Hybrid Masculinity: Between Gentlemanliness and Psychopathy in Caroline Clive’s Sensation Novel Paul Ferroll: A Tale
Hybrid Masculinity: Between Gentlemanliness and Psychopathy in Caroline Clive’s Sensation Novel Paul Ferroll: A Tale

Summary/Abstract: Although the popularity of Paul Ferroll by Caroline Clive has waned considerably since its first publication in 1855, the book still deserves critical attention not only for being an antecedent of sensation fiction mastered by Collins, Braddon or Wood, but also for its exceptional portrayal of Victorian masculinity exemplified by the eponymous character. At first glance, Mr. Ferroll seems to be the paragon of gentlemanly virtues, in both public and domestic milieus. Nevertheless, under the mask of respectability and benevolence there lurks a heinous villain, who terrorizes his family, manipulates other people, delights in hazard and kills in cold blood for his self-serving ends. John Sutherland (1989, 133) calls Paul Ferroll “the most unusual criminal hero of the Victorian period,” reflecting at the same time considerable controversy that the novel aroused among readers, puzzled by this equivocal and morally dubious construction of masculinity. The unique blend of gentlemanliness and moral debasement stems from the fact that, in light of modern psychology, the protagonist exhibits symptoms of psychopathic personality. Caroline Clive’s text may be regarded as an amateur study of how a Victorian psychopath could assert his manliness in society obsessed with strict moral codes and instructive approach towards gender enactment. A careful scrutiny of the protagonist’s demeanor underpinned by modern psychological concepts provides convincing evidence that Paul Ferroll may be called not only an undeservedly forgotten forerunner of sensation fiction, but also a pioneer (though unprofessional) text of criminal psychology.

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