Assignment 1-3-2

Journal Article Analysis: “A Bookkeeper Not an Accountant”:

Representing the Middle Class from Victorian Novels and

Music-Hall Songs to Television Sitcoms by Scott D. Banville

          In an article published in The Journal of Popular Culture in 2011, called “A Bookkeeper Not an Accountant”: Representing the Middle Class from Victorian Novels and Music-Hall Songs to Television Sitcoms by Scott Banville, it states that television sitcoms such as Everybody Loves Raymond and BBC’s Are You Being Served appear to be drawn “upon notions of representing the lower middle class first developed and circulated by Victorian novels, periodical literature, and music-hall sketches and songs.” Not necessarily that their origins come from music-hall songs or Victorian novels but that these shows are “historical resonances of Victorian cultural practices” (Banville, 2011). Are these two sitcoms really taken from Victorian entertainment or literature? Let’s review the article and determine for ourselves.   

            One of the reasons for basing these two sitcoms off of Victorian representations of the lower middle class is to provide the audience with situations and characters that are easily recognized. In Are You Being Served, Captain Stephen Peacock, who is a floor walker for a men’s department store, is shown as a man with self-importance. He portrays what Victorian music-halls ridicule as the cad, gent, or swell with his aloof manner and pretensions to a status he is not actually entitled too. In fact “Captain” Peacock was only a lowly corporal in the Royal Army Service Corps during World War II (Banville, 2011).

            Mr. Lucas, a shop assistant in Are You Being Served, is also portrayed as the cad, gent, or swell with his obsession with dress and deportment. One characteristic of the cad, gent, or swell that Victorian commentators focus on is the counterfeit nature. In Vest Tilley’s song “Sidney’s Holidays”, a young shop assistant poses as a wealthy middle-class family man while wooing a certain young lady. Later, he is exposed when she finds him behind a shop counter in London. Mr. Lucas spends his time drinking and carousing much like the life Dicken’s David Copperfield must reject if he is to “achieve” hero status (Banville, 2011).

          In the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Banfield writes that Victorian stereotypes were drawn upon the lower middle class when creating the characters, situations, and plots. Victorian music-hall songs often focused on “the domestic plight of the lower-middle-class man and his relationship with his mother-in-law”. However, in this sitcom the roles are reversed where it is Debra Barone who has to deal with the meddling of her mother-in-law. In the Victorian novel, The Diary of a Nobody, the main character Charles Pooter is happy and content to live a lower-middle-class life. Pooter’s senior, Mr. Perkupp, attended one of the parties that Pooter held at his home. At first Pooter was nervous and a bit embarrased but Mr. Perkupp enjoyed the lower society of the people who attended the party. In Everybody Loves Raymond, you also find the pride and love for the suburban life and the “celebration of the domestic” (Banville, 2011).

            I found this article to be logically organized and backed up with a lot of research and examples. However, I found it difficult to follow as it appeared to jump from one subject matter to another. I thought we were talking about one person, only to find that we were back on another one. I had to continuously go back and re-read sections to find the author’s point. The author also used many unfamiliar examples of songs etc. to prove his point. The only one I had ever heard of was David Copperfield. I also looked up the definition of “cad, gent, or swell”. Cad is an “ill-bred man, especially one who behaves in a dishonorable or irresponsible way towards women” (cad). Gent is short for “gentleman” (gent).  And, swell, used as an adjective, is defined as “fashionably dressed or socially prominent” (swell).

             I agree that Are You Being Served, could have very possibly been based on Victorian entertainment or literature. As noted throughout the article, the cad, gent, and swell was adequately portrayed in the sitcom. Captain Peacock and Mr. Lucas were both obsessed with their dress and Captain Peacock was quite stuffy and tried to instill on the others that he was better than lower middle-class. The sitcom was based on making fun of the British class system as is shown by their conversations between the characters which ranged from the higher-class personnel all the way down to the maintenance crew.

              However, I am not sure I agree with Everybody Loves Raymond being based on Victorian entertainment or literature. From almost the very beginning of history, it is pretty likely that many people have had problems with their mother-in-laws. Also, from the beginning of history, there have been a variety of different class systems. Those who were wise would have accepted being a lower middle-class citizen with pride and made their lives the better for it. Yes, Victorian entertainment or literature may have poked fun at or glamorized these two scenarios but who’s to say that Everybody Loves Raymond is not based on another era instead.

            I would have to say, overall, that this article could be considered important. When watching a show, especially a sitcom, it is usually more entertaining when you know what the characters are poking fun at and the origins that the comedy is based on. When going to bed at night, my husband would often turn the channel to watch Are You Being Served, and until reading this article, I just figured it was just another silly British sitcom. I really could not see any sense in it especially when they would dress up in funny outfits for some kind of marketing scheme. However, after reading this article, the show makes more sense to me. I can see where and why it has been based on Victorian entertainment or literature. It appears to have run many seasons and was quite popular with the British audience.

 References

Banville, S. D. (2011). "A Bookkeeper, Not an Accountant": Representing the Lower 
            Middle Class fromVictorian Novels and Music-Hall Songs to Television
            Sitcoms. The Journal of Popular Culture, 16-36.

cad. (n.d.). The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. Retrieved September 12, 
            2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cad

gent. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. 
            Retrieved September 12, 2012, from Dictionary.com
            website:http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gent

swell. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved September 12, 2012, from 
            Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/swell

            "Are You Being Served" image retrieved from 
            http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/areyoubeingserved/
"Everybody Loves Raymond" image retrieved from 
            http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/everybody-loves-raymond/EP00190061