It's a Man's World
If George Moore were alive, he would be asked the same question. Did he really met a woman disguising as a man? "The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs" (1927) was an odd piece of writing. Circumstances prompted some Irishmen - and women - to make tough decisions. Poverty ran high, and the womenfolk weren't treated well. If these weren't enough to make their predicament worse than they could imagined, then how about the limited options in career and relationship.
Moore, who hailed from County Mayo, once remarked (to a peer) that ideas were the bane of literature. This happened to be the very reason why his novella was adapted into a play and movie. Albert Nobbs was a dedicated waiter in Dublin, a woman in man's clothing most of her life. No one knew what made her change her lifestyle. Was she a bastard child? Was she treated an outcast? Did she had a traumatic experience with men? She thought her case was unique, until she met Hubert Page. She was another woman in man's clothing, a house painter in a platonic relationship with another woman. Albert began to yearn for a wife, but it didn't cross her mind that Hubert may be a lucky gal.
The first male feminist?
Oscar Wilde once quipped that Moore conducted his education in public. He was not doing well in school, which made his old man thought he was stupid. But he didn't live to see how wrong he was. His inheritance was the turning point. George read a lot, even showed interest in painting. There was only one place where he could hone his skills (in writing and painting).
"Albert Nobbs" made Moore the first realist writer in British (or Irish) literature. He learned from Émile Zola and the other renowned artists in Realism. If the French authors wrote about extramarital affairs (e.g. "Madame Bovary"), Moore would think about his homeland. A potato famine hit Ireland during the middle of the 19th century, decimating the population. It forced many Irish families to migrate to America. Those who remained struggled to live day by day.
The novella would suggest that same-sex relationship were prevalent during that time, but only because the custom wasn't kind to womenfolk. Moore did received a backlash, but the public became interested. And they accepted it. The case of Albert Nobbs didn't require analysis, but artists love tension. This was where they were brilliant. Moore never thought of it (while he penned "Albert Nobbs" and his other works.) In fact, he wasn't considered a part of the mainstream (of British/Irish literature). It would be possible to consider “Albert Nobbs” as a historical novella. It can also be included in the reading list in Women's fiction. It wasn't really about finding true love, which the theatrical version was all about.
