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Lady Audley's Secret

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Lady Audley's Secret is a sensation novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, written in 1862.

Plot

Lucy Graham, a pretty and mysterious woman catches the eye of Lord Audley, a widower. After they marry and settle down, Lord Audley's nephew, the young lawyer Robert Audley, reestablishes himself with his old friend George Talboys. George Talboys was fresh back from Australia, and the two spend many of their days together.

As it turns out, George set sail for Australia in order to make a living and has discovered upon his return that his dear wife had died years prior, leaving their child, Georgey, under the care of Lieutenant Maldon, George's father-in-law. Robert and George set off to visit Georgey and it is then that George decides to make Robert little Georgey's guardian and caretaker of 20,000 pounds put into the boy's name. After settling the matter of the boy's guardianship, the two set off to visit Lord Audley.

When the two seek an audience with the new Lady Audley, she makes many excuses to avoid their visit. One night, George and Robert are led to a secret passage in order to glimpse at a portrait of Lady Audley, which causes George to distress. The next day, George mysteriously disappears, which unsettles Robert. Robert sets off in search for his friend and begins to suspect that his friend is dead. While searching for his friend, Robert begins to take notes of the events as they unfold. His notes mark a suspicion to the involvement of Lady Audley, and he slowly begins to suspect her. One night, he reveals such a statement and notes that George was in possession of many letters that his former wife wrote. Lady Audley immediately sets off to London, where the letters were kept, and Robert follows after her.

However, by the time he arrives, he discovers that George's possessions have been broken into with the help of a local locksmith and the letters had vanished. Suspecting only the worse of Lady Audley and being afraid for little Georgey's life, Robert travels to Lieutenant Maldon's house and demands possession of the boy. Once Robert has Georgey under his control, he places the boy in a school run by Mr. Marchmont. Afterwards, Robert visits George's father, Mr. Harcourt Talboys, and confronts the Squire with his son's death. Mr. Harcourt dispassionately listens to the story and is unmoved.

Analysis and Themes

Lady Audley's Secret plays on Victorian anxieties about the domestic sphere. The home was supposed to be a refuge from the dangers outside. However, in this narrative, the seemingly perfect domestic lady turns out to be a violent criminal who has not only tried to commit murder, but has also committed bigamy and abandoned her child. Lady Audley's crimes disrupt the domestic sphere and remove the safety of the home. This was unsettling to a Victorian readership because it made it clear that the ideas of "the perfect lady/mother" and "domestic bliss" were more idealistic than realistic. In addition, anxieties about the increasing urbanization of Britain are noticeable: Lady Audley is able to change her identity in a city, where she is effectively anonymous. The small town of Audley is no longer a refuge where everyone knows his/her neighbors. The residents of Audley must accept Lucy Graham's account of herself, since they have no other way of identifying her. Other anxieties about unstable identity appear throughout the novel; Lady Audley's maid, Phoebe, resembles Lady Audley, except without makeup and hair dye.

Films

  • Lady Audley's Secret 1912 (USA, black and white, silent)
  • Lady Audley's Secret (aka Secrets of Society) 1915 (USA, black and white, silent, directed by Marshall Farnum)
  • Lady Audley's Secret 1920 (UK, black and white, silent, directed by Jack Denton)
  • Lady Audley's Secret 2000 (UK, TV, directed by Betsan Morris Evans)

Broadway musical

Produced in 1972.

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