I am part way through The Odd Women, having already read New Grub Street. I have noticed some similarities in Gissing's style.
- Gissing is obsessed with the economics of marriage. For an educated gentleman to marry someone of his own class and education, he needs to have sufficient income to keep her. The problem is this may take years to achieve, if ever. He may marry a woman from a lower class, but then she will not be his educational equal, and will hinder his career. From an educated, middle-class woman's point of view, she has few ways of earning a sufficient income to support herself. She fears poverty and degradation. She has to measure up marrying for love against marrying for money.
- Gissing is excellent at characterization. All his characters speak with their own voices.
- In each of the two books I have read, there is a community of characters. Some of the characters know everybody, but not everybody knows everyone else. This means that Gissing can allow some of the good guys a happy ending, while inflicting trajedy on others, and allowing some of the not-so-good guys to thrive as well.
- Gissing sometimes stages very long dialogues between the more important characters. I am not sure how well these succeed. I am not sure how realistic and in character these dialogues sound. I wonder if they are voicing Gissing's own arguments.
- Gissing is a little cynical about love and marriage. I can see why he is not as popular as authors like Dickens and Hardy. Hardy's characters often suffer tragic endings, but at least they have great passions. Love in Gissing's novels is luke-warm. He is, however, quite good at friendship.
- Gissing is understanding even of the bad characters.
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