, humanly speaking, on their decisions upon subjects which they know nothing, and consent to know nothing”. The author continues on to compare these foreign minister officials to tyrants who takes “pleasure in the pain and humiliation of others for wanton tyranny’s sake”. The article concludes with the author saying that these officials must be held accountable for their incompetence and tyranny.

Unlike Harper’s Weekly, the outside sources in All the Year Round take away from the sensationalism of The Moonstone. While Harper’s Weekly romanticizes and promotes exploration and the exotic, All the Year Round takes a realistic and sobering look at the dangers of colonialism. While The Moonstone is filled with exoticism, “Another Species of Official Midge” would strip away this exotic feel due to its call to hold foreign ministers accountable. This in turn would strip The Moonstone of some of its sensational aspects, as a heavy dose of reality would cause the reader to approach The Moonstone through a more objective, critical lens. While Harper’s Weekly heightens the sensationalism of The Moonstone, All the Year Round does the opposite.