16 Muriel Spark: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Dr. Liji Bhargese

Muriel Spark: An Introduction

Dame Muriel Spark (1918 – 2006) is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest pioneers of modern fiction. Her style is remarkably original and insightful in its approach towards human frailties and enigmas. Her works are noted for its humorous vein which highlights the curious and unexplored aspects of human nature. Spark often employed a rich and blithe style that captured even the most sinister aspects of human nature in a light hearted manner. She has written more than twenty novels including The Comforters (1957), Memento Mori (1959), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), The Girls of Slender Means (1963), The Public Image (1968), The Take Over (1976), Loitering with Intent (1981) and The Finishing School (2004).

Spark’s themes are often intensely personal and it is interesting to note how her novels defy normative categories by being metafictions that ponder on the creative process of writing. Her subtle witticisms and sharp observations made her a keen observer of human life. Though her themes are intensely subjective, her style is noted for its objective detachment and it is perhaps this quality that distinguishes her from most of her contemporaries.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: An Introduction to the Novel

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is the most famous work of Muriel Spark and is often taken as a representative novel that showcases her inimitable style. It was initially published in The New Yorker Magazine and was published as a book in 1961 by Macmillan. The novel has by now become a modern classic and Jean Brodie has become one of the most illustrious characters of twentieth century English fiction. Spark’s narrative style lends the book a rare charm that infuses its characters with real life poignancy. It is believed that Miss Jean Brodie is partially inspired by Spark’s teacher, Christine Kay and this autobiographical element adds to the artistic beauty of the work.

In the novel, human passion becomes the dominant motif and the various facets of human nature play out on the wide canvas of Spark’s creative genius. Love and betrayal; admiration and jealousy; revenge and regret all become dichotomies that govern an individual’s life. The plethora of emotions artfully structured by Spark offer a highly intuitive glimpse into the desires and motives that goad an individual into action.

Narrative Style in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Perhaps the most striking feature of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is its remarkable and singular manner of narration. Spark employs an omniscient narrator to probe into the internal mindscapes of her characters. The narratorial voice is always felt as a lurking presence in the background of the story. The actions and motives of the characters are closely analysed and the reader is made aware of the complexities that lie beneath their attitudes and idiosyncrasies. In fact, many critics have commented on how Spark takes  the notion of authorial control to the extreme. She cogently monitors her characters and one gets the idea that the entire action has been orchestrated to the level of perfection. Of all the characters, it is Sandy whose mindscape is constantly analysed and she becomes the focalizer and the focalized in most of the situations. Sandy thus becomes the character in the diegetic world through whom the whole canvas of the Brodie world unfurls. The city of Edinburgh, the fascinating charisma of Miss Jean Brodie and the myriad feelings that her students emote in their personal and professional worlds are all captured in its breath taking beauty through Sandy’s perspective.

Spark uses analepses (flashbacks) and prolepses (flash forwards) quite frequently in order to layer the narrative with thematic and structural signifiers. The story formally begins when the girls are still in Senior school and in complete awe of Miss Brodie. But in the course of a few pages, the reader learns that Miss Brodie has been betrayed by one of the girls who formed her elite group. The identity of the culprit is also revealed before the end. However, the motive that prompted the betrayal is revealed only towards the end of the story and it is this dramatic revelation that provides the final climactic release in an otherwise relaxed narrative. The analepses and prolepses take the reader backward and forward in time and thereby aid in gaining a wider perspective of the entire canvas. The momentum of the narrative is sustained not only be the element of mystery but by the slow revelation of the various facets of a secret that has been bared earlier. It is not the identity of the girl who betrayed Miss Brodie that is guarded as a secret for it is made clear quite early on that is Sandy who gives the incriminating evidence against her teacher. But the motives that prompt Sandy to betray her mentor take centre stage as these motives finally become the pivot around which the entire story revolves.

Another interesting aspect of narration is that the pace of narration remains almost even throughout the novel. Spark succeeds in maintaining a uniform narrative tension. There are no sudden accelerations or decelerations but even without these shifts, the narratorial voice sustains the reader’s interest. And therein lies Spark’s genius as a writer because she succeeds in maintaining an even tone. The secret of betrayal, the identity of the betrayer, Miss Brodie’s affairs, the affair between Sandy and Mr. Teddy Lloyd, The death of Joyce Emily are all events that are narrated in the same pace and tone. Spark does not use an accelerated pace to imply an urgency; instead these events, whether trivial or significant, are relayed using the same tempo. There are no moments of great discovery that jolt the reader into awareness. Brodie’s scandalous revelations and Sandy’s decision to betray Brodie are narrated in the same tempo as the weather of Edinburgh or the scenery of the city is described.

Though there is an omniscient narrator, there is no crowding of information regarding the emotional turbulence faced by the characters. Brodie’s angst at being betrayed or Sandy’s emotional dilemma is never explained in detail. The reader is left to draw individual conclusions regarding the manifold details that lie scattered across the artistic canvas of the novel. The non-linearity of the narrative does not result in any sort of confusion as Spark writes with a great deal of clarity and her characters and plot sequences reflect this lucidity in presentation. In such a context, it is important to note that Spark’s authorial identity should not be confused with the identity of the narrator. The moral and ethical standpoints endorsed by the omniscient narrator may be mirrored  in a particular character and from a post-modern standpoint, this cannot be taken as the authorial perspective. The narrator’s rather casual dismissal of Mary Macgregor as a stupid and clumsy girl is reflected in the comments said by Sandy as well. Peter Robert Brown comments on how the narrative voice underlines Mary’s stupidity by stating it several times. He argues that there is a deliberate attempt on thepart of the narrator to establish Mary’s stupidity. However, he distinguishes between the narratorial voice and Sparks’ own perspective. He says:

We never learn of the hidden possibilities in Mary, because she is reduced to a stupid, silent, blameable, and ultimately, dead lump. Spark never really allows us to identify with Mary as a victim, nor does she protest Mary’s victimization, at least not in the obvious way. But she is far from ethically neutral on Mary. Sparks’ ethical goal, I take it, is to lead us to reflect not only on the role that narrative and narration can play in the process of victimization but also on the ways in which we are always involved in such processes.

The very act of narration thus raises pertinent questions regarding the sly and insidious ways in which the narrative voice tries to predetermine our value judgements regarding various situations and characters. In fact, the reader may also be influenced by the attitudes projected by the narrator. Therefore, it is imperative to question the dominant discourses seemingly endorsed by the narrative voice. The omniscient narrator’s judgement of Mary and the charismatic aura associated with Miss Brodie are some of the dominant ideas projected by the narrator. Nevertheless, these ideas are not posited as authentic views supported by Spark. And it is here that the discerning reader plays a major role.

The narrative also witnesses a gradual pile up of tension when Sandy acts as the focalizer. Her observations as a child and her contemplations as an adult reveal a deep- seated conflict in her psyche. This conflict is further problematized when the narrative voice strives to maintain an objectivity that is different from the characters’ world view. Thus Sandy’s differing perceptions of Miss Brodie create a certain conflict within the main narrative as other students still hold the teacher in high regard. It may be argued that it is for this differing perception that Sandy becomes the main focalizer. Her initial awe and eagerness to please slowly give way to a growing awareness and unease which later metamorphoses into a bitter indifference.

Sandy’s internal monologues are peopled by characters from various literary works and her conversations form smaller narratives within the larger narrative of the text. These mini-narratives aid in establishing an alter-ego for Sandy where she can be herself without any pressures from the formidable presence of Miss Brodie. She does not have to conform to the ideals and value systems prescribed by the Brodie set and consequently feel liberated. Therefore, these narrative levels provide an alternate world of identity formation where Sandy realises her individual potential. By using this narrative strategy, Spark demonstrates how Sandy becomes the most opinionated member of the Brodie gang. Miss Brodie always comments on Sandy’s insight and ironically it is this insight which enables her to see her teacher in a different and more realistic light.

Metafiction 

Patricia Waugh defines metafiction as “a term given to fictional writing which self- consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artefact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality” (2). Waugh carries this explanation further by adding that metafictional writings not only revisit the canonical strictures of narrative fiction, they also raise a relevant critique of the fictionality of the world outside when compared to the world showcased by the literary work. Metafictional writing discusses the “constructedness” of concepts like “History” and “Reality.” Often  in metafictional works, the monolithic structure of such notions is constantly disputed. Writers like Salman Rushdie and Gabriel Garcia Marquez have also posed the question of a valid, national history or realistic political ideology that suppresses liminal discourses through their metafictional narrative strategies. Metafictional writings often highlight the arbitrary nature of language. The simplistic notion of language passively reflecting a coherent, meaningful and objective world is no longer tenable. (Waugh 3). Instead, language becomes an independent system capable of generating its own meanings.

The traditional privileged position that the author occupies is usually discarded in metafictional works. Characters often break free from authorial control and the reader also becomes equally important in such schemas where the meaning is not “given” but actively “analysed.” Intertextuality is yet another characteristic of metafiction where one text is invariably influenced by another. Though metafiction is a term that is commonly associated with post-modernism, any writing that displays a certain level of self- reflexivity can also be essentially classified as metafictional. Surfiction, antifiction, neo baroque fiction, irrealism are common terms associated with metafiction.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie as Metafiction

Spark has made use of metafictional strategies in many of her works. In her first novel, The Comforters, the central character, Caroline Rose imagines hearing the sound of a typewriter and this is symbolically seen as the sound of her story being written. In another novel, The Public Image, the protagonist Annabel becomes a victim of her public image and starts associatingherself with this constructed image. In The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Spark often employs metafictional strategies to jolt the reader into an awareness of the text. The constructedness of authority is evaluated using the figure of Jean Brodie. She acts as the self-proclaimed “Providence” of the diegetic world and when her authority is mercilessly toppled, it serves as a metafictional strategy to dispute the notion of a central authoritative figure. Miss Brodie attempts to act like an omnipotent presence who arbitrarily decides the fate of her students. She is so sure of her divine right to decidetheir fate that she does not question her intentions or its ethicality. Luis R. Mitras comments that, “The Portrait of Miss Jean Brodie is a metafictional study in the poise of attitude in a God-like perspective on events and in the usurpation of providential thinking for illicit ends. The portrait becomes a study of the limits of omniscience in a situation not framed by some ordering principle.” Brodie’s complicity in ruining the lives of her students by directing them towards wrong avenues becomes a self-critique of the omniscient status that she arrogates in the narrative. The tacit way in which her authority is gradually toppled also acts as a parody of denying the role of the authorial power in a text. Though many critics have commented on Spark’s authoritarian control over her characters, in the figure of Miss Brodie, she subverts this equation by rendering the character powerless towards the end.

Brodie who enacts the role of the Providence in the beginning of the novel becomes a sorry figure as the story progresses. This slow transfer of power from Brodie to Sandy critiques the concentration of power in one individual. Miss Brodie becomes a sort of symbolic author; one who tries to “write” the future of her students. Her power to write and dictate the terms is so maniacal that she prevents all attempts on the part of her students to re-create/ rethink another possibility. Her insistence on “writing” a very distinct fate for her students is projected as a benevolent gesture to elevate them to the status of “the crème de la crème” (PMJB 23). However, the sheer vileness of the scheme is masked by her vivacious and charming personality. By subverting Brodie’s authoritarian power through the agency of Sandy, Spark shows how the omniscient writer/narrator can also be shaken by resisting readers. Brodie attempts to manipulate the emotional landscape of her protégés by cultivating them from a very young age. She sees to it that her ideas are firmly inculcated in their minds so that they never question her dominant narrative. But such an attempt is discarded when Spark empowers Sandy to actively dispute such an authority.

Sandy plays a major role in the metafictional narrative as it is she who acts against the dominant narrative established by Brodie. She embodies the errant character who refuses to obey the dictates of the controlling author. The invincibility of Brodie’s narrative is shattered by a resisting character like Sandy who counters the master narrative by successfully creating a liminal discourse of her own. Commenting on Sandy’s role in the narrative, Mitras says, “Sandy functions therefore as the embodiment within the narrated space of Spark’s self-reflexive interest in the act and nature of story telling. Sandy’s moral transfiguration is ametafictional reflection on the production of art. What occurs  at representational level explores what occurs, in a much more complex manner, in the authorial level.” The story world that Brodie creates is transmuted when Sandy questions its validity for existence. And Brodie as a narrator fails to sustain the potency of her narrative and this is where she fails as an author. Brodie is shown to be excessively attached to the fictionality of her universe. In the words of Waugh, “Spark’s Jean Brodie, however, becomes enslaved by her own fictional images of herself and in attempting to impose them upon the schoolgirl minds around her . . . reveals the fascism latent in a misapplied and obsessive mythologization” (116). Her identification with the fictionality of her universe is so powerful that she earnestly believes in its validity.

Even more ironical is the fact that Brodie herself gains no insight into the narrative penned by Sandy. She never understands the reason behind the act of betrayal and never gains knowledge of her betrayer. Though she obsessively speculates on the topic, she never has the fulfilment granted by the certainty of knowledge. Sandy never admits the crime to Brodie though many others in the Brodie gang are privy to this knowledge. The identity of the betrayer is never touted as a grand secret in the narrative and yet Brodie never realizes the truth. When Brodie is thus denied access to Sandy’s narrative, she is further undermined in the master narrative. Brodie, as the master narrator is reduced to the status of a mere puppet in Sandy’s counter narrative and she is denied the right to narrate her own story. When the “author” of the main narrative becomes a helpless “character” in the counter-narrative, Spark through this strategy again undermines the notions of authorial control and power. The question now arises as to whether Sandy is an extension of Spark herself as a non-conformist artist. Or is she critiquing herself and her style of narration by portraying a character who actively disputes such narrative categories?

An Analysis of Major Themes and Motifs in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Transfiguration 

In The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, transformation or transfiguration becomes a leading motif governing the entire narrative. The central contrast occurs between the two central characters – Miss Jean Brodie and Sandy Stranger. The irony arises from the fact that while Miss Brodie keeps on sermonizing about transfiguring oneself, it is Sandy who is actually transfigured. Miss Brodie’s motto in life is to transmute her students into an elite group who will essentially be miniature replicas of herself. She constantly says, “Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life” (PMJB 9). And at quite an impressionable age, the little girls of Brodie set are charmed by the sheer vitality of Miss Brodie’s presence. They comprehend that she is unlike the other teachers and consequently they start to emulate her ideals. Miss Brodie’s idea of transfiguration does not really involve a change in their perspectives or a broadening in their outlooks. Rather she concentrateson making the little girls imbibe her vision and values. Thus the idea of transfiguration as imagined by Miss Brodie becomes a stagnant principle, one that is marked by a significant absence of tolerance.

Sandy however undergoes a transformation that is both emotional and spiritual in its effect. She embraces the Roman Catholic religion which was held in high contempt by Miss Brodie. It is not really clear whether this transfiguration is one that is born out of genuine faith in the Catholic Church or a marked contempt towards Brodie’s principles. Sandy’s emotional transfiguration is perhaps the most important event in the story as it is this crucial event that transforms them. As Sandy transforms from a little girl to an adult, her attitude to Miss Brodie also changes gradually. The blind idealism of her childhood  is replaced by a bitter awareness of her mentor’s shortcomings. This awareness coupled with a tinge of jealousy prompts Sandy to take the decision that will change their lives forever. Her ultimate betrayal of Miss Brodie comes as a surprise as she was the most devoted of the Brodie set. As a young child, she attempts to please Miss Brodie by overdoing things and it is this overenthusiasm that later proves fatal in their relationship. Miss Brodie’s prediction that, “One day, Sandy, you will go too far” (PMJB 23) comes true as Sandy goes too far in order to complete the circle of transfiguration. As Gerard Carruthers aptly comments, “We see Sandy undergo a more profound set of transformations in the novel than Brodie’s, who for all her contradictory posturing remains a rather static character trapped in her own somewhat pathetic space”.

Betrayal 

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodieexplores a plethora of human emotions and it discusses in detail the pain of betrayal and its various nuances. The concept of betrayal works on various levels and there is almost a chain of betrayals that set the story in motion. It is revealed right in the beginning by the omniscient narrator that Miss Brodie will be betrayed by one of her students. As the story progresses, the series of events that eventually results in this momentous betrayal are slowly revealed just as the layers of an onion are peeled. Sandy’s act of betrayal is prompted by the sense of betrayal that she feels as a student. Her insight of how Miss Brodie betrays her students’ trust by manipulating their desires and dreams instigates her to act. Miss Brodie is shattered by the act of betrayal and loses her composure and poise. She tries desperately to find her betrayer but is never successful in her endeavour. Initially she suspects everybody other than Sandy and addresses her concerns to Sandy. To this query, Sandy responds in a very insightful manner: “Sandy replied like an enigmatic Pope: ‘If you did not betray us it is impossible that you could have been betrayed by us. The word betrayed does not apply . ..’” (PMJB 126). This statement further underscores Sandy’s belief that Miss Brodie never deserved their unflinching loyalty.

Sandy grows up witnessing the various betrayals that Miss Brodie intentionally and unintentionally puts into motion. As a child, Sandy is scared of being nice to Mary because she does not want to disappoint Miss Brodie. She thus betrays her own self, her psyche in order to adhere to a false set of ideals that are nourished by Miss Brodie. She perceives that Miss Brodie betrays the sense of trust placed in her as a teacher by instigating Rose to start an affair with Mr. Teddy Lloyd and manipulating Joyce Emily to join the war. As a befitting reply to her teacher, Sandy puts into action the ultimate act of betrayal that will irrevocably alter their status quo. Nevertheless, this act of betrayal affects Sandy deeply and the unassailable guilt which she denies, instill in her the need to lead a cloistered life.

Religion 

Spark was a deeply religious writer and this aspect of her character is revealed in many of her works. Miss Brodie is openly suspicious of Roman Catholicism and instructs her students to abhor it as she feels that it is a religion meant for people who do not know how to think for themselves (PMJB 85). Brodie, however, is religious in her own way and on Sundays she made it a habit to visit the various Free Churches of Scotland. However, the narratorial voice comments that, “In some ways, her attitude was a strange one, because she was by temperament suited only to the Roman Catholic Church; possibly it could have embraced, even while it disciplined her soaring and diving spirit, it might even have normalized her” (PMJB 85). One wonders whether the narrator’s interpretation is actually Spark’s own commentary on the character.

In defiance of Miss Brodie’s perspective on religion, Sandy embraces Catholicism and becomes a nun towards the end of the narrative. However, it is not made clear whether this transformation is just an act of defiance or an act prompted by a deeply religious transfiguration. As a child she expresses an active interest in Calvinism and as Carruthers aptly puts it, “Calvinism appears inThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie so as to become part of the theme of the mystery of identity, which looms large thematically” (33). Sandy’s religious inclinations are therefore closely related to her identity politics. Religion in such a context becomes a crucial factor in moulding the complexity of Sandy’s psyche. The concept of religion thus becomes closely associated with the notion of conflicting ideologies. Sandy’s embracing of Catholicism stuns Miss Brodie and she wonders whether her student is purposefully scorning her authority. Many incidents in the story are couched in the narrative of religion. The themes of sin and expiation underlie many events in the novel. Miss Brodie does not embark on a relationship with Mr. Lloyd because she feels that it is a sin to have a sexual liaison with a married man. She wonders about her treatment of Mary in her later years. These incidents therefore assume a religious connotation when examined critically. Sandy thus becomes a dual principle in the narrative.She stands for the notion of punishment when she betrays Miss

Brodie for her past sins. At the same time, her betrayal of Miss Brodie engenders in her an inexplicable feeling of guilt that forces her to atone and this is represented in the later scenes she clutches the bars of her grilled room (PMJB 127). This act becomes an extended metaphor that highlights her sense of guilt.

Conclusion 

Muriel Spark succeeds in capturing the elusive nature of the human mind in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The conflict generated by the opposing ideologies of Miss Brodie and Sandy form the crux of the main narrative. The novel remains eternal in popular imagination as it addresses a number of decisive issues related to human nature. The concept of morality is avidly critiqued and Spark talks about the perils of ambiguous reasoning that is propagated by Miss Brodie. Her fascist ideology prompts her to discard the notion of emotional accountability towards her students. The self-image that she actively cultivates amidst her students is one that is steeped inlayers of deceit. She purposefully inculcates this image in the minds of the Brodie set and it is this act of ideological deception that turns the course of their lives.

Brodie’s self-image becomes highly problematic as it is fuelled by her grandiose notions of self-delusion. The tragedy lies in the fact that she actively believes in this self- image. She does not pause to think about the moral parameters set by her self-image. She sincerely advocates the validity of her flawed ideology and does not pause to think about its ramifications on the pliable young minds that she influences. And it is precisely for this reason that she is genuinely bewildered when she learns about the act of betrayal. Spark comments on the power of manipulation by commenting on Miss Brodie’s potent charm and her students’ blind allegiance. Thus, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodiebecomes a powerful commentary on human psychology and its reverberations in our socio-cultural ethos.

Reference

• Hosmer Jr., Robert E., ed. Hidden Possibilities: Essays in Honour of Muriel Spark. Notre Dame: U of Notre Dame P, 2014. Print.
• Hynes, Joseph, ed. Critical Essays on Muriel Spark. New York: G.K. Hall, 1992. Print. Critical Essays on British Literature Ser.
• Reichardt, Mary R. Catholic Women Writers: A Bio-bibliographical Sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood, 2001. Print.
• Stannard, Martin. Muriel Spark: The Biography. 2009. London: Phoenix, 2010. Print.