Introduction
The Victorian Era died hard, and before its passing the cancer of its oppressive moral tenets was spread far and wide in an unhealthy influence which is felt in many areas even today. The transition from Victorian to Edwardian England was a welcome change, but too late for the thousands who had been infected by a false and corrupt moral system of values which promised "good, clean living," and delivered instead a cultural neurosis of guilt which bordered on mass paranoia. And yet the facade of moral purity and righteousness has held up through these many years following the turn of the century and it was only recently that scholars and investigators began to uncover startling evidence that the prim and proper Victorians led a "secret life" which was the complete antithesis of their surface, superficial dogmas. This "evidence" is in the form of their published work, their "underground" literature-the artistic representation of their suppressed desires and sexual longings-the artifacts of the "other Victorians." And the pure literary expression has given way for the historian to the outspoken declaration of public taboos; the inherent sickness of the culture is betrayed by the plethora of its wishful fantasies. Whether the writing quality be of the highest literary genius or of the lowest order of amateurishness, each of these works makes a valid study-point for the discovery of where the society went wrong, from which we may learn to avoid making the same mistakes.
The Way Of A Man With A Maid, first published around the turn of the century, is a direct assault on the sexual and moral ills of Victorian England. Stylistically it falls midway between the two extremes mentioned above, but is no less valid for the message it imparts-oftentimes the graffiti on the outhouse walls reveals more about the psychological makeup of its frequenters than the current prize-winning novels cherished by same. But this is not an apology for the present book, and before it should be misconstrued as such, let it be said here and now that this book is considerably better in a literary sense than the majority of its contemporary underground companions, and furthermore, it is thoroughly enjoyable reading, a rare thing indeed. Seldom does such a seemingly serious work ring with such unmitigated humor. The greatest charm a book can have is to not take itself seriously when it is obvious that the reader cannot take it seriously either. The Way Of A Man With A Maid is overflowing with that very charm. But the message is there just the same, lurking just beneath the next burst of laughter, and for this we must be grateful to the anonymous author.
The Way Of A Man With A Maid is a fantasy, cut and dried, but what a fantasy! In it we have all the classic examples of sexual daydreams: the Casper Milquetoast hero who makes his wildest wish come true; the beautiful, untouchable heroine who winds up his more than willing love slave and confederate; and the abundance of ingenious, fantastic "devices" which aid him along his path to wish-fulfillment, devices which clearly have no place in the real world. It should also be added that for purposes of acting out his fantasies-in book-form at least-our author-narrator has taken for himself the role of one of the idle rich, probably the most classic daydream accouterment, and historically the most grievous offenders of Victorian pseudo-morality.
The plot itself is a parody of Victorian Romantic novels which were the artistic manifestation of this sterile period; insipid works of semi-platonic love stories which literally poured forth in an unending flood of mediocrity which had the ultimate effect of erasing Victorian England from literary history, with very few exceptions. In it, Jack, the name taken by our hero, has been jilted by Alice, our high-minded heroine who must, for the sake of Victorian propriety, keep up the illusion of maintaining a "passionate romance"; which means that she visits and has dinner with Jack (with her sister as chaperone) whenever she comes to town to do some shopping. But Jack, on the other hand, is not nearly so high-minded; he spends his every waking moment plotting his revenge for her effrontery. And thus he builds the "Snuggery," truly one of the most inventive and single-purposed devices-in this case a specially-equipped room-in the annals of erotic literature. No brief description in the context of an introduction could suffice in adequately portraying the sheer imaginativeness of this latter, which plays such an important role in the development of the book, and besides, it would cheat the reader of some richly humorous moments when the various "mechanisms" are put into operation one by one, if he were to be forewarned. Suffice it to say that the "Snuggery" provides a proper fantasy backdrop against which the action is played out.
"Be good enough to consider our friendship as suspended till you have recovered your senses and have suitably apologized for this intolerable insult," says Alice after Jack has announced his plan for revenge-the seduction of Alice, willing or not. Considering her position at this specific moment, Alice's statement is particularly hilarious; but certainly no more so than the rest of the book. Never has the Victorian upbringing of young women been so effectively ridiculed as in the present novel. In fact, the whole structure of Victorian morality is thoroughly revealed for what it was-a sham -and its demise must surely have precipitated very little if any mourning. Without giving away any more of the plot to the reader, then, let it simply be said that The Way Of A Man With A Maid will entertain and enlighten at the same time, for perhaps more than any other underground work of the period, this book rang the death knell of the Victorian Era. For this reason alone, the author could be proud.
-Arthur J. Spencer August, 1967