Clara Hopgood, Chess and Generalship

Many Victorian novels portrayed female characters attempting to control their destinies. In Mark Rutherford's 'Clara Hopgood', the heroine's series of social strategies reveal the complexity of thoughts and emotions that guide her actions. Clara equates life with a game of chess, requiring extensive pre-planning and dedication to goals with wide-reaching consequences.
Lorraine Davies, in a new and much needed edition of Mark Rutherford's Clara Hopgood (the notes are especially welcome; the introduction, perceptive and stimulating), discusses the vexed question of the [...]