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Masterpieces 
of World literature 

IN DIGEST FORM 

First Series 



Masterpieces 
of World literature 

IN DIGEST FORM 

Original title: MASTERPLOTS 



First Series 

EDITED BY 

Frank M Magill 

WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF 

DAYTON KOHXER AND STAFF 
INTRODUCTION BY CLIFTON FADIMAN 




Harper Row, Publishers 

New York, Evanston, and London 



MASTERPIECES OF WORLD LITERATURE in Digest Form 

Copyright, 1949, 1952, "by Frank IV. Magill 
Printed in the United States of America 

All rights in this "book are reserved.. 
No part of the book may be used or reproduced 
in any manner whatsoever without -written per 
mission except in the case of brief quotations 
embodied in critical articles and reviews. For 
information address 

Harper & Row, Publishers, Incorporated, 
49 East 33rd Street, New York 16, N. Y. 

B-N 



An earlier version of this book originally appeared 
under the title of MASTEKPL.OTS. 



Library of Congress catalog ca~d number: 



PREFACE 



The array of literature represented in this work is drawn from the vast 
reservoir of literary achievements which has been accumulating since the 
legendary beginnings of Western civilizations. All the great literature is 
not here; perhaps all that is here is not great. But these stories are represen 
tative of the places and the times from which they sprang and they have 
helped to tint die fabric which makes up the composite imprint of our 
culture. Romance and adventure, laughter and illusion, dreams and des 
perate hopes, fear and angry resentment these things have prodded men's 
minds as they walked toward our century. Their insight is our heritage. 

Along with this heritage, our generation has fallen heir to a Busy Age. 
Never in history has there been so much competition for the attention of 
the average individual. But though ours is a Busy Age, it is also an age in 
which thanks to technological advancements the chances for enlighten 
ment and cultural development, at all levels, have never before been ap 
proached even remotely. Out of this increased "exposure" must surely come 
a more intellectually alert society. From such a society we may reasonably 
expect an acceleration of our cultural development. It is in the light of all 
these circumstances that a work such as Masterpieces of World Literature 
in Digest Form can have a place and a purpose. 

From its inception in 1946, this survey has been prepared with an eye 
toward the Busy Age. Each digest is preceded by carefully checked, con 
cisely stated reference data which furnish at a glance the authorship, type 
of plot, time of plot, locale, and publication date. Following this will be 
found a list of the principal characters and their relationships, often a 




work. Editorial comments having been confined to the "Critique," the 
reader is afforded an uninterrupted opportunity to study the action, char 
acterizations, and development of the theme as the plot-story progresses. 
Perhaps this sequence-by-sequence treatment of the original plot, instead 
of a mere description of the book, is the most valuable single feature of 
Masterpieces of World Literature in Digest Form. 



VI PREFACE 

Of primary importance from the beginning was the selection of titles 
intended for inclusion in this book. Standard book lists, library lists, various 
anthologies were consulted as the list was built. Tentative lists were sub 
mitted to more than fifty teachers of English at leading colleges and uni 
versities, The helpful responses of these, men and women who earn their 
living in teaching had considerable influence on the list as it took shape. 
It may be interesting to note that in almost every case living authors were 
consulted about their own books which had been selected. In some in 
stances they recommended substitutions. For example, Mr. Sinclair Lewis 
suggested C&ss Tiniberlme for Dodsworth, Mr. Evelyn Waugh Bridesticacl 
Revisited in place of Vile Bodies, Because the relative merit of contemporary 
writing is likely to be a subject of some controversy, the assistance of authors 
themselves concerning their own works was valuable. During the prepara 
tion of this book, the list was never static, remaining open and subject to 
additions and deletions as seemed desirable. In the end, about one hundred 
manuscripts, representing thousands of hours of work, were set aside in 
favor of new additions to the list which it was hoped would result in a more 
balanced, interesting, and helpful book. 

Actual preparation of this book required an enormous amount of active 
assistance from a carefully selected staff of twenty-five English Faculty 
associates, chosen after more than one hundred personal interviews, at the 
University of Cincinnati, University of Illinois, Indiana University, Miami 
University, University of North Caiolina, North Carolina State College, 
Ohio State University, Purdue University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 
University of Virginia, and a number of other colleges and universities. 
Each original book represented in Masterpieces of World Literature in 
Digest Form had to be carefully and completely read at least once and 
sometimes two or three times by one or more staff members prior to prepara 
tion of the summary manuscript. Manuscripts covering the works of certain 
current authors were submitted to the author concerned for comments and 
approval. Much of the work of balancing, condensing, or expanding the 
digest manuscripts was performed, with an unusually high degree of skill, 
by Dayton Kohler, an associate professor of English at Virginia Polytechnic 
Institute. As an added precaution against errors in reference data, names, 
and dates, finished manuscripts were subjected to one more check against 
a copy of the original book. 

The resulting collection offers, in about twelve hundred words each, the 
basic "cores" around which more than five hundred world-famous literary 
works have been woven. Some will find in these plot-stories a pleasant 
renewal of an old acquaintance, a chance meeting with an almost forgotten 



PREFACE Vll 

time. This impulse should lead one to get the original, to read it, to own 
it, because a book which has stood the test of time can usually be reread 
periodically with increased pleasure and perception. 

The preparation of this work has been a formidable task. Without un 
usual assistance and cooperation from many sources it would not have come 
into existence. I should like first to thank the staff who aided in the prepa 
ration of the manuscripts. This expression is intended as an individual 
"thank you" to the men and women who helped so actively in this phase 
of the work. I should like also to acknowledge the courtesy and assistance 
rendered by those in charge of certain facilities of the Library of Congress 
in Washington. The use of a study room at the library was most helpful; 
and I am especially indebted to supervisory personnel in the copyright 
search section for valuable and cheerful aid. As my work progressed, the 
co-operation of many authors, publishers, agents, and literary trustees was 
solicited, and I wish to express my appreciation for the generous assistance 
received from these sources. 

It is my hope that this collection will serve a useful purpose for busy 
people, and that it may find its way into the hands of some who will be 
stimulated to probe the originals for facets and substance which in this 
work can be only suggested. 

FRANK N. MAGILL 



INTRODUCTION 

by 
CLIFTON FADIMAN 



For over two centuries to be arbitrary, since 1721, the birth date of 
Bailey's Universal Etymological English Dictionary the dictionary of Eng 
lish words has been our useful, if verbose, chairside companion. 

The dictionary of quotations does not go back quite so far: it was in 
1855 that Bartlett first published his collection of those echoes the world 
will not willingly let die. 

As I write, a new kind of dictionary, we are told, is shortly to appear 
a sort of super-index to the great abstract ideas that have moved Western 
civilization. 

And here under your hand lies still another sort of dictionary a diction 
ary of famous plots. 

Palpable tools are extensions of the hand. The impalpable tools called 
works of reference are extensions of the mind and memory. In this sense 
Masterpieces of World Literature in Digest Form is a master tool. It should 
make its way at once to the shelf of the writer, publisher, editor, teacher, 
lecturer, after-dinner speaker, literary agent, bookseller, librarian, radio and 
television director or editor or producer, motion-picture ditto, and of many 
students and general readers. In its field it seems to me the most useful worJk 
of its kind I have encountered. 

Its utility arises in part from its properly limited scope. Half a thousand 
plots arc just manageable. To tell die stories of many more would have 
entailed superficiality. To handle a much smaller number would have re 
sulted in poverty of reference. There happen to be 510 summaries here. 
Fifty more might have been added, or fifty subtracted but the number 
seems about right and serviceable. 

Here, then, are full summaries (sometimes running to 3,000 words) of 
a great many of the Western world's best-known novels, plays, and poems, 
plus a few biographies, autobiographies, and books of travel. These sum 
maries are careful and objective, not casual or tinctured with whim. They 
are extraordinarily clear in some cases clear even beyond the author's 

ix 



X INTRODUCTION 

intention. (For example, one is lost in admiration before the editors' lucid 
abstract of that masterpiece of calculated confusion, Tristram Shandy.^) 

It should be added that these digests arc true summaries, not to be con 
founded with those other "digests" that pretend to give the reader the entire 
substance, in abbreviated form, of a stoiy. Our editors do not claim to ren 
der anything but die book's basic narrative or content. I lowevcr, each sum 
mary is preceded by a listing of essential facts and by a terse, sensible 
critique which aims, not at originality, but at a clear reflection of what is 
generally considered informed judgment. 

One finds, as is natural, titles the grounds for whose inclusion appear 
incomprehensible; but the overwhelming majority of items are here for 
sufficient reasons. A given book may be included because it is good; or 
because, whether good or not, it is of historical importance; or because, 
again whether good or not, it has been or is now generally popular; or for 
all of these reasons or any pair of them. 

Thus Rex Beach lies down with Aristophanes and Dickens with Lloycl 
Douglas. Grandiose trumpery (Ben llur, Quo Vadis*) is here; and so is The 
Magic Mountain. Nobody (well, hardly anybody) today reads poor old 
Godwin's Caleb Williams, Yet it occupies an honored place in the history 
of the English novel, is constantly referred to, and so, very properly, is here 
summarized. Rider Haggard's She will never occupy an honored place in 
the history of the English novel, but millions arc familiar with it, and so, 
with equal propriety, it finds a place in Masterpieces of World Literature. 
Best sellers of the past are well represented, if they are still current coin; 
best sellers of only yesterday are given less space, for they have yet to dem 
onstrate their power to endure, in whatever medium, or merely as a vivid 
memory. 

An immortal, homespun folk-possession such as The M.an Without a 
Country is here; but so are highbrow masterpieces like Ulysses and Remem 
brance of Things Past, both of which difficult works are forced to yield a 
remarkably transparent synopsis of what is, of course, least important in 
them, their "action/' Homer is here; and so are a dozen modern novelists 
who are currently popular but for whom most thoughtful critics would not 
predict a long life. The editors have not tried to limit their titles to the 
"best," whatever that may be. The aim is not to elevate taste, nor even to 
instruct (though much instruction may be found in these pages), but sim 
ply to furnish the interested reader with a useful reference tool 

On the whole, they have succeeded in doing what they set out to do; to 
tell, clearly and fully, the bare stories of many of those works of the imagi 
nation that seem, for a variety of reasons, still to be alive and kicking in the 
consciousness of the Western reader. 



INTRODUCTION XI 

The best way to test this reference tool is to sit down and make a list of 
the first twenty-five really well-known books of fiction that pop into your 
head. Then check your list in Masterpieces. IVe tried this game, finding 
Masterpieces' batting average to work out at a little over .600, When you 
reflect on the difficulties of selection that the editors had to contend with, 
plus the simple fact that they had to produce a work light enough to be at 
least liftable, I think you'll agree that this is good enough. 

So if the plot of Dostoevski's The Idiot has always baffled you; if you're 
not sure in which of Jane Austen's novels Lady Catherine de Burgh 
appears; if you remember reading Under Two Flags but have forgotten 
completely what it's about; if you'd like to check on whether William 
Faulkner's plots make any sense at all, denuded of the costumery of his 
syntax; if you want to tell the children the story of Robinson Crusoe, but 
don't want to reread the darned thing; if all your life you've heard refer 
ences to a book called Hakluyt's Voyages and feel it's time to learn some 
thing about it; if you want to compare the original story of Quo Vadis with 
the movie version in all of these cases, and in ten thousand more, Master- 
pieces is ready and waiting to serve you, 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 



page 

Abb Constantin, The Ludovic Hattvy . I 

Abe Lincoln in Illinois Robert E. Sherwwtd ..... 3 

Absalom, Absalom! William Faulkner ....... 5 

Adam Bedc George Eliot ......,,. 8 

Admirable Crichton, The James M. Earrie ...... 10 

Aeneid, The Publius Vergilius Maro ....... 11 

Age of Innocence, The Edith Wharton . . . . . 14 

Alcestis Euripides .......... 16 

Aleck Maury, Sportsman Caroline Gordon . . , . . 17 

Alice Adams Booth Tarkington ........ 20 

Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll . . . . . . . 21 

Amelia Henry Fielding ......... 24 

American, The Henry James ........ 27 

American Tragedy, An Theodore Dreiser ...... 29 

And Quiet Flows the Don Mikhail Sholokhov 30 

Anna Kar&nina Count Leo Tolstoy . . . . . 32 

Anthony Adverse Hervcy Allen ........ 34 

Antigone Sophocles .......... 37 

Apostle, The Sholem Asch 38 

Apple of the Eye, The Glenway Wescott 40 

Arne Bjornstjerne Bjornson ........ 42 

Arrowsmith Sinclair Lewis ........ 44 

As You Like It William Shakespeare ....... 46 

Aucassin and Nicolette Unknown ....... 48 

Babbitt Sinclair Lewis ......... 50 

Bambi Felix Salteif .......... 52 

Barchester Towers -Anthony Trollope ....... 55 

Barren Ground Ellen Glasgow 57 

Beggar's Opera, The John Gay ........ 59 

Bel- Ami Guy de Maupassant ........ 62 

Bell for Adano, A John Hersey 64 

Ben Hur; A Tale of the Christ Lewis (Lew) Wallace .... 66 

Beowulf Unknown .......... 68 

Big Sky, The A. B. Guthrie, Jr 70 

Black Arrow, The Robert Louis Stevenson ...... 72 

Black Lamb and Grey Falcon Rebecca West 75 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Bleak House Charles Dickens 77 

Brave New World Aldous Huxley 79 

Bread and Wine Ignazio Silone 81 

Brideshead Revisited Evelyn Waugh 83 

Bridge of San Luis Key, The Thornton Wilder 86 

Brothers Kararnazov, The Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevski ... 88 

Buddenbrooks Thomas Mann ,...,,.. 91 

Cabala, The Thornton Wilder 94 

Cadmus Folk tradition .,.,.. 96 

Caesar or Nothing Pio Baroja 97 

Cakes and Ale W. Somerset Maugham 99 

Caleb Williams William Godwin . . . , . . 101 

Call of the Wild, The Jack London 103 

Camille Alexandre Dumas (son) . . , . . . 105 

Candide Voltaire ....... 107 

Captain Horatio Hornblower C. S. Forester . . , . . , 109 

Captains Courageous Rudyard Kipling . , , . . . 1 1 1 

Captain's Daughter, The Alexander Pushkin 113 

Carmen Prosper M&rime'e . , , . . . . . 1 1 6 

Case of Sergeant Grischa, The Arnold Zweig 118 

Cass Timberlane Sinclair Lewis . . . . . . . , 120 

Castle, The Franz Kafka 122 

Castle of Otranto, The Horace Walpole . . . 4 . , 124 

Castle Rackrent Maria Edgewvrth , . . . . . 126 

Casuals of the Sea William McFce 128 

Cawdor Robinson Jeffers . . . . , , . , . 13Q 

Cenci, The Percy Bysshe Shelley 131 

Charles O'Malley Charles Lever 133 

Charterhouse of Parrna, The Stendhal 135 

Children of God Vardis Fisher 137 

Christmas Carol, A Charles Dickens . . . . . . . 139 

Cid, The Pierre Corneille ......... 142 

Clarissa Harlowe Samuel Richardson . . . , . . 143 

Claudius the God l\oloert Graves . , . , . . , . 146 

Clayhanger Trilogy, The Arnold Bennett 148 

Cloister and the Hearth, The Charles Eeade 150 

Clouds, The ~ Aristophanes . . , . . . . , . 152 

Connecticut Yankee at King Ardiur's Court, A Mark Twain . . . 154 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Consuelo George Sand . . , . . . . 156 

Count of Monte-Cristo, The Alexandre Dumas (father') . . . 158 

Counterfeiters, The Andrd Gicte 160 

Country of the Pointed Firs, The Sarah Orne Jewett . , , . 163 

Courtship of Miles Standish, The Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . . 165 

Cousin Bette Honor -e de Balzac 166 

Cream of the Jest, The James Branch Cab ell . . . . . , 168 

Crime and Punishment Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevski . . . 170 

Crisis, The Winston Churchill 172 

Crock of Gold, The James Stephens .175 

Crome Yellow Aldous Huxley . . . * . , . .177 

Cruise of the Cachalot, The Frank T. Bullen . . . , . 178 

Cupid and Psyche Folk tradition 1 80 

Daisy Miller Henry James 1 82 

Daphnis and Chloe Attributed to Longus 183 

Dark Laughter Sherwood Anderson . . . * . . , 185 

Darkness at Noon Arthur Koestler . . . . . . . 187 

David Copperfield Charles Dickens 189 

David Harum Edward Noyes Westcott . , , , . 192 

Dead Souls Nikolai V. Gogol 194 

Dear Brutus James M. Barrie . . . , . . . . 196 

Death Comes for the Archhishop Willa Gather 199 

Death of the Gods, The Dmitri Merejkowski . . . . . 201 

Deerslayer, The James Fenimore Cooper . , . . . 203 

Diana of the Crossways George Meredith .,,.., 206 

Disciple, The Paul Bourget ........ 209 

Divine Comedy, The Dante Alighieri . . , . . . . 211 

Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson , . , , . 214 

Doll's House, A Henrik Ibsen 216 

Don Juan George Gordon r Lord Byron . . . , . . . 217 

Don. Quixote de la Mancha Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra . . . 220 

Downfall, The Emile Zola , 223 

Dragon Seed Pearl S, Buck 226 

Drums James Boyd ...... ... 228 

Drums Along the Mohawk Walter D, Edmonds 230 

Duchess of Malfi, The John Webster 232 

Dynasts, The Thomas Hardy ...,,*.. 234 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Edmund Campion Evelyn Waugh . , * * * * 237 

Education of Henry Adams, The Henry Adams . . * . . 238 

Egoist, The George Meredith 241 

Electra Euripides .....,..*. 243 

Emigrants, The Johan Bojer . . . , * . 244 

Emma Jane Austen .....,... 246 

Enoch Arden Alfred, Lord Tennyson ..,.., 249 

Enormous Room, The E, E, Cummings . . , , . * 250 

Ercwhon Samuel Butler ....,*,*. 252 

Esther Waters George Moore 254 

Ethan Frome Edith Wharton . , , . . , * 256 

Eug&nie Grandet Honor 6 de Balzac , , . . , 258 

Evangeline Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . . . , . , 26 1 

Eve of St. Agnes, The John Keats , 263 

Faerie Queene, The Edmund Spenser . . . * . , 264 

Far from the Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy 266 

Farewell to Arms, A Ernest Hemingway .,,.., 269 

Father Goriot Honvre de Balzac 271 

Fathers and Sons -Ivan Turgenev . > . , . . 273 

Faust Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ....*., 276 

File No. 113 tmile Gaboriau 278 

Financier, The Theodore Dreiser . 280 

For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway 282 

Forsyte Saga, The John Galsworthy ..,.,,, 284 

Fortitude Hugh Walpole 286 

Fortress, The Hugh Walpole 288 

Forty Days of Musa Dagli, The Franz W erf el . . . . . 291 

Framley Parsonage Anthony Trollope . . . . . . , 293 

Frankenstein Mary Godwin Shelley , , . . . . . 295 

Frogs, The Aristophanes ......., 297 

Gargantua and Pantagruel Frang ois Rabelais . . . . 298 

Ghosts Henrik Ibsen . . . , . . . . , . 301 

Giants in the Earth CX E. Rolvaag BOB 

Gil Bias of Santillane Alain Rend Le Sage ...... BOS 

Glass Key, The Dashiell Ilammett 307 

Golden Ass of Lucius Apuleius, The Lucius A-puleius , 309 

Good Companions, The J.B.Priestley. . . . , . 311 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Good Earth, The Pearl S. Buck 313 

Goodbye, Mr. Chips James Hilton . . . , . . 316 

Grand Hotel Vicki Eaum . . . . , . . . . 318 

Grandissimes, The George W. Cable 320 

Grandmothers, The Glenway Wescott ...... 322 

Grapes of Wrath, The John Steinbeck 324 

Great Expectations Charles Dickens ....... 326 

Great Gatsby, The F . Scott Fitzgerald 329 

Green Bay Tree, The Louis Eromfield . . . . . . 331 

Green Mansions W. H. Hudson 333 

Grettir the Strong Unknown 335 

Growth of the Soil Knut Hamsun 338 

Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift . , . , . . . 341 

Hajji Baba of Ispahan James Morier ....... 343 

Hakluyt's Voyages Richard Hakluyt 346 

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark William Shakespeare .... 348 

Handful of Dust, A Evelyn Waugh 350 

Handley Cross Robert Smith Sur tees , . . . . . . 352 

Heart of Midlothian, The Sir Walter Scott 355 

Heaven's My Destination Thornton Wilder , . , . . . 357 

Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen 359 

Henry Esmond William Makepeace Thackeray . . , . , 361 

Henry the Fifth William Shakespeare ...... 364 

Hercules and His Twelve Labors Folk tradition ..... 366 

Hereward the Wake Charles Kingsley ...... 367 

H. M. S. Pinafore W. S. Gilbert 370 

Honey in the Horn H. L. Davis . . , . . . . . 371 

Hoosier Schoolmaster, The Edward Eggleston . . . . . 373 

Horseshoe Robinson John P. Kennedy ...... 376 

House of Atreus, The Aeschylus ....... 378 

House of Mirth, The Edi thW harton 380 

House of the Seven Gables, The Nathaniel Hawthorne .... 383 

I low Green Was My Valley Richard Llewellyn ..... 385 

Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain ........ 387 

Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker Silas Weir Mitchell ..... 390 

Human Comedy, The William Saroyan ...... 392 

Humphry Clinker Tobias Smollett ....... 394 

Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Victor Hugo ..... 397 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

F a g e 

Hunger Knut Hamsun ......... 400 

Hypatia Charles Kingsley ......., 402 

I, Claudius Robert Graves .....,, 406 

I Speak for Thacldeus Stevens Elsie Singmaster , 408 

Iceland Fisherman, An Pierre Loll . , . , . . . 410 

Ides of March, The Thornton Wilder 413 

Idiot, The Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevski , , , . . . 415 

Idylls of the King, The Alfred, Lord Tennyson . . , . . 417 

If Winter Comes A. S. M. Hutchmson 421 

Iliad, The Homer 423 

Independent People -Halldor Laxness .,..., 425 

Invisible Man, The H.G.Wetts 428 

Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott 430 

Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte ...... 432 

Jason and the Golden Fleece Folk tradition 435 

Java Head Joseph Hergesheimer ...... 437 

Jcan-Ghristophe Romain Holland . ,,...., 439 

Jerusalem Delivered Torquato Tasso . . . . . . 441 

Jew of Malta, The Christopher Marlowe .,..*. 444 

John Brown's Body Stephen Vincent Benet . , 445 

Joseph Andrews Henry Fie Iding , , . , . . t . 448 

Joseph Vance William De Morgan . . . . . . . 450 

Journey to the End of the Night - Louis-Ferdinand C6 line , . . 453 

Jude the Obscure Thomas Hardy . . , . * . , 455 

Judith Paris Hugh Walpole 457 

Jungle, The Upton Sinclair , . . , . . , 459 

Jungle Books, The Ructyard Kipling 461 

Jurgen James Branch Cdbell ....*,., 464 

Justice Jo hn Galsworthy ,.....,, 466 

Kate Fennigate Booth Tarkington ....... 467 

Kenilworth Sir Walter Scott 469 

Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson . . * . , . . 471 

Kim Rudyard Kipling 473 

King Solomon's Mines H. Rider Haggard , . , . . . 475 

King's Row Henry Bellamann , . * . . * , 478 

Kuights, The Aristophanes .....*.*. 480 



xvxu 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Kreutzer Sonata, The Count Leo Tolstoy 481 

Kristin Lavransdatter Sigrid Undset 483 

Lady Into Fox David Garnett 486 

Lady Windermere's Fan Oscar Wilde 488 

Last Days of Pompeii, The Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton . . 490 

Last of the Barons, The Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton . , . 492 

Last of the Mohicans, The James Fenimore Cooper .... 494 

Last Puritan, The George Santayana 497 

Late George Apley, The John P. Marquand 499 

Lavengro George Henry Borrow 501 

Life on the Mississippi Mark Twain ....... 504 

Life With Father Clarence Day, Jr 506 

Light in August William Faulkner 509 

Liliom Ferenc Molnar 511 

Little Minister, The James M. Barrie 513 

Little Women Louisa May ALcott 515 

Look Homeward, Angel Thomas Wolfe . , . . . 517 

Looking Backward Edward Bellamy ,.,.... 520 

Lord Jim Joseph Conrad . . . . . . . . . 522 

Lorna Doone R. D. Black-more 524 

Lost Horizon James Hilton. ........ 527 

Lost Lady, A Willa Gather 529 

Lost Weekend, The Charles Jackson 531 

Loyalties John Galsworthy 533 

Macbeth William Shakespeare . , , . . . . . 534 

McTeague Frank Norm ......... 537 

Madame Bovary Gustarve Flaubert . . . , . . . 539 

Mademoiselle de Maupin Th&ophile Gautier ..... 542 

Maggie; A Girl of the Streets Stephen Crane 543 

Magic Mountain, The Thomas Mann . ..,,., 545 

Magnificent Obsession, The Lloyd C. Douglas 547 

Main Street Sinclair Lewis 549 

Maltese Falcon, The Dashiell Hammett w 551 

Man Without a Country, The Edward Everett Hale . , . . 553 

Manhattan Transfer John Dos Passos . . . . . , . 555 

Manon Lescaut AU6 Prdvost 557 

Man's Fate Andre Malrawc . , , . * . . . 559 



xix 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Mansfield Parlc Jane Austen ........ 562 

Marble Faun, The Nathaniel Hawthorne . . . . . . 564 

Marching On James Eoyd ......... 566 

Master of Ballantrae, The Robert Louis Stevenson . . . . 568 

Mayor of Casterbridge, The Thomas Hardy , . . . . 571 

Medea Euripides .......... 573 

Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man Siegfried Bassoon . * . . . 575 

Memoirs of a Midget Walter dc la Marc 577 

Memoirs of an Infantry Officer Siegfried Bassoon , . . . , 579 

Merchant of Venice, The William Shakespeare . , . , , 581 

Messer Marco Polo Down Byrne . , . . , . . . 584 

Micah Clarke Arthur Conan Doyle . , , . , . , 585 

Middlematch George Eliot 588 

Mikado, The W. S. Gilbert 591 

Mill on the Floss, The George Eliot 593 

Misanthrope, The Moli&re . .,,..., 595 

Mis&rables, Les Victor Hugo ........ 597 

Mr. Britling Sees It Through H. G. Wells 600 

Mr. Midshipman Easy Frederick Marryat , 602 

Mister Roberts Thomas lleggcn . , . . . * , . 605 

Mrs, Dalloway Virginia Woolf 607 

Moby Dick Herman Melville 609 

Modern Comedy, A- John Galsworthy . * * . 612 

Moll Flanders Daniel Defoe . . . . * , . * 614 

Monsieur Beaucaire Booth Tarkington . . . . . . . 616 

Mont-Oriol Guy dc Maupassant . . . . . . . 618 

Moon and Sixpence, The W, Somerset Maugham . . . . . 621 

Moonstone, The Wilkie Collins ........ 623 

Morte d'Arthur, Le Sir Thotnas Malory 625 

Mutiny on the Bounty Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall , . 628 

My Antonia Willa Gather 630 

Mysteries of Paris, The Eugene Sue . . . , , . , 632 

Mysteries of Udolpho, The Mrs. Ann Radcliffe . . * > 635 

Nana fa-mile Zola 638 

Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, The Edgar Allan Poe .... 640 

Native Son Richard Wright ........ 64B 

Nazarene, The Sholem Asch ........ 645 

New Grub Street> The George Gissing ....... 647 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Newcomes, The William Makepeace Thackeray 650 

Nibelungenlied, The Unknown ........ 652 

Night in the Luxembourg, A Remy de Gourmont . . . . . 655 

Nightmare Abbey Thomas Love Peacock ...... 657 

No Name Wilkie Collins 659 

Nocturne Frank Swinnerton . . . . . 661 

O Pioneers! Witta Cather 663 

Odyssey, The Homer. ......... 665 

Oedipus Tyrannus Sophocles . . . . . . . * 668 

Of Human Bondage W. Somerset Maugham ..... 670 

Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck ....... 672 

Of Time and the River Thomas Wolfe 674 

Old and the Young, The Luigi Pirandello *..... 676 

Old Maid, The Edith Wharton 679 

Old Mortality Sir Walter Scott 681 

Old Wives' Tale, The Arnold Bennett 684 

Oliver Twist Charles Dickens . . . . . . . 686 

Omoo Herman Melville ......... 689 

Ordeal of Richard Feverel, The George Meredith 692 

Oregon Trail, The Francis Parkman . * . . . 695 

Orlando Virginia Woolf . . . . , * . 698 

Orpheus and Eurydice Folk tradition .....* 700 

Othello William Shakespeare . . . . * * * 701 

Our Town Thornton Wilder 704 

Ox-Bow Incident, The Walter Van Tilburg Clark 706 

Pamela Samuel Richardson . . . . 708 

Paradise Lost John Milton , . . . * , * 711 

Passage to India, A E. M. Forster 713 

Pathfinder, The James Fenimore Cooper . . , . . . 715 

Paul Bunyan James Stevens . . . . . . - 717 

Peasants, The Ladislas Reymont ...... 720 

Peer Gynt tjennk Ibsen 722 

Peg Woffington Charles Reade ........ 724 

Pendennis William Makepeace Thackeray ,.*... 726 

Penguin Island Anatole France ......* 729 

Peregrine Pickle Tobias Smollett 731 

Persuasion Jane Austen ,..<>* 734 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Peter Ibbetson George du Manner 736 

Peter Whiffle Carl Van Vechten 739 

Phaedra Jean Baptiste Racine . . , . . . . . 74 1 

Pickwick Papers Charles Dickens ....... 743 

Picture of Dorian Gray, The Oscar Wilde 746 

Pilgrim's Progress, The John Bunyan . . . . . . . 748 

Pilot, The James Fenimore Cooper . , . . . , . 750 

Pioneers, The James Fenimore Cooper . . . , , , . 753 

Pit, The Frank N orris 756 

Playboy of the Western World, The John Millington Synge . . , 758 

Point Counter Point Aldous Huxley 760 

Poor White Sherwood Anderson 762 

Porgy DuBose HeywarA ......... 764 

Portrait of a Lady, The Henry James ....... 766 

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, A James Joyce .... 769 

Possessed, The Fyodor Mikhatlovieh Dostoevski . . . . . 771 

Power Lion Feuchtwanger ......... 773 

Prairie, The James Fenimore Cooper ....... 776 

Precious Bane Mary Webb. ....., 778 

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen * *,...., 780 

Prisoner of Zenda, The Anthony Hope 784 

Prometheus Bound Aeschylus , . 786 

Prometheus Unbound Percy Bysshe Shelley , . , , . , 788 

Proserpine and Ceres Folk tradition 789 

Purple Land, The W. H. Hudson ....... 791 

Quality Street James M. Barrie ........ 793 

Quentin Durward Sir Walter Scott . . . , . . . 795 

Quo Vadis Henryk Sienkiewicz . . . . . . . . 797 

Rainbow, Tlie D. H. Lawrence ....,,., 800 

Rape of the Lock, The Alexander P&pe ...... 802 

Rasselas Samuel Johnson ......... 804 

Rebecca Daphne du Mauricr , . . . , . . . 806 

Red and the Black, The Stendhal ....... 808 

Red Badge of Courage, The Stephen Crane . . . . . . 811 

Red Rover, The James Fenimore Cooper . . . . . 813 

Remembrance of Things Past Marcel Proust . . . . . . 815 

Return of, the Native, The Thomas Hardy 818 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Revolt o the Angels, The Anatole France 821 

Riceyman Steps Arnold Bennett ........ 823 

Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Samuel Taylor Coleridge . . , 825 

Ring and the Book, The Robert Browning ...... 826 

Rise of Silas Lapham, The William Dean Howells , 828 

Rivals, The Richard Erinsley Sheridan . , . . . . . 831 

River of Earth James Still 833 

Roan Stallion Robinson Jeffers ........ 835 

Rob Roy Sir Walter Scott 837 

Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe . . . . . . * 839 

Roderick Random Tobias Smollett, . . * . * . 841 

Rogue Herries Hugh Watyole ....,.*. 844 

Romantic Comedians, The Ellen Glasgow ...... 846 

Romany Rye 7 The George Henry Borrow . . . . . . 849 

Rome Haul Walter D. Edmonds . . . . . . . 851 

Romeo and Juliet William Shakers are . . . * * * 853 

Rornola George Eliot .......... 856 

Roughing It Mark Twain ......... 858 

Salammbft Gustave Flaubert <, ...** 860 

Sanctuary William Faulkner ........ 862 

Sappho Alphonse Daudet 865 

Scarlet Letter, The Nathaniel Hawthorne 867 

School for Scandal, The Richard Brinsley Sheridan .... 869 

Sea of Grass, The Conrad Richter 872 

Sea Wolf, The Jack London 874 

Sentimental Education, A Gustave Flaubert . ..... 876 

Sentimental Journey, A ~^~ Laurence Sterne 879 

Seventeen Booth Tarkington ,...*... 882 

Shadows on the Rock Willa Gather 884 

She H. Rider Haggard 886 

She Stoops to Conquer OKver Goldsmith 889 

Sheltered Life, The Ellen Glasgow 891 

Silas Marncr George Eliot . . . . . , * . . 893 

Sister Carrie Theodore Dreiser . . , . . . . * 895 

Smoke Ivan Turgenev , . . , . . * 897 

Snow-Bound John Greenleaf Whittier ....*, 899 

So Red the Rose Stork Ycnmg 901 

Songof Bernadette, The Franz Werfel 903 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Song of Hiawatha, The Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . . . , 905 

Song of Roland, The Unknown 907 

Song of Songs, The Hermann Sudermann . . . , . . 910 

Sons and Lovers D, H. Lawrence . , . . . . . 913 

Sorrows of Young Werther, The Johann Wolfgang von Goethe . . 915 

Sound and the Fury, The William Faulkner . . . , . . 917 

Spoilers, The Rex Beach 919 

Spy, The James Fenimore Cooper . . . . . , , 921 

State Fair PM Stong 925 

Story of a Bad Boy, The Thomas Bailey Aldrich 927 

Story of a Country Town, The Edgar Watson Howe .... 929 

Story of an African Farm, The Olive Schreiner . , . * . 932 

Story of Gosta Berling, The Selma Lagerlof . . . . . - 934 

Strife John Galsworthy 936 

Study in Scarlet, A Arthur Conan Doyle , . . * . . 938 

Sun Also Rises, The Ernest Hemingway . . . . . . 941 

Swiss Family Robinson, The Johann Rudolf Wyss . . . . 943 

Tale of Two Cities, A Charles Dickens . . , . , , 945 

Tamar Robinson Jeffers ,......,. 948 

Tamburlaine the Great Christopher Marlowe . . . . 950 

Taps for Private Tussie Jesse Stuart . . . . , * . 952 

Taras Bulba Nikolai V. Gogol 954 

Tartarin of Tarascon Alphonse Daudet . . . . , , 956 

Tartuffe Moli^re 959 

Tempest, The William Shakespeare . . . . . * , 961 

Tenant of Wildfell Hall, The Anne Bronte 963 

Tess of the d'Urbervillcs Thomas Hardy , . , , . . 965 

Thaddeus of Warsaw Jane Porter . , , , . . . 967 

Thin Man, The Dashiell llammett 970 

Thirty-Nine Steps, The John Euchan 972 

This Above All Eric Knight 974 

Three Black Pennys, The Joseph Ilergcshdmer , 976 

Three-Cornered Hat, The Pedro Antonio cle Alarc6n . . . . 978 

Three Musketeers, The Alexandra Dumas Qather') , , . . 981 

Three Soldiers John Dos Pusses .... 984 

Time Machine, The II. G. Wells 986 

Time of Man, The Elizabeth Madox Roberts . 989 

Titan, The Theodore Dreiser 991 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

To The Lighthouse Virginia Woolf 993 

Tobacco Road Erskine Caldwell ........ 996 

Tom Cringle's Log Michael Scott 997 

Tom Jones Henry Fielding ......... 1 000 

Tom Sawyer Mark Twain ......... 1003 

Tono-Bungay H. G. Wells 1006 

Tower of London, The William Harrison Ainsworth . . . . 1008 

Travels of Marco Polo 7 The Marco Polo 1011 

Travels with a Donkey Robert Louis Stevenson . . . . . 1014 
Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson . , . . . .1015 

Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A Betty Smith 1018 

Trial, The Franz Kafka 1020 

Trilby George du Manner . ........ 1023 

Tristram Edwin Arlington Robinson . . , . . , .1025 

Tristram Shandy Laurence Sterne 1027 

Troilus and Criseyde Geoffrey Chaucer ...... 1030 

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne . . . . 1031 

Two Years Before the Mast Richard Henry Dana, Jr. . . . , 1033 

Typee Herman Melville . . . . . . . .1035 

Ugly Duchess, The Lion Feuchtwanger . . . , * ,1037 

Ulysses James Joyce .......... 1040 

Unbearable Bassington, The Saki ....... 1042 

Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Eeecher Stowe 1044 

Under Fire Henri Barbusse ........ 1047 

Under Two Flags Ouida 1049 

U. S. A. John Dos Passos 1051 

Vanessa Hugh Walpole ......... 1054 

Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray . . . . . . 1056 

Venus and Adonis William Shakespeare ...... 1060 

Vicar of Wakefield, The Oliver Goldsmith 1061 

Vicomte de Bragelonnc, The Alexandre Dumas (father*) . . . 1063 
Victory Joseph Conrad . . . . . . . . .1067 

Virgin Soil Ivan Turgenev . ........ 1069 

Virginian, The Owen Wister 1072 

Virginians, The William Makepeace Thackeray ..... 1074 

Volpone Ben Jonson .......... 1076 

Voyage of the Beagle, The Charles Darwin 1079 



XXV 



COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES 

page 

Wanderer, The Alain-Fournier . . . , . . . .1081 

Wandering Jew, The - Eugene Sue .,,..., 1083 
War and Peace Count Leo Tolstoy ....... 1085 

War of the Worlds, The H. G. Wells ....... i 090 

Warden, The Anthony Trollope . .,..,,, l() l )2 
Waverky Sir Walter Scott ......... 1094 

Way of All Flesh, The Samuel Butler . . . . . . 1 097 

Way of the World, The William Congreve ...... 1099 

Web and the Rock, The Thoinas Wolfe ...... 1101 

Westward Ho! Charles Kingslay , , . , * . . .1103 
What Every Woman Knows James M. Rome * . * . 1106 

White Company, The Arthur Comin Doyle ...... 1 108 

Wickford Point John P. Marquand ....... 1110 

Wild Duck, The Henrik Ibsen ........ 1113 

William Tell Johann G'hristO'pli Fricdrich von Schiller . , - 1115 
Windsor Castle William Harrison Ainsworth * . . - 1117 
Wincsburg, Ohio Sherwood Anderson , . * * . 1121 
Wintorsct- Maxwell Anderson . . . * * . * ,1123 
Woman in White, The ~ Wilkie Collins ...... 1125 

Woman's Life, A - Guy da Maupassant . . , * . 1127 

World of the Tlnbaults, The Ro^er Martin An Gard . . , . 1 130 
World's Illusion, The Jacob WasserHicinn . , * . .1133 
Wreck of the Grosvenor, The W. Clark Russell ..... 1135 

Wutheri n^ Heights Evilly Rronte . . , . * .1137 



Yearling, The Mtfrprit' Klnnan Rawlings ...,. 1140 
You Can't Go I lome Again Thomas Wolfe , * * * * 1 142 



Masterpieces 
of World JUitemture 

IN DIGEST FORM 

First Series 



THE ABBE CONSTANTIN 

Type oj -work: Novel 

Author: Ludovic Hale"vy (1834-1908) 

Type of 'plot: Sentimental romance 

Time of plot: 1881 

Locale: France 

First 'published: 1882 

Principal characters: 

ABBE CONSTANTIN, a French priest 

JEAOST REYNAUD, his godson 

Mas. SCOTT, an American 

Miss PERCIVAL, her sister 

Critique: 

This tale has long been a favorite book 
for use in French classes. The story is 
full of pleasant places and pleasant 
people. There is little if any conflict; the 
one character who might possibly be 
considered the villain is too polite to 
offer much resistance to the plans of the 
hero and heroine. The novel was 
crowned by the French Academy. 



The Story; 

The kindly old cure', Abbe* Constantin, 
stopped before the chateau of Longue- 
val to look at posters which proclaimed 
that the chateau and its surroundings 
were to be sold at auction either in 
four pieces, or as a unit. The abbe", like 
the rest of the neighborhood, smiled at 
the idea that anyone might be able to 
buy the entire estate; more than two 
million francs was too large a sum for 
anyone to have. As he walked along by 
the old estate, he thought of all the de 
lightful days he had spent with the old 
marchioness and her family. He dreaded 
the thought of a new owner who might 
not ask him to dinner twice a week, who 
might not contribute generously to the 



poor, who might not attend all the serv 
ices of his little church. The abb6 wa< 
too old to desire a change. 

He walked on to the little house whera 
Madame de Lavardens lived with her 
son Paul. Paul had not turned out well. 
His mother gave him a generous allow 
ance to spend every year. After spend 
ing his money within three months in 
Paris, he stayed the rest of the year with 
his mother in the country. At the de 
Lavardens home, the abbe" learned that 
Madame de Lavardens was hoping that 
her agent had secured at least one part 
of the estate for her. She was awaiting 
news of the auction, and she invited the 
abb6 to wait with her and her son to 
hear what had happened. 

When the agent arrived, he informed 
them that Mrs. Scott, a wealthy Ameri 
can, had bought the whole estate. The 
abb6's heart sank. An American! She 
would be a Protestant no doubt a here 
tic. His hopes for his little church grew 
weak. No longer would the hothouses 
of the estate keep his altar full of flowers; 
no longer would the poor be relieved 
by the charity of the chateau. With * 



gloomy heart he went home to supper. 

Jean Reynaud, the abbess godson, was 
his guest at supper that night. Jean's 
father had been an officer in the same 
regiment in which the abbe* had been 
chaplain, and the two had been the best 
of friends. When Jean's father had been 
killed, the abbe" had taken care of Jean 
as if he were his own son. The boy 
had insisted on following his father in a 
military career. Jean's kindness was well- 
known in the area. He gave a yearly 
Income to the destitute families of two 
men who had been killed on the same 
day as his father, and he was always 
doing charitable deeds for the abbess 
poor. 

On his arrival Jean set about cutting 
garden greens for the salad. He was 
startled when he looked up and saw two 
beautifully but simply dressed young 
women who asked to see the abbd. They 
introduced themselves as Mrs. Scott and 
Miss Percival, her sister. In a flurry of 
excitement the old abb6 came out to meet 
his unexpected guests, and to his great 
pleasure they announced that they were 
Catholics of French-Canadian blood. 
When each of the women gave the abb6 
a thousand francs to give to the poor, 
the happy man almost burst into tears. 
The inhabitants of the chateau were still 
to be a blessing for the town. 

Jean, overcome by the beauty of the 
two women, could not decide who was 
the more handsome. Miss Percival was 
the younger and more vivacious, but the 
serene charm of Mrs, Scott was equally 
attractive. The women told the abb6 the 
story of their lives; of their poverty as 
children, of the lawsuit which their dy 
ing father had made them promise never 
to give up, and of the final success of the 
suit and the millions that became theirs 
because of it. Mrs. Scott said that she 
and her husband intended to spend much 
time in France at their new home. When 
the ladies left, the abbe" and Jean were 
pKofuse in their praise. 

This meeting was the first of many, 
The ladies had grown tired of social 



gaiety during their stay in Paris, and 
Miss Percival had become disgusted with 
the great number of men, thirty-four in 
all, who had proposed marriage to her, 
for she knew that it was her money, not 
herself, they were after. The women 
hoped to spend a quiet few weeks in the 
chateau, with the abb and Jean as their 
only visitors. During the visits Jean fell 
in love with Miss Percival. He was up 
set when Paul de Lavardens insisted on 
being introduced. 

Miss Percival knew at once that Paul's 
proposal would be number thirty-five. 
He was polite and made conversation 
easily, but he did not have the qualities 
she had come to admire in Jean. The 
more she saw of Jean the more she liked 
him, and it was not long before she real 
ized that she was in love with the young 
officer. 

At the first ball held at the chateau, 
Jean's manner showed Miss Percival that 
he loved her. But he said nothing, for 
he believed that army life would not be 
a happy one for her. As he had neither 
social graces nor the wealth which could 
be substituted for them, he did not 
dare to dance with her at the ball for 
fear he would blurt out his love* When 
she approached him to ask for a dance, 
he left abruptly. 

Jean's regiment went away for twenty 
days. When he returned, he realized that 
he loved Miss Percival more than ever. 
Finally he decided that his only course 
was to be transferred to a regiment sta 
tioned in another area. On the night he 
was to leave he sent his excuses to the 
chateau and went to explain his actions 
to the abb6, who listened to his story with 
deep interest. Suddenly there was a 
knock on the door and Miss Percival 
walked in. She apologised for her intru 
sion, but said that she had come to con 
fess to the abb& She asked Jean not to 
leave, but to stay and hear her. 

She announced that she loved Jean 
and felt sure that he loved her. Jean 
had to admit that it was true. She said 
she knew he had not dared to ask hsr 



to marry him because of her wealth. Con- church, a fine new organ played lie 

sequently she was forced to ask him to music for the service. It was Miss Perci- 

marry her. The abb6 commending her val's marriage gift to the church. The 

action, they became engaged. abbe" was happy; the sale of the old 

When the marriage ceremony for the chateau had brought more good to the 

happy couple was performed in the little town than it had known before. 

ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS 

Type of 'work: Drama 

Author: Robert E. Sherwood (1896-1955) 

Type of plot: Historical chronicle 

Time of 'plot: 1831-1861 

Locale: New Salem and Springfield, Illinois 

First 'presented: 1938 

Principal characters: 

MENTOR GRAHAM, a schoolmaster 

ABE LINCOLN 

ANN RUTLEIXJE, Abe's early love 

JUDGE BOWLING GREEN, Justice of the Peace 

NINIAN EDWARDS, a politician 

JOSHUA SPEED, a merchant 

WirxrAM HERNDON, Abe's law cleric 

MARY TODD, Abe's wife 

STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS, Abe's political opponent 

SETH GALE, Abe's friend 

JIMMIE GALE, Seth's young son 

Critique: 

Robert Sherwood saw in the struggles continued to tap the keg until he drank 

of Abe Lincoln a symbol of democracy up all their liquid assets, and the store 

in action. The playwright was able to went bankrupt. Abe voluntarily assumed 

stick fairly close to the facts of Lincoln's all the obligations for the partnership 

life in working out his allegory of the and went into debt for about fifteen 

growth of the democratic spirit, but hundred dollars. 

in several scenes he was forced to invent At that time Abe boarded with Mentor 

fictitious characters or incidents to make Graham, the neighborhood schoolmaster, 

his point. Whether the play be viewed who began the task of teaching the young 

as history or allegory, it remains as au- backwoodsman the rudiments of grammar, 

thentically American as its leading char- He awakened in Abe an interest in great 

acter, oratory as well as a love for poetry. 

Graham sensed his pupil's extreme 

The Story: melancholy and preoccupation with death 

In the summer of 1831, when Abe as well as his marked disinclination to 
Lincoln was twenty-two years old, he do anything which required much effort, 
arrived in New Salem, Illinois, at that He advised Abe to go into politics, de- 
time a frontier village of fifteen log daring wryly that there were only two 
cabins. Shortly afterward the lanky professions open to a man who had 
young man opened a general store in failed at everything else schoolteaching 
partnership with a friend named Berry, and politics. 
Their stock included whiskey. Berry Abe's opportunity came a year later 



ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS by Robert E. Sherwood. By permission of the author and the publishers, Charlo 
ScribuerTs Sons. Copyright. 1937, 1938, 1939, by Robert Emmet Sherwood. 



while he held the job o local post 
master, A young politician, Ninian Ed 
wards, a vigorous opponent of Presi 
dent Jackson, appeared at the Rutledge 
tavern in New Salem. He was looking 
for a possible candidate for the State 
Assembly. Edwards so much admired 
Abe's deft handling of several quarrel 
some Jackson supporters that he offered 
Abe the candidacy. 

In making his offer he was supported 
by Abe's two loyal and influential friends 
in Salem, Joshua Speed, a merchant, and 
Judge Bowling Green, the justice of the 
peace. But Abe, who had been consider 
ing going farther west, refused. Then 
several circumstances arose to change his 
mind. Seth Gale, die friend widi whom 
Abe had planned to make the trip, re 
ceived news diat his father was sick and 
he had to return to his native state of 
Maryland at once. And Ann Rutledge, 
daughter of the local tavernkeeper, with 
whom Abe had been secretly in love, 
received a letter from New York State 
to the effect that a young man named 
McNeil, with whom Ann had been in 
love, would not be able to return to 
New Salem, When Abe declared his de 
votion, Ann, disillusioned with her for 
mer lover, encouraged him. As a con 
sequence, Abe sent word by his friend 
Judge Bowling Green that he would be 
a candidate for the State Assembly. 

Fate brought about another, more dis 
astrous, turn in Abe's fortunes. Ann 
Rutledge fell suddenly ill of a fever, 
and nothing that the doctor or Abe did 
could save her. After Ann's death, Abe 
became completely obsessed by a feeling 
of melancholia from which none of his 
friends could rouse him. lie opened a 
Springfield law office with his friend, 
Judge Stuart, but he refused to take 
much interest in politics, in spite of the 
urgings of his clerk, William Ilemdon, 
who was a firebrand Abolitionist, Al 
though Abe disliked slavery, he failed 
to sec that the Abolitionists were helping 
their cause by threatening to split the 
country. 



Knowing that something must be done 
to pull Abe out of his lethargy, his old 
political mentor, Ninian Edwards, in 
troduced him to his ambitious sister-in- 
law, Mary Todd. Mary saw immediately 
that Lincoln was a man she could inspire 
to great things. Her aristocratic sister, 
Elizabeth, could not understand what 
Mary saw in this raw-boned frontiers 
man, but Mary saw in him the satis 
faction of her own frustrated yearnings. 
They became engaged. 

But Abe had not forgotten Ann Rut- 
ledge. On the day of his wedding to 
Mary Todd, he pleaded with his friend, 
Joshua Speed, to deliver to Mary a letter 
he had written to tell her that he did 
not love her. Speed insisted that Abe 
go to Mary himself and explain that he 
was afraid of her, of the demands she 
would make upon him. After he had 
humiliated Mary Todd with his explana 
tion, Abe drifted back to the prairie 
frontier once more. 

One day he encountered his old 
friend, Setn Gale, with whom he had 
once planned to go west. Scth had set 
out from Maryland with his wife and 
child, and was headed for Oregon. But 
his child, Jimmie, was ill, and SetH felt 
that if his son died neither he nor his 
wife would have the courage to continue 
the journey. In a flash of insight, Abe 
saw in his friend's predicament a symbol 
of the plight of the country as a whole. 
The Dreci Scott Decision had made it 
possible to extend slavery in the West, 
a circumstance that would be fatal to 
those who, like Seth Gale, were trying 
to build a now country there. That vision 
crystallized Abe's purpose in life; and 
wncn he offered up a prayer to the 
Almighty for the life of little Jimmie, 
he was thinking of the country as a 
whole, lulled with a new purpose, he 
pocketed his pride and wont back to 
Mary Todd. Still believing in him, she 
accepted Abe without a moment's hesita 
tion. 

From that day on his career followed 
one straight line, culminating in his 



nomination for the presidency. There 
were his debates with Stephen A. Doug 
las, who was to be his opponent in the 
election that followed. Within his own 
party there were political considerations 
which Lincoln handled with dignity and 
tact. But most important of all, there 
was his own life with Mary Todd. In 
the years since their marriage she had 
borne him four sons, one of whom had 
died, and through those years she had 
grown more tense and irritable, until 
the home life of the Lincolns became 
almost intolerable, Abe patiently endured 
her tirades in their own home, but when 
Mary began criticizing him in public, he 
resisted. On the night of his election 



she had one of her tantrums, and Abe 
was forced to send her home on the very 
eve of her triumph. 

With his election to the highest office 
in die land, Lincoln's troubles increased. 
The old melancholia returned, the old 
preoccupation with death. On an event 
ful day in 1861, standing on the rear 
platform of the train which was to take 
him from Springfield to Washington, he 
tried to express to his old neighbors and 
friends his ideals for the future of 
America. As the presidential train pulled 
out he could hear his well-wishers sing 
ing the last strains of "John Brown's 
Body" "His soul goes marching on!" 



ABSALOM, ABSALOM! 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: William Faulkner (1897- ) 

Type of plot: Psychological realism 

Time of plot; Nineteenth century 

Locale: Mississippi 

First published-. 1936 

Principal characters: 

THOMAS SUTPEN, owner of Sutpen's Hundred 

ELLEN COLDFIELD SUTPEN, his wife 

HENRY, and 

JUDITH, their children 

ROSA COLDFIELD, Ellen's younger sister 

GOODHITE CouDtfiELD, Ellen's and Rosa's father 

CHARLES BON, Thomas Sutpen's son by his first marriage 

QUENTIN COMPSON, Rosa Coldfield's young friend 

SHREVE McCANNON, Quentin's roommate at Harvard 



Critique: 

This novel is the most involved of 
William Faulkner's works, for the nar 
rative is revealed by recollections years 
after the events described have taken 
place. Experience is related at its fullest 
expression; its initial import is recollected 
and its significance years thereafter is 
faithfully recorded. The conventional 
method of story-telling has been dis 
carded. Through his special method 
Faulkner is able to re-create human action 
and human emotion in its own setting. 
Sensory impressions gained at the 



moment, family traditions as powerful 
stimuli, the tragic impulses these focus 
truly in the reader's mind so that a tre 
mendous picture of the nineteenth-cen 
tury South, vivid down to the most 
minute detail, grows slowly in the reader's 
imagination. Absalom, Absalom! is a 
novel of tremendous and tragic import. 

The Story: 

In the summer of 1910, when Quentin 
Compson was preparing to go to Har 
vard, old Rosa Coldfield insisted upon 



ABSALOM ABSALOM! by William Faulkner. By permission of Tihe author and the publishers, Random Houae, 
lac. Copyright, 1936, by William Faulkner. 



telling him the whole infamous story 
of Thomas Sutpen, whom she called a 
demon. According to Miss Rosa, he 
had brought terror and tragedy to all 
who had dealings with him. 

In 1833 Thomas Sutpen had come to 
Jefferson, Mississippi, with a fine horse 
and two pistols and no known past. He 
had lived mysteriously for a while among 
people at the hotel, and after a short 
time he disappeared. Town gossip was 
that he had bought one hundred square 
miles of uncleared land from the Chicka- 
saws and was planning to turn it into a 
plantation. 

When he returned with a wagon load 
of wild-looking Negroes, a French archi 
tect, and a few tools and wagons, he 
was as uncommunicative as ever. At once 
he set about clearing land and building 
a mansion. For two years he labored 
and during all that time he hardly ever 
saw or visited his acquaintances in Jef 
ferson. People wondered about the source 
of his money. Some claimed that he had 
stolen it somewhere in his mysterious 
comings and goings. Then for three 
years his house remained unfinished, 
without windowpanes or furnishings, 
while Thomas Sutpen busied himself 
with his crops. Occasionally he invited 
Jefferson men to his plantation to hunt, 
entertaining them with liquor, cards, 
and savage combats between his giant 
slaves combats in which he himself 
sometimes joined for the sport. 

At last he disappeared once more, and 
when he returned he had furniture and 
furnishings elaborate and fine enough 
to make his great house a splendid show- 
place. Because of his mysterious actions, 
sentiment in the village turned against 
him. But this hostility subsided some 
what when Sutpen married Ellen Cold- 
field, daughter of the highly respected 
Goodhue Coldfield. 

Miss Rosa and Quentin's father shared 
some of Sutpen's revelations. Because 
Quentin was away in college many of 
the things he knew about Sutpen's Hun 
dred had come to him in letters from 



home. Other details he had learned dur 
ing talks with his father. 

He learned of Ellen Sutpen's life as 
mistress of the strange mansion in the 
wilderness. He learned how she dis 
covered her husband fighting savagely 
with one of his slaves. Young Henry 
Sutpen fainted, but Judith, the daughter, 
watched from the haymow with interest 
and delight. Ellen thereafter refused to 
reveal her true feelings and ignored the 
village gossip about Sutpen's Hundred. 

The children grew up. Young Henry, 
so unlike his father, attended the uni 
versity at Oxford, Mississippi, and there 
he met Charles Bon, a rich planter's 
grandson. Unknown to Henry, Charles 
was his half-brother, Sutpen's son by his 
first marriage. Unknown to all of Jef 
ferson, Sutpen had got his money as the 
dowry of his earlier marriage to Charles 
Bon's West Indian mother, a wife he dis 
carded when he learned she was partly 
of Negro blood. 

Charles Bon became engaged to Judith 
Sutpen but the engagement was suddenly 
broken off for a probation period of four 
years. In the meantime the Civil War 
began. Charles and Henry served 
together. Thomas Sutpen became a 
colonel. 

Goodhue Coldfield took a disdainful 
stand against the war. He barricaded 
himself in his attic and his daughter, 
Rosa, was forced to put his food in a 
basket let down by a long rope. His 
store was looted by Confederate soldiers. 
One night, alone in his attic, he died. 

Judith, in the meanwhile, had waited 
patiently for her lover. She carried 
his letter, written at the end of the 
four-year period, to Quentin's grand 
mother. About a week later Wash Jones, 
the handyman on the Sutpen plantation, 
came to Miss Rosa's door with the 
crude announcement that Charles Bon 
was dead, killed at the gate of the plan 
tation by his half-brother and former 
friend. Henry fled, Judith buried her 
lover in the Sutpen family plot on the 
plantation. Rosa, whose mother had died 



when she was born, went to Sutpen's 
Hundred to live with her niece. Ellen 
was already dead. It was Rosa's convic 
tion that she could help Judith. 

Colonel Thomas Sutpen returned. His 
slaves had been taken away, and he 
was burdened with new taxes on his 
overrun land and ruined buildings. He 
planned to marry Rosa Coldfield, more 
than ever desiring an heir now that 
Judith had vowed spinsterhood and 
Henry had become a fugitive. His son, 
Charles Bon, whom he might, in des 
peration, have permitted to marry his 
daughter, was dead. 

Rosa, insulted when she understood 
the true nature of his proposal, returned 
to her father's ruined house in the village. 
She was to spend the rest of her miser 
able life pondering the fearful intensity 
of Thomas Sutpen, whose nature, in her 
outraged belief, seemed to partake of the 
devil himself. 

Quentin, during his last vacation, 
had learned more of the Sutpen tragedy. 
He now revealed much of the story to 
Shreve McCannon, his roommate, who 
listened with all of a Northerner's mis 
understanding and indifference. 

Quentin and his father had visited 
the Sutpen graveyard, where they saw 
a little path and a hole leading into 
Ellen Sutpen's grave. Generations of 
opossums lived there. Over her tomb and 
that of her husband stood a marble 
monument from Italy. Sutpen himself 
had died in 1869. In 1867 he had taken 
young Milly Jones, Wash Jones' grand 
daughter. When she bore a child, a girl, 
Wash Jones had killed Thomas Sutpen. 

Judith and Charles Bon's son, his child 
by an octoroon woman who had brought 
her child to Sutpen's Hundred when he 
was eleven years old, died in 1884 of 
smallpox. Before he died the boy had 



married a Negro woman and they had 
had an idiot son, Charles Bon. Rosa 
Coldfield had placed headstones on their 
graves and on Judith's she had caused to 
be inscribed a fearful message. 

In that summer of 1910 Rosa Coldfield 
confided to Quentin that she felt there 
was still someone living at Sutpen's 
Hundred. Together the two had gone 
out there at night, and had discovered 
Clytie, the aged daughter of Thomas 
Sutpen and a Negro slave. More im 
portant, they discovered Henry Sutpen 
himself hiding in the ruined old house. 
He had returned, he told them, four years 
before; he had come back to die. The 
idiot, Charles Bon, watched Rosa and 
Quentin as they departed. Rosa re 
turned to her home and Quentin went 
back to college. 

Quentin's father wrote to tell him the 
tragic ending of the Sutpen story. 
Months later, Rosa sent an ambulance 
out to the ruined plantation house, for 
she had finally determined to bring her 
nephew Henry into the village to live 
with her, so that he could get decent 
care. Clytie, seeing the ambulance, was 
afraid that Henry was to be arrested 
for the murder of Charles Bon many years 
before. In desperation she set fire to 
the old house, burning herself and 
Henry Sutpen to death. Only the idiot, 
Charles Bon, the last surviving de 
scendant of Thomas Sutpen, escaped. No 
one knew where he went, for he was 
never seen again. Miss Rosa took to her 
bed and there died soon afterward, in 
the winter of 1910. 

Quentin told the story to his room 
mate because it seemed to him, some 
how, to be the story of the whole South, 
a tale of deep passions, tragedy, ruin, 
and decay. 



ADAM BEDE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans, 1819-1880) 

Type of ^lot: Domestic romance 

Time of fat: 1799 

JLocale: England 

First published; 1859 

Principal characters: 

ADAM BEI>E, a carpenter 

SHTH BEDE, liis brother 

MARTIN POYSER, proprietor of Hall Farm 

MBS, POYSER, his wire 

DINAH MORRIS, her niece, a Methodist preacher 

HETTY SORRJBL, another niece 

CAPTAIN ARTHUR DONNITHORNE, the young squire 

Critique: 

This novel of English pastoral life 
probably shows George Eliot's quality as 
a novelist better than any other of her 
works, with the possible exception of 
Middlemarch, When George Eliot was 
writing of the peasants, the artisans, the 
yeomen, the clergy, and the squires of 
Warwickshire, she was writing out of 
memories of her own childhood, and her 
characters come to life as people she had 
known. Moreover, she superimposes upon 
them an awareness of fate, not majestic 
as in Hardy, but growing out of her con 
victions that there is a cause and effect 
relationship in human behavior as there 
is in the rest of nature* 



whose husband, Martin, ran the Hall 
Farm. Hetty, however, cared nothing for 
Adam. She was interested only in Cap 
tain Donnithorne, whom she had met 
one day in her aunt's dairy, 

No one in llayslope thought Hetty 
would make Adam a good wile, least of 
all Adam's mother, Lisbeth, who would 
have disapproved of any girl who threat 
ened to take her favorite son from her, 
Her feelings of dependence upon Adam 
were intensified after her husband, Mat 
thias Bede, drowned in Willow Brook 
while on his way home from the village 



nn. 



The Story: 

In the village of I layslopc at the close 
of the eighteenth century, there lived a 
young carpenter named Adam Bede. Tall 
and muscular, Adam was respected by 
everyone as a good workman and an hon 
est and upright man. Even the young 
squire, Captain Arthur Donnithorne, 
knew Adam and liked him, and Adam in 
turn regarded the squire as his best 
friend. 

Adam was, in fact, so good a workman 
that his employer, Mr. Jonathan Burge, 
the builder, would have welcomed him as 
his son-in-law and partner. But Adam 
had no eyes for Mary Burge; his only 
thoughts were of distractingly pretty 
Hetty Sorrell, niece of Mrs, Poyser, 



In the meantime, Adam's brother Seth 
had fallen in love with the young Meth 
odist preacher, Dinah Morris, Dinah was 
another niece of Mrs, Poyser, as unlike 
her cousin Hetty as Adam was unlike 
Seth. Hetty resembled nothing so much 
as a soft, helpless kitten, but Dinah was 
iirm and serious in all things. One eve- 
ning while she and Seth were walking 
home together from the village green, 
he had proposed marriage 1 . Dinah sadly 
declined, saying she had dedicated her 
life to preaching tiie gospel 

When funeral services for Matthias 
Bcde were held in 1 layslope Church on 
the following Sunday, the thoughts of 
the congregation were on many things 
other than the solemn occasion they were 
attending. Adam's thoughts of Hetty 
blended with memories of his father. 



8 



Hetty's thoughts were all of Captain 
Donnithorne, who had promised to make 
his appearance. She was disappointed, 
however, for Donnithorne had already 
departed with his regiment. When he 
returned on leave, the young squire cele 
brated his twenty-first birthday with a 
great feast to which nearly all of Hay- 
slope was invited. Adam was singled out 
as a special guest to sit at Donnithorne's 
table. Adam's mother was both proud 
and jealous lest her son be getting more 
and more out of her reach. 

One August night, exactly three weeks 
after the Donnithorne party, Adam was 
returning home from his work on the 
Donnithorne estate when he saw two 
figures in close embrace. They were 
Donnithorne and Hetty Sorrel. When 
Adam's dog barked, Hetty hurried away. 
Donnithorne, embarrassed, tried to ex 
plain that he had met the girl by chance 
and had stolen a kiss. Adam called his 
friend a scoundrel and a coward. They 
came to blows, and Donnithorne was 
knocked senseless. Adam, frightened 
that he might have killed the young 
squire in his rage, revived him and helped 
him to a nearby summerhouse. There 
he demanded that Donnithorne write a 
letter to Hetty telling her that he would 
not see her again. 

The next day Donnithorne sent the 
letter to Hetty in Adam's care, thus 
placing the responsibility for its possible 
effect upon Adam himself, Adam gave 
her the letter while they were walking 
the following Sunday. When, in the 
privacy of her bedchamber, she read the 
letter, Hetty was in despair. Her dreams 
shattered, she thought only of finding 
some way out of her misery. Then in 
November Adam was offered a partner 
ship in Mr, Surge's business, and he 
proposed to Hetty, Mr. and Mrs. Poyser 
were delighted to find that their niece 
was to marry the man they so much 
admired* 



But the wedding had to be delayed 
until two new rooms could be added to 
the Bede house. In February, Hetty told 
her aunt she was going to visit Dinah 
Morris at Snowfield. Actually, however, 
she was determined to find Donnithorne. 
When she arrived at Windsor, where he 
was supposed to be stationed, she found 
that his regiment had been transferred 
to Ireland. Now in complete despair 
Hetty roamed about until in a strange 
village, and in the house of a widow 
named Sarah Stone, her child by Don 
nithorne was born. Frightened, Hetty 
wandered on, leaving her baby to die 
in a wood. Later, tortured by her con 
science, she returned to find the child 
gone. 

When his grandfather died, Donni 
thorne returned to Hayslope to discover 
that Hetty was in prison, charged with 
the murder of her child. He did every 
thing in his power to free her, and Dinah 
Morris came to her prison cell and 
prayed with her to open up her heart 
and tell the truth. Knally poor Hetty 
broke down and confessed everything 
that had happened since she left Hay- 
slope. She had not intended to kill her 
baby; in fact, she had not actually killed 
the child. She had considered taking her 
own life. Two days later, Donnithorne, 
filled with shame and remorse, brought 
a reprieve. Hetty's sentence was com 
mitted to deportation. A few years later 
she died on her way home. Donnithorne 
went to Spain. 

Dinah Morris stayed with the Poysers 
often now, and gradually she and Adam 
were drawn to each other. But Dinah's 
heart was still set on her preaching. She 
left Hall Farm and went back to Snow- 
field. Adam Bede found his only satis 
faction toiling at his workbench, Then 
one day his mother spoke again of Dinah 
and her gentle ways. Adam could wail 
no longer. He went to find her. 



THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON 

Tyye of work: Drama 

Author: James M, Barrie (1860-1937) 

Type of f)lot: Humorous satire 

Time of plot: Early twentieth century 

Locale: Loam Mouse, Mayfair; a desert island 

First 'presented: 1903 

Principal characters: 
THE EARL OF LOAM 
LADY MAHY, 
LADY CATHERINE, and 
LADY AGATHA, his daughters 
THE HON. ERNEST WOOLLEY, his nephew 
WILLIAM CRICHTON, his butler 



Critique; 

One of the best of Barriers comedies, 
The Admirable Crichton contains a more 
definite theme than Barrie generally put 
into his plays. His satirical portrait of 
an English aristocrat with liberal ideas 
is the most skillful that has been done 
on the subject. Lord Loam, like many 
liberals, is a kind of social Jekyll and 
Hyde, accepting the doctrine of the rights 
of man in theory, but holding tightly to 
his vested interests in practice. 

The Story. 

Once every month, the philanthropic 
Earl of Loam gave expression to his 
views on human equality by forcing his 
servants to have tea with him ana his 
family in the great hall of Loam House 
in May-fair, It was a disagreeable ex 
perience for everyone concerned, es 
pecially for his butler, Crichton, who 
did not share his master's liberal views. 
Lord Loam alone enjoyed the occasion, 
for he was the only one who remained 
completely himself. lie ordered his 
daughters and his nephew about and 
treated them exactly as he treated his 
servants on the remaining days of the 
month. 

Lady Mary, his oldest daughter, was a 
spirited young woman who resented her 
father's high-handed methods with his 
family. Her indignation reached a 



climax one day when Lord Loam an 
nounced that his three daughters were 
to have but one maid among them on a 
yachting trip on which the family was 
about to embark. Lady Mary was furious, 
but she assumed that her maid, Fisher, 
would go along. When Fisher learned 
that she was expected to look after the 
two younger sisters in addition to Lady 
Mary, she promptly resigned, and the 
two maids attending Catherine and 
Agatha followed suit. Lord Loam was 
left without any servants for his pro 
jected cruise, for his valet also resigned. 
Although it hurt his pride deeply, 
Crichton finally agreed, out of loyalty to 
his master, to act as his valet on the trip. 
Moreover, he persuaded Tweeny, the 
housemaid upon whom he had cast a 
favorable eye, to go along as maid to 
Lord Loam s daughters. 

The cruise ended unhappily when the 
yacht was pounded to pieces during a 
violent storm in the Pacific, and the 
party was cast away on a tropical island. 
All reached shore except I x>rd Loam. The 
other survivors had watched him throw 
away his life in a frantic but vain at 
tempt to get into the lifeboat first. 

On the. island all tried to preserve as 
much as possible the class distinction 
which had prevailed in England, But 
the attempt was unsuccessful. Crichton 



THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON by lames M. Barrie, from THE PIJVY8 OF JAMK8 M, BARRIE. By per- 
rnieaion of the publishers, Charles Scribuer's Sons, Copyright, 1914, by Charles Scribner'i Son*. 1918, 1928, 
by J. M. Barrie. 



10 



alone knew exactly what he was doing, 
and it was upon him that the others 
had to depend. So Crichton, the servant, 
became on the island the natural leader, 
and he ruled his former superiors with 
a gentle hut a firm hand. For example, 
he found the epigrams of the Hon. 
Ernest, which had seemed so brilliant 
in England, a bit trying; as a con 
sequence, Crichton adopted the policy of 
submitting Ernest to a severe ducking 
whenever he came forth with an epigram. 
The aristocrats worried over the rising 
authority of their former butler and the 
decline in their own prestige. When 
Lord Loam finally appeared, after wash 
ing ashore with some wreckage, they 
urged him to take a stand of authority* 
Lord Loam's only recourse was to remove 
his little party to another section of the 
island apart from Crichton. But hunger, 
which the aristocrats by their own efforts 
could not assuage, brought them meekly 
back. Crichton became the acknowledged 
leader of them all. 

Crichton took full advantage of his 
newly acquired authority. Having none of 
the earl's ideas about equality, he found 
no necessity for pretending that on the 
island his former betters were his equals 
in any sense. Each was kept in his place 
and required to do his own work accord 
ing to the needs of the camp. 

Under Crichton's rule the aristocrats 
were happy for perhaps the first time 
in their lives. The hard physical labor 
made something approaching a man out 
of Ernest, and the task of helping to 
prepare Crichton's food and waiting on 
him at the cable turned Lord Loam's 
snobbish daughters into attractive and 
useful women. Lord Loam, dressed in 
animal skins, was merely a harmless and 
rather genial old man with no particular 



talents, whom everyone called Daddy. 
But the greatest change occurred in Lady 
Mary. She alone realized that in any 
environment Crichton was superior to 
them all, and that only the conventions 
of so-called civilized society had obscured 
that fact, Consequently she fell in love 
with the butler and did everything in 
her power to make herself his favorite. 
Crichton, attracted to the beautiful Lady 
Mary, considered making her his consort 
on the island. He indulged in the fancy 
that in some past existence he had been 
a king and she a Christian slave. But 
when a ship appeared on the horizon, 
Crichton realized that his dreams were 
romantic nonsense, On their return to 
England he again would be a butler, and 
she would be Lady Mary. 

It was as Crichton had expected. After 
the rescue Lord Loam and his family 
returned to their old habits of thought 
and behavior. Crichton was again the 
butler. The Hon. Ernest wrote a book 
about their experiences on the island 
and made himself the hero of their ex 
ploits. Crichton was barely mentioned, 
Lady Mary reluctantly renewed her en 
gagement to the rather asinine Lord 
Brocklehurst, whose mother was greatly 
worried over what had happened on the 
island and not sure that a daughter of 
Lord Loam was a fit wife for her son. 

But Lady Mary still recognized Crich- 
ton's superiority, and told him so frankly. 
Crichton was shocked. Her views might 
have been acceptable on the island, he 
said, but not in England. When she ex 
pressed the radical view that something 
might be wrong with England, Crichton 
told her that not even from her would 
he listen to a word of criticism againsf 
England or English ways. 



THE ABNEID 

Type of -work: Poem 

Author: Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 B.C.) 

Type of flot; Heroic epic 

Time of 'plot: The period immediately following the Trojan War 



11 



Locale: The Mediterranean region 
First transcribed: Augustan manuscript 
Principal characters: 

AENEAS, Trojan hero destined to found the Roman race 

DIDO, Queen of Cartilage, in love with Aeneas 

ANNA, her sister 

ASCANIUS, son of Aeneas 

ANCHISES, father of Aeneas 

VENUS, goddess of love and beauty, mother of Aeneas 

JUNO, queen of the gods and enemy of the Trojans 

CXJMAEAN STBYL, prophetess who leads Aeneas to Hades 

LATJNUS, king of the Latins, whom Aeneas defeats in battle 

LAVINIA, his daughter 

TURNUS, Latin hero ambitious for the Latin tlirone and hand of Lavinia 

HVANTXER, Arcadian Icing, ally of Aeneas 

PALLAS, his son 

Critique: 

This poem is the distinguished Latin 
epic which celebrates the glory of Rome 
in great poetry. It records the traditional 
story of the establishment of the Roman 
race and thus traces the lineage of the 
Romans back to Aeneas and Troy* It 
has already stood the test of time and will 
go down in history as one of the world's 
great epics. 



The Story: 

Aeneas, driven by storm to the shores 
of Libya, was welcomed gladly by the 
people of Carthage. Because Carthage 
was the favorite city of Juno, divine 
enemy of Aeneas, Venus had Cupid take 
the form of Ascanius, son of Aeneas, so 
that the young god of love might warm 
the heart of proud Dido and Aeneas 
come to no harm in her land. At the 
close of a welcoming feast Aeneas was 
prevailed upon to recount his adventures. 

He described the fall of his native 
Troy at the hands of the Greeks after a 
ten-year siege, telling how the armed 
Greeks had entered the city in the belly 
of a great wooden horse and how the 
Trojans had fled from their burning city, 
among them Aeneas with his father 
Anchises and young Ascanius. Not long 
afterward, Anehiscs had advised setting 
sail for distant lands. Blown by varying 
winds, the Trojans had at lengtn reached 
Buthrotum, where had been foretold a 
long and arduous journey before Aeneas 



would reach Italy. Having set sail once 
more, they had reached Sicily. There 
Anchises, who had been his son's sage 
counselor, had died and had been buried. 
Forced to leave Sicily, Aeneas had been 
blown by stormy winds to the coast of 
Libya. I lere he ended his tale, and Dido, 
influenced by Cupid disguised as Asca 
nius, felt pity and admiration for the 
Trojan hero. 

The next day Dido continued her en 
tertainment for Aeneas, During a royal 
hunt a great storm drove Dido and 
Aeneas to the same cave for refuge. 
There they succumbed to the passion of 
love, Aeneas spent the winter in Car 
thage and enjoyed the devotion of the 
cjueen. But in the spring he felt the need 
to continue his destined course. When 
he set sail, the sorrowing Dido killed 
herself. The light of her funeral pyre 
was seen far out at sea. 

Again on the shores of Sicily, Aeneas 
bade his men refresh themselves with 
food, drink, and games. First of all there 
was a boat race in which Cloamhus was 
the victor* The second event was a foot 
race, won by Huryalus. ilntellus engaged 
Dares in a boxing match, which Aeneas 
stopped before tlxe obviously superior 
Hntcllus achieved a knock-out. The final 
contest was with bow and arrow. Kury- 
tion and Acestes made spectacular show 
ings and to each was awarded a hand 
some prize. Following the contests, As- 



12 



canius and the other young boys rode 
out to engage in war games. Meanwhile, 
the women were grieving the lost guid 
ance of Anchises, and at the instigation 
of Juno set fire to the ships. Aeneas, sus 
tained by the gods, bade his people repair 
the damage. Once more the Trojans set 
sail. 

Finally, they reached the shores of 
Italy, at Cumae, famous for its sibyl. 
The sibyl granted Aeneas the privilege of 
visiting his father in the underworld. 
After due sacrifice, the two of them 
began their descent into Hades. At length 
they reached the river Styx and per 
suaded the boatman Charon to row them 
across. Aeneas saw the spirits of many 
people he had known in life, including 
the ill-fated Dido. Then they came to the 
beginning of a forked road. One path 
kd to the regions of the damned; the 
other led to the land of the blessed. Fol 
lowing this latter road, they came at last 
to Anchises, who showed Aeneas in mar 
velous fashion all the future history of 
Rome, and commanded him to found his 
kingdom at the place where he would 
eat his tables. On his return to the upper 
regions Aeneas revisited his men and 
proceeded to his own abode. 

Again the Trojans set sail up the coast 
of Italy, to the ancient state of Latium, 
ruled over by Latinus. On the shore 
they prepared a meal, laying bread under 
their meat. As they were eating, Asca- 
nius jokingly observed that in eating 
their bread they were eating their tables. 
This remark told Aeneas that here was 
the place Anchises had foretold. Next day 
the Trojans came to the city of King 
Latinus on the Tiber. Latinus had been 
warned by an oracle not to give his 
daughter Lavinia in marriage to any 
native man, but to wait for an alien, 
who would come to establish a great 
people. He welcomed Aeneas as that 
man of destiny, 

A Latin hero, Turnus, became jealous 
of the favor Latinus showed Aeneas, and 
stirred up revolt amongthe people. Juno, 
hating Aeneas, aided Tumus. One day 



Ascanius killed a stag, not knowing chat 
it was the tame favorite of a native fam 
ily. There grew from the incident such 
a feud that Latinus shut himself up in 
his house and ceased to control his sub 
jects. Meanwhile Aeneas made prepara 
tions for battle with the Latins under 
Turnus. 

In a dream he was advised to seek the 
help of Evander, whose kingdom on the 
Seven Hills would become the site of 
mighty Rome. Evander agreed to join 
forces with Aeneas against the armies of 
Turnus and to enlist troops from nearby 
territories as well. Now Venus presented 
Aeneas with a fabulous shield made by 
Vulcan, for she feared for the safety of 
her son. 

When Turnus learned that Aeneas 
was with Evander, he and his troops be 
sieged the Trojan camp. One night 
Nisus and Euryalus, two Trojan youthj, 
entered the camp of the sleeping Latins 
and slaughtered a great many of them 
before they were discovered and put to 
death. The enraged Latins advanced on 
the Trojans with fire and sword and 
forced them into open battle. When the 
Trojans seemed about to beat back their 
attackers, Turnus entered the fray and 
put them to flight. But the thought of 
Aeneas inspired the Trojans to such 
bravery that they drove Turnus into the 
river. 

Aeneas, warned in a dream of this 
battle, returned and landed with his 
allies on the shore near the battlefield, 
where he encountered Turnus and his 
armies. Evander's troops were being 
routed when Pallas, Evander's beloved 
son, began to urge them on and himself 
rushed into the fight, killing many of the 
enemy before he was slain in combat with 
Turnus. Aeneas sought to take the life 
of Turnus, who escaped through the in 
tervention of Juno. 

Aeneas decreed that the body of Pallas 
should be sent back to his father with 
appropriate pomp during a twelve-day 
truce. The gods had watched the con 
flict from afar; now Juno relented at 



13 



Jupiter's command, but insisted that the 
Trojans must take the Latin speech and 
garb before their city could rule the 
world. 

Turnus led his band of followers 
against Aeneas in spite of a treaty made 
by Latinus. An arrow from an unknown 
source wounded Aeneas, but his wound 
was miraculously healed. The Trojan 
hero reentered the battle, was again 



wounded, but was able to engage Turnus 
in personal combat and strike him down. 
Aeneas killed his enemy in the name of 
Pallas and sacrificed his body to the 
shade of his dead ally. No longer op 
posed by Turnus, Aeneas was now free 
to marry Lavinia and establish his long- 
promised new nation. This was Rome, 
the mistress of the ancient world. 



THE AGE OF INNOCENCE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author; Edith Wharton (1862-1937) 

Type of plot: Social criticism 

Time of plot; Late nineteenth century 

Locale: New York City 

First published; 1920 

Principal characters: 

NEWLAND ARCHER, a young attorney 
MAY WELLANT>, his fiancee 
COUNTESS ELUEN OLENSKA, her cousin 



Critique: 

This novel is an incisive but oblique 
attack on the intricate and tyrannous 
tribal customs of a highly stratified New 
York society with which the author her 
self was familiar. Her psychological 
probing of the meaning and motivation 
behind the apparent facade of her char 
acters' social behavior shows her to be 
a true disciple of Henry James. The 
method is indeed that of James, but 
Edith Wharton's style is clearer and less 
involved. Here is a well-made novel, the 
work of a craftsman for whom form and 
method are perfectly welded, and the ac 
tion results inevitably from the natures 
of the characters themselves. 

The Story: 

Newland Archer, a handsome and 
eligible young attorney engaged to lovely 
May Welland, learned that the engage 
ment would be announced at a party to 
welcome his fianceVs cousin, Countess 
Ellen Olenska. This reception for Ellen 
constituted a heroic sacrifice on the part 
of the many Welland connections, for 



her marriage to a ne'er-do-well Polish 
count had not improved her position so 
far as rigorous and straight-laced New 
York society was concerned. The fact 
that she contemplated a divorce action 
also made her suspect, and, to cap it all, 
her rather bohemian way of living did 
not conform to what her family expected 
of a woman who had made an unsuccess 
ful marriage. 

Newland Archer's engagement to May 
was announced. At the same party 
Archer was greatly attracted to Ellen. 
Before long, with the excuse that he 
was making the cousin of his betrothed 
feel at home, he began to send her flowers 
and call on her. To him she seemed a 
woman who offered sensitivity, beauty, 
the promise of a life quite different from 
that he could expect after his marriage 
to May. 

He found himself defending Ellen 
when the rest of society was attacking 
her contemplated divorce action. He 
did not, however, consider breaking his 
engagement to May, but constantly 



THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton. By permission of the publishers, Appleton-Century-Crofu 
Inc. Copyright, 1920, by D. Appletou & Co. Renewed, 1947, by Frederic King, 

14 



sought reasons for justifying what was 
to the rest of his group an excellent 
union. With Ellen often in his thoughts, 
May WellancTs cool beauty and correct 
but unexciting personality began to suf 
fer in Archer's estimation. 

Although the clan defended her against 
all outsiders, Ellen was often treated 
as a pariah. Her family kept check on 
her, trying to prevent her from indulging 
in too many bohemianisms, such as her 
strange desire to rent a house in a 
socially unacceptable part of town. The 
women of the clan also recognized her 
as a dangerous rival, and ruthless Julius 
Beaufort, whose secret dissipations were 
known by all, including his wife, paid 
her marked attention. Archer found him 
self hating Julius Beaufort very much. 

Convincing himself that he was see 
ing too much of Ellen, Archer went to 
St. Augustine to visit May, who was 
vacationing there with her mother and 
her hypochondriac father. In spite of 
her cool and conventional welcome and 
her gentle rebuffs to his wooing, her 
beauty reawakened in him a kind of 
affection, and he pleaded with her to 
advance the date of their wedding. May 
and her parents refused because their 
elaborate preparations could not be com 
pleted in time. 

Archer returned to New York. There, 
with tHe aid of the family matriarch, 
Mrs. Manson Mingott, he achieved his 
purpose, and the wedding date was ad 
vanced. This news came to him in a 
telegram sent by May to Ellen, which 
Ellen read to him just as he was at 
tempting to advance the intimacy of their 
relationship. Archer left Ellen's house 
and found a similar telegram from May 
to himself. Telling his sister Janey that 
the wedding would take place within a 
month, he suddenly realized that he was 
now protected against Ellen and him 
self. 

The ornate wedding, the conventional 
European honeymoon which followed, 
and May's assumption of the role of the 
proper wife, soon disillusioned Archer. 



He realized that he was trapped, that 
the mores of his society, helped by his 
own lack of courage, had prepared him, 
like a smooth ritual, for a rigid and codi 
fied life. There was enough intelligence 
and insight in Archer, however, to make 
him resent the trap. 

On his return to New York, he con 
tinued to see Ellen. The uselessness of 
his work as junior attorney in an ancient 
law firm, the stale regimen of his social 
life, and the passive sweetness of May 
did not satisfy that part of Archer which 
set him apart from the rest of his clan. 

He proposed to Ellen that they go 
away together, but Ellen, wise and 
kind, showed him that such an escape 
would not be a pleasant one, and she in 
dicated that they could love each other 
only as long as he did not press for a 
consummation. Archer agreed. He fur 
ther capitulated when, urged by her 
family, he advised Ellen, as her attorney 
and as a relative, not to get a divorce 
from Count Olenski. She agreed, and 
Archer again blamed his own cowardice 
for his action. 

The family faced another crisis when 
Julius Beaufort's firm, built upon a 
framework of shady financial transactions, 
failed, ruining him and his duped cus 
tomers. The blow caused elderly Mrs. 
Mingott to have a stroke, and the family 
rallied around her. She summoned El 
len, a favorite of hers, to her side, and 
Ellen, who had been living in Washing 
ton, D. G, returned to the Mingott house 
to stay. Archer, who had not met Ellen 
since lie advised her against a divorce, 
began seeing her again, and certain re 
marks by Archer's male acquaintances 
along with a strained and martyrlike 
attitude which May had adopted, indi 
cated to him that his intimacy with Ellen 
was known among his family and friends. 
The affair came to an end, however, 
when Ellen left for Paris, after learning 
that May was to have a baby. It was 
obvious to all that May had triumphed, 
and Archer was treated by his family 
as a prodigal returned. The rebel was 



15 



conquered. Archer made his peace with 
society. 

Years passed. Archer dabbled in lib 
eral politics, interested himself in civic 
reforms. Mis children, Mary and Dallas, 
were properly reared. May died when 
Archer was in his fifties. He lamented 
her passing with genuine grief, tie 
watched society changing, and saw the 
old conservative order give way, accepting 
and rationalizing innovations of a 
younger, more liberal generation. 

One day his son Dallas, about to be 
married, phoned him and proposed a 
European tour, their last trip together. 



In Paris, Dallas revealed to his father that 
he knew all about Ellen Olenska and had 
arranged a visit to her apartment. But 
when they arrived, Archer sent his son 
ahead, to pay his respects, while he re 
mained on a park bench outside. A 
romantic to the end, incapable of acting 
in any situation which made demands 
on his emotional resources, he sat and 
watched the lights in Ellen's apartment 
until a servant appeared on the balcony 
and closed the shutters. Then he walked 
slowly back to his hotel. The past was 
the past; the present was secure. 



ALCESTIS 

Type of work: Drama 
Author: Euripides (480-406 B.C.) 
Type of plot: Classical tragedy 
Time of plot: Remote antiquity 
Locale: Plierae, in ancient Greece 
First presented: 438 B.C. 

Principal characters: 

AVOLLO, god of the sun 

ADMKTUS, King of Pherae 

ALCESTXS, his wife 

THANATOS, Death 

HERCULES, son of Zeus and friend to Admetus 

Critique: 

Composed by Euripides as the fourth 
play of a tragic tetrology performed at 
the Feast of Dionysius in 438 B.C., Al~ 
cestis has characteristics of both the tiag- 
edy and the satyr play. Although this 
was a rare but not unique form among 
Attic playwrights, Alcestis is the only 
surviving example. Consistent with Eu- 
ripidcan technique, the conclusion of the 
drama results from the intervention of 
a heavenly power that resolves the con 
flict, in tins case the character of Her 
cules, 



The Story: 

Phoebus Apollo had a son, Asclepius, 
who in time became a gocl of medicine 
and healing. Asclepius transgressed di 
vine law by raising a mortal, I Jippolytus, 
from the dead, and Zeus, in anger, killed 
Apollo's son with a thunderbolt forged 



by the Cyclops. Apollo then slew the 
Cyclops, a deed for which he was con 
demned by Zeus to leave Olympus and 
to serve for one year as herdsman to 
Aclmetus, King of rherne in Thessaly. 

Some time after Apollo had completed 
his term of service, Aclmetus married 
Alcestis, daughter of Pelius, King of lol- 
cus. But on his wedding clay he offended 
the goddess Artemis and so was doomed 
to die. Apollo, grateful for the kindness 
Aclmetus had sliown him in the past, 

E-evailed upon the Fates to spare the 
ng on the condition that when his hour 
of death should come, they should ac 
cept in ransom the life of whoever would 
consent to die in his place. 

None of Aclmetus' kin, however, cared 
to offer themselves in his place. Then 
Alcestis, in wifely devotion, pledged her 
self to die for her husband. Finally the 



16 



day arrived when she must give up her 
life. 

Concerned for the wife of his mortal 
friend, Apollo appealed to Thanatos, who 
had come to take Alcestis to the under 
world. But Thanatos rejected his pleas, 
warning the god not to transgress against 
eternal judgment or the will of the 
Fates. Apollo declared that there was 
one powerful enough to defy the Fates 
who was even then on his way to the 
palace of Admetus. Meanwhile Alcestis 
prepared for her approaching death. On 
the day she was to die she dressed her 
self in her rich funeral robes and prayed 
before the hearth fire to Vesta, goddess 
of the hearth, asking her to be a mother 
to the two children she was leaving be 
hind, to find a helpmate for the boy, a 
gentle lord for the girl, and not to let 
them follow their mother's example and 
die before their time. After her prayers, 
she placed garlands of myrtle on each al 
tar of the house and at each shrine prayed 
tearlessly, knowing that death was com 
ing. Then in her own chamber she wept 
as she remembered the happy years she 
and Admetus had lived together. There 
her children found her, and she said her 
farewells to them. The house was filled 
also with die sound of weeping servants, 
grieving for the mistress they loved. Ad 
metus also wept bitterly, begging Alcestis 
not to leave him. But the condition im 
posed by the Fates had to be met. While 
he watched, her breath grew fainter, and 
her cold hand fell languidly. Before she 
died, she asked him to promise that he 
would always care tenderly for their 
children and! that he would never marry 
again. 

At that moment Hercules arrived at 



the palace of Admetus, on his way to slay 
the wild horses of Diomedes in Thrace 
as the eighth of his twelve labors. Ad 
metus concealed from Hercules the news 
of Alcestis' death so that he might keep 
the son of Zeus as a guest and carry out 
the proper rites of hospitality. Hercules, 
ignorant of what had taken place before 
his arrival in Pherae, speni the night 
carousing, drinking wine, and singing, 
only to awaken in the morning and dis 
cover that Alcestis had died hours before 
he came and that his host had purposely 
deluded him in order to make his stay 
in Pherae as comfortable as possible. In 
gratitude for Admetus' thoughtfulness 
and in remorse for having reveled while 
the home of his friend was deep in 
sorrow, he determined to ambush Thana 
tos and bring Alcestis back from the 
dead. 

Since no labor was too arduous for the 
hero, he set out after Thanatos and Al 
cestis. Overtaking them, he wrestled with 
Thanatos and forced him to give up his 
victim. Then he brought Alcestis, heavily 
veiled, into the presence of sorrowing 
Admetus, and asked the king to protect 
her until Hercules returned from Thrace. 
When Admetus refused, Hercules in 
sisted that the king at least peer beneath 
the woman's veil. Great was the joy of 
Admetus and his household when they 
learned that the woman was Alcestis. 
miraculously returned from the grave, 
Pleased with his efforts, doughty Her 
cules set out once more to face the peril 
ous eighth labor which Awaited him in 
Thrace, firm in the knowledge that with 
him went the undying gratitude of Ad 
metus and the gentle Alcestis. 



ALECK MAURY, SPORTSMAJST 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Caroline Gordon ( 1 895- ) 

Type of 'plot: Fictional biography 

Time of- flat: Late nineteenth, early twentieth centuries 

Locale: Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri 

First yulolisned: 1934 

Principal characters: 

ALECK MAURY, a Southern sportsman 

17 



JAMES Mormrs, his uncle 

VICTORIA, his aunt 

JULIAN, his cousin 

MR. FAYERLEJE, owner of Merry Point 

MRS. FAYERLEE, his wife 

MOLLY FAYERLEE, their daughter, Aleck's wife 

RICHARD, and 

SARAH (SALLY), Aleck's and Molly's children 

STEVE, Sarah's husband 



Critique: 

This novel tells of Aleck Maury, who 
devoted his life to his twin enthusiasms 
for gun and rod. To him, hunting and 
fishing were the very breath of life; 
everything else was secondary, including 
his career as a teacher of Latin and Greek, 
The book is a series of incidents 
which, when put together, describe 
Aleck Maury and make him seem real. 

The Story: 

Aleck Maury 's love for hunting and 
fishing began in childhood. At the age 
of eight, Rate, a Negro handyman at the 
Maury household, took Aleck coon hunt 
ing. Not long after, a mill owner named 
Jones took the boy fishing and encouraged 
his lifelong love for that sport. Aleck 
was always happiest when he was out 
in the fields, One of five children, he was 
reared by his oldest sister after his mother 
died, Until he was ten years old, he was 
educated at home by his father, who 
put great stress upon the classics and 
taught his children nothing else. 

At the age of ten, Aleck went to live 
at Grassdale with his Uncle James and 
Aunt Victoria Morris and their son, 
Julian. There his education was to be 
broadened under the tutelage of Aunt 
Victoria, who was a learned woman, 
Aleck's life at Grassdale was pleasant, 
centering chiefly about sport. 

When Aleck was graduated from the 
University of Virginia, he had a classical 
education but no plans for making a 
living, I le tried several jobs. I le cleared 
out a dogwood thicket for a set sum of 
money, worked on a construction project 
on the Missouri River, in the city en 



gineer's office in Seattle, and as a day 
laborer on a ranch in California. While 
working at the ranch, he contracted 
typhoid fever and was sent back east as 
far as Kansas City, to stay with some 
relatives there. At last through the 
efforts of his family Aleck became a 
tutor at Merry Point, the home of Mr, 
Fayerlee, near Gloversville, Tennessee. 

Aleck, living with the Fayerlees, be 
came the local schoolmaster for the chil 
dren of most of the landowners in the 
area. Aleck's first interest, however, 
was not in the school or the students he 
taught, but in the possibilities for fish 
ing and hunting. 

During his stay with the Fnyerlees, 
Aleck fell in love with Molly I ; ayerlee, 
and in 1890 they were married, They 
continued to live on with the I ; ayerlees 
and Aleck contimied to teach school. 
During his first year of marriage Aleek 
acquired the pup Ctyges, a small hut 
thoroughbred bird dog. lie trained Gy 
from a pup and became greatly attached 
to him, The next fall Aleck's son Richard 
was horn. Two years later a daughter 
Sarah, nicknamed Sally, was born, They 
all continued to live at Merry Point. 

When Richard was seven, Aleek was 
offered the presidency of a small semi 
nary in Mississippi, and over the protesta 
tions of the Fayerlee family the Maurys 
left Merry Point, On the way, while 
spending the night in Cairo, Aleck lost 
CAT. The dog was never heard of again. 
Tney continued their journey to Oak 
land and the seminary. When Aleck 
arrived, he found that the school was 
running smoothly under the able diree- 



ALECK MAURY, SPORTSMAN by Caroline Gordon. By perminion of the author and the publiihert, Chrlci 
Scribaer'i Son*. Copyright, 1934, by Charlea Scribncr'u Sons. 



18 



tion of Harry Morrow, his young as 
sistant, who was interested in adminis 
tration rather than teaching. A few 
months after arriving at Oakland, Aleck 
acquired an untrained two-year-old 
pointer named Trecho from his friend, 
William Mason. Once again Aleck 
started the slow, arduous training of a 
good hunting dog. 

When Richard was fifteen, Aleck 
tried to interest him in the joys of his 
own life, hunting and fishing, but his 
son, although he was a splendid swimmer 
and wrestler, had little interest in his 
father's fondness for field and stream. 
That summer Richard, while swimming 
in the river with a group of his com 
panions, was drowned. The boy had been 
Molly's favorite and his loss was almost 
more than she could bear. Aleck thought 
it would be best for all concerned to 
leave for different surroundings. 

He decided after some correspondence 
with friends that he would start a school 
in Gloversville, and the family moved 
back there. Settled in the small Ten 
nessee town, Aleck found much time for 
fishing and hunting. He met Colonel 
Wyndham and from him learned a great 
deal about casting, flies, and the tech 
niques to be used for catching various 
fish. Finally he began to grow tired of 
the same pools and the same river, and 
it was with pleasure that he accepted 
Harry Morrow's offer of a job on the 
faculty of Rodman College at Poplar 
Bluff, Missouri, of which Morrow had 
just been made president. 

Aleck's main reason for accepting the 
position was the possibility it offered 
for fishing in the Black River. Thus 
once again, after ten years in Gloversville, 
the Maury family was on the move to 
newer fishing grounds. Sally, however, 
did not accompany them, but went to a 
girls' school in Nashville. The faithful 
Trecho was also left behind, for he had 
been destroyed at the age of twelve be 
cause of his rheumatism. 

At Rodman Aleck had only morning 
classes, a schedule which left him free 



to fish every afternoon. This pleasant 
life teaching in the morning, fishing in 
the afternoon continued for seven years. 
Then Molly died after an emergency 
operation. Mrs. Fayerlee and Sally 
arrived too late to see her alive. The 
three of them took her back to be buried 
in the family plot at Merry Point. 

Aleck returned to Poplar Bluff and 
continued teaching there for a few years, 
but at last he resigned his position and 
went to live at Jim Buford's, near Glovers 
ville, where he spent the next two years 
restocking Jim's lakes with bream and 
bass. Later he decided to go to Lake 
Harris in Florida to try the fishing; but 
he found it disappointing because of the 
eel grass which kept the fish from putting 
up a fight. About that time he received 
a letter from Sally, who had married 
and gone touring abroad with her hus 
band. The letter informed him that she 
and her husband were soon to return 
home and that they hoped to find a quiet 
place in the countiy on some good 
fishing water, where Aleck would go 
to live with them. Aleck wrote and 
suggested that they start their search 
for a house near Elk River. 

Four weeks later he meet Sally and 
Steve at Tullahoma, only to learn that 
Steve and Sally, who had arrived the 
day before, had already discovered the 
place they would like to have. They told 
him it was the old Potter house, close 
to the river. When Aleck saw the big, 
clapboard house, however, all his dreams 
about a white cottage disappeared, and 
when he looked at the river he decided 
that it would probably be muddy about 
half the year. Seeing his disappoint 
ment, Steve and Sally promised to con 
tinue their attempt to find a more ideal 
house, but at the end of the day's search 
they decided that they still liked the old 
Potter house the best. That night Aleck 
boarded a bus bound for Caney Fork, the 
place where he really wanted to live, and 
he went to stay at a small inn located 
there. The fishing was always good at 
Caney Fork. 



19 



ALICE ADAMS 

Type of work: Novel 

Author; Booth Tarkington (1869-1946) 

Type of 'plot: Social criticism 

Time of plot: Early twentieth century 

Locale: A small Midwestern town 

First published: 1921 

Principal characters: 

ALICE ADAMS, a small-town girl 
Vmcit, ADAMS, her father 
Mns. ADAMS, his wife 
WALTER ADAMS, his son 
MILDRBD PALMER, Alice's friend 
ARTHUR RUSSELL, the Palmers' relative 
MR. LAMB, of Lamb and Company 

Critique: 

Alice Adams is a rather simply told 
story containing one plot and concerning 
itself with one central character. The 
novel is the vehicle through which Tar- 
kington expounds his philosophy o life 
and his gentle satire on small town 
manners and morals. 



night of the dance Alice departed in a 
made-over formal, carrying a homemade 
bouquet of wild violets, and with an 
unwilling escort who was driving a 
borrowed flivver. The party itself turned 
out no better than its inauspicious be 
ginning. Alice was very much a wall- 
ilower except Cor the attentions of Frank 
Dowling, a fat, unpopular hoy. Toward 
the end of the evening Mildred Palmer 
introduced Alice to a new young man, 
Arthur Russell, a distant relative of the 
Palmers, It was rumored that Mildred 
and Arthur would become engaged in 
the near future, Alice asked Arthur to 
find her brother, whom she had not 
seen since the second dance. When 
Arthur found Walter shooting dice with 
the Negro waiters in the cloakroom, Alice 
was mortified. 

A week later Alice acciclcntly met 
Arthur Russell and he walked home 
with her, During their walk Alice 
learned that Arthur had asked for an 
introduction to her at the da nee. Flat 
tered, Alice built up for herself a back 
ground which did not: exist. Arthur 
asked for permission to call on her. 

But Arthur failed to appear the next 
evening. Several nights later, nfter Alice 
had helped with the dishes, she was 
sitting on the front poreh when Arthur 
finally came to call. To hold his in- 

AUCE ADAMS by Booth TarkinKton. By permiftsion O f Brandt c Brandt and the publiihert, Doublcday A Co 
Inc. Copyright, 1921, by Doublcday & Co., Inc. Renewed, 1949, by R. Susannah Tarkmjfton. 



The Story: 

Alice Adams had been reared in a 
town in which each person's business 
was everybody's bxisiness, sooner or later. 
Her father, Virgil Adams, worked for 
Lamb and Company, a wholesale drag 
factory in the town, where he also ob 
tained a job for his son Walter. Alice 
had been one of the town's young smart 
set while she was in high school, but 
when the others of the group had gone 
to college Alice had remained behind be 
cause of economic reasons. As time 
passed she felt increasingly out of things, 
To compensate for a lack of attention, 
Alice often attracted notice to herself 
by affected mannerisms, 

Alice had been invited to a dance 
given by Mildred Palmer, who, according 
to Alice, was her best friend. Walter had 
also been invited so as to provide her 
with an escort* Getting Walter to go 
out with Alice, however, was a process 
which took all the coaxing and cajoling 
that Mrs, Adams could muster. On the 



20 



terest, Alice asked him to promise not to 
listen to any gossip about her. As time 
went on, she repeated her fear that 
someone would talk about her. Her pro 
testations were something Arthur could 
not understand. 

For many years Mrs. Adams had been 
trying to convince her husband to leave 
his job at Lamb and Company and go 
into business for himself. Her idea was 
that he could start a factory to manu 
facture glue from a formula he and 
another young man at Lamb and Com 
pany had discovered years before. Mean 
while the other man had died and the 
only people who knew the formula were 
Mr. Lamb and Mr. Adams. Mr. Lamb 
had lost interest in the formula. Mr. 
Adams felt that his wife's scheme was 
dishonest, and in spite of her nagging 
he refused to do as she wished. But 
after Mr. Lamb's granddaughter failed 
to invite Alice to a dinner party she was 
giving, Mrs. Adams convinced her hus 
band that the true reason was their 
own poor economic status. In that way 
she finally won his grudging agreement 
to her plan. 

Without delay, Mr. Adams began to 
organize his new business. Walter re 
fused to join him because Mr. Adams 
would not give him three hundred dol 
lars immediately. But Mr. Adams needed 
all his money for his new project. He 
sent Mr. Lamb a letter of resignation, 
telling of his intention to start a glue 
factory. He expected some sort of action 
or at least an outburst on Mr. Lamb's 
part when he read the letter, but nothing 
was forthcoming. He went ahead with 
his arrangements and began to manu 
facture his glue. 

Alice's mother decided the time had 
come to invite Arthur to dinner, and 
Alice agreed with great reluctance. An 
elaborate meal was prepared; a maid 



was hired to serve, and Mr. Adams wa*> 
forced into his dress suit. But the 
dinner was a dismal failure, and every 
one, including Arthur, was extremely 
uncomfortable. Arthur had more reason 
than the rest for being so, for he had 
heard Mr. Adam's venture discussed in 
the most unfavorable light. He had also 
heard some uncomplimentary remarks 
about Alice. Before dinner was over, a 
friend named Charley Lohr came to 
speak to Mr. Adams. When both her 
mother and father failed to return to the 
table, Alice and Arthur went out to the 
porch. She soon dismissed him, know 
ing that something had come between 
them. When she went into the house, 
Charley Lohr informed her that her 
brother had been caught short in his 
accounts and had skipped town. 

Mr. Adams decided to get a loan from 
the bank the first thing in the morning in 
order to pay back what Walter had taken. 
However, when he went to his factor) 
in the morning, he discovered that the 
building which had been erected across 
the street from his was in reality another 
glue factory, one started by Mr. Lamb. 
His hopes of obtaining money on his 
factory were shattered. Then Mr. Lamb 
rode up to gloat over his retaliation. Mr. 
Adams angrily accused Mr. Lamb of 
waiting until Walter got into trouble 
before announcing his new factory and 
thereby making Mr. Adams' property 
practically worthless. He worked himself 
into such a state that he had a stroke. 

Mr. Lamb, feeling sorry for Mr. 
Adams, offered to buy him out, and Mr. 
Adams was forced to agree. Now there 
was no income in the family. Mrs. 
Adams decided to take in boarders, and 
Alice finally made up her mind to enroll 
in Frincke's Business College. She had 
lost more than Arthur Russell; she had 
lost her daydreams as well. 



ALICE IN WONDERLAND 

Type of work: Imaginative tale 

Author: Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, 1832-1898) 

Tyy of ylot: Fantasy 



21 



Time of plot: Victorian England 

Locale: The dream world of an imaginative child 

First 'published: 1865 

Principal characters: 

ALICE 

THE WHITE RABBIT 

THE DUCHESS 

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS 

Critique: 

Adults will view this book as a gentle 
satire on education, politics, literature, 
and Victorian life in general, seen 
through the eyes of Alice, a child who 
is the product of a confusing environ 
ment. The book is written with charm 
ing simplicity. There are poetic paro 
dies on Wordsworth and Sou they which 
ire amusing to the point of hilarity, as 
\vell as ingenuous observations on the 
status of powerful female rulers. Through 
all her puzzling adventures in the dream 
world, Alice remains the very essence 
of little girlhood, Children read this 
book with delight, finding in Alice a 
heroine who aptly represents their own 
thoughts ancl feelings about growing up. 

The Story; 

Alice was quietly reading over her 
sister's shoulder when she saw a White 
Rabbit dash across the lawn and disap 
pear into its hole. She jumped up to rush 
after him and found herself falling down 
the rabbit hole. At the bottom she saw 
the White Rabbit hurrying along a cor 
ridor ahead of her and murmuring that 
he would be late. lie disappeared 
around a corner, leaving Alice standing 
in front of several locked doors. 

On a glass table she found a tiny 
golden key which unlocked a little door 
hidden behind a curtain. The door 
opened upon a lovely miniature garden, 
but she could not got through the door 
way because it was too small. She sadly 
replaced the key on the table. A little 
bottle mysteriously appeared. Alice drank 
the contents ancl immediately began to 
grow smaller, so much so that she could 
no longer reach the key on the table. 
Next, sac ate a piece of cake she found 



nearby and soon she began to grow to 
such enormous size that she could only 
squint through the door, la despair, she 
began to weep tears as big as raindrops. 
As she sat there crying, the White Rab 
bit appeared, bewailing the fact that the 
Duchess would be angry if he kept her 
waiting. 

The White Rabbit dropped his fan 
and gloves. Alice picked them up and 
as she did so she began to grow smaller. 
Again she rushed to the garden door, 
but she found it shut and the golden 
key once more on the table out of reach. 

Then she fell into a pool of her own 
tears! Splashing along, she encountered 
a mouse who had stumbled into the 
pool Alice tactlessly began a conversa 
tion about her cat Dinah, and the mouse 
became speechless with terror. Soon the 
pool of tears was filled with living 
creatures, birds ancl animals of all kinds. 
An old Dodo suggested tlvit they run a 
Caucus Race to get dry. Having asked 
what a Caucus Race was, Alice was told 
that the best way to explain it was to do 
it. Whereupon the animals ran them 
selves quite breathless and finally became 
dry, 

Afterwards, the mouse told n "Tail" to 
match its own appendage. Alice was 
asked to tell something, but the only 
thing she could think of was her cat- 
Dinah. Frightened, the other creatures 
went away, and Alice was left alone. 

The White Rabbit appeared once 
more, this time hunting for his gloves and 
fan. Catching sight of Alice, he sent 
her to his home to get him a fresh pair 
of gloves and another fan. In the Rab 
bit's house she found the fan and gloves 
and also took a drink from a bottle, In- 



22 



stantly she grew to a giant size, and was 
forced to put her leg up the chimney 
and her elbow out of the window in 
order to keep from being squeezed to 
death. 

She managed to eat a little cake and 
shrink herself again. As soon as she was 
small enough to get through the door, 
she ran into a nearby wood where she 
found a caterpillar sitting on a mush 
room. The caterpillar was very rude to 
Alice and he scornfully asked her to 
prove her worth by reciting "You Are 
Old, Father William/' Alice did so, but 
the words sounded very strange. Dis 
gusted, he left her after giving her some 
valuable information about increasing or 
decreasing her size. She broke off pieces 
of the mushroom and found to her de 
light that by eating from the piece in her 
left hand she could become taller, and 
from the piece in her right hand, smaller. 

She came to a little house among the 
trees. There a footman, who looked very 
much like a fish, presented to another 
footman, who closely remembled a frog, 
an invitation for the Duchess to play 
croquet with the Queen. The two am 
phibians bowed to each other with great 
formality, tangling their wigs together. 
Alice opened the door and found herself 
in the chaotic house of the Duchess. The 
cook was stirring a large pot of soup and 
pouring plenty of pepper into the mix 
ture. Everyone was sneezing except the 
cook and a Cheshire cat which sat on 
the hearth grinning. The Duchess her 
self held a sneezing, squalling baby, and 
sang to it a blaring lullaby. Alice, in 
sympathy with the poor child, picked 
it up and carried it out into the fresh 
air, whereupon the baby turned slowly 
into a pig, squirmed out of her arms, and 
waddled into the forest. 

Standing in bewilderment, Alice saw 
the grinning Cheshire cat sitting in a 
tree. He was able to appear and dis 
appear at will, and after exercising his 
talents, he advised Alice to go to a tea 
party given by the Mad Hatter. The cat 
vanished, all but the grin. Finally that 



too, disappeared, and Alice left for the 
party, 

There Alice found she had to deal with 
the strangest people she had ever seen 
a March Hare, a Mad Hatter, and a 
sleepy Dormouse. All were too lazy to 
set the table properly; dirty dishes were 
everywhere. The Dormouse fell asleep 
in its teacup; the Mad Hatter told Alice 
her hair needed cutting; the March Hare 
offered her wine and then told her there 
was none. They asked her foolish riddles 
that had no answers. Then, worse, they 
ignored her completely and carried on a 
ridiculous conversation among them 
selves. She escaped after the Dormouse 
fell asleep in the middle of a story ho 
was telling. 

Next she found herself in a garden of 
talking flowers. Just as the conversation 
was beginning, some gardeners appeared 
with paint brushes and began to splash 
red paint on a rose bush. Alice learned 
that the Queen had ordered a red bush 
to be placed in that spot, and the gar 
deners had made a mistake and planted 
a white one. Now they were busily 
and fearfully trying to cover their error 
before the Queen arrived. But the pooi 
gardeners were not swift enough. The 
Queen caught them in the act, and the 
wretched gardeners were led off to be 
decapitated. Alice saved them by shov 
ing them down into a large flower pot, 
out of sight of the dreadful Queen. 

A croquet game began. The mallets 
were live flamingoes, and the balls were 
hedgehogs which thought nothing of un 
curling themselves and running rapidly 
over the field. The Duchess cornered 
Alice and led her away to the seaside to 
introduce her to the Mock Turtle and the 
Gryphon. 

While engaged in a Lobster Quadrille, 
they heard the news of a trial. A thief 
had stolen some tarts. Rushing to the 
courtroom where a trial by jury was al 
ready in session, Alice was called upon 
to act as a witness before the King and 
Queen of Hearts. But the excited child 
unset the jury box and spilled out all 



23 



its occupants. After replacing all the 
animals in the box, Alice said she knew 
nothing of the matter. Her speech 
infuriated the Queen, who ordered that 
Alice's head be cut off. The whole court 



rushed at her, and Alice defiantly called 
them nothing but a pack of cards. She 
awoke from her dream as her sister 
brushed away some dead leaves blowing 
over her face. 



AMELIA 

Type of 'work: Novel 

Author: Henry Fielding (1707-1754) 

Type of ^lot: Domestic realism 

Time of 'plot; 1740's 

Locale: England 

First published: 1751 

Principal characters: 

CAPTAIN BOOTH, a soldier 
AMELIA, his wife 
ELIZABETH HARRIS, her sister 
SKIIGKANT ATKINSON, her foster brother 
DR. HARRISON, Booth's benefactor 
Miss MATTHEWS, a woman of the town 
COLONKL JAJVTHS, Booth's former officer 

Critique: 

As Fielding declared in his introduc 
tion to The History of Amelia, lie satir 
ized nobody in tlie novel. Amelia, the 
long-suffering wife of every generation, 
is charming and attractive. The foibles 
of her husband still ring true* Dr, I Iar~ 
rison is a man each reader would like 
to know. Some of the interest of the 
novel lies in Fielding's accurate presenta 
tion of prison life and the courts* Having 
been a magistrate for many years, he was 
able to present these scenes in a most 
modern and realistic way, for aside from 
presenting the virtuous character of 
Amelia, i'ielding wanted his novel to 
interest people in prison and legal re 
form. Although the novel lacks the 
extravagant humor of his earlier novels, 
the plot presents many amusing char 
acters and complex situations. 



The Story, 

One night the watchmen of West 
minster arrested Captain William Booth, 
seizing him during Jhis attempt to rescue 
a stranger who was being attacked by 
two ruffians. The footpads secured their 
own liberty by bribing the constables, 
but Booth, in spite of his protests, was 



hailed before an unjust magistrate. The 
story he told was a straightforward one, 
but because he was penniless and shab 
bily dressed the judge dismissed his tale 
and sentenced him to prison. Booth was 
desperate, for there was no one he knew 
in London to whom he could turn for 
aid. His plight was made worse by his 
reception at the prison. His fellow pris 
oners stripped him of his coat, and a 
pickpocket made off with his snulFbox. 

While he was smarting from these in 
dignities, a fashionably dressed young 
woman was brought through the gates, 
Flourishing a bag of gold in the face 
of her keepers, she demanded a private 
room in the prison. Her appearance and 
manner reminded Booth of an old friend 
of questionable background, a Miss Mat 
thews whom he had not seen for several 
years. But when the woman passed him 
without a sign of recognition, he be* 
lieved himself mistaken, 

Shortly afterward a guard brought him 
u guinea in. a small parcel, and with the 
money Booth was able to redeem his 
coat and snuffbox. The rest of the wind 
fall he lost in a card game. Booth was 
penniless once more when a keeper came 



24 



co conduct him to Miss Matthews, for 
the woman was indeed she. Seeing his 
wretched condition as he stood by the 
prison gate, she had sent him the mys 
terious guinea. 

Reunited under these distressing cir 
cumstances, they proceeded to relate the 
stories of their experiences. Miss Mat 
thews told how she had been committed 
to await sentence for a penknife attack 
on a soldier who had seduced her under 
false promises of marriage. 

Booth, in turn, told this story. He had 
met a Miss Amelia Harris, a beautiful 
girl whose mother at first opposed her 
daughter's marriage to a penniless sol 
dier. The young couple eloped but were 
later, through the efforts of Dr. Harri 
son, a wise and kindly curate, reconciled 
with Amelia's mother. Booth's regiment 
was ordered to Gibraltar, shortly before 
a child was to be born to Amelia. He 
left reluctantly, leaving Amelia in the 
care of her mother and her older sister, 
Elizabeth. At Gibraltar Booth earned the 
good opinion of his officers by his brav 
ery. Wounded in one of the battles of 
the campaign, he was very ill, and 
Amelia, learning of his condition, left 
her child with her mother and sister and 
went to Gibraltar to nurse her sick hus 
band. Then Amelia, in her turn, fell 
sick. Wishing to take her to a milder 
climate, Booth wrote to Mrs. Harris for 
money, but in reply received only a rude 
note from Elizabeth. He hoped to get 
the money from his army friend, Major 
James, but that gentleman was away at 
the time. Finally he borrowed the money 
from Sergeant Atkinson, his friend and 
Amelia's foster brother, and went with his 
wife to Montpelier. There the couple 
made friends with an amusing English 
officer named Colonel Bath and his sister. 

Joy at the birth of a second child, a 
girl, was dampened by a letter from Dr. 
Harrison, who wrote to tell them that 
old Mrs. Harris was dead, and that she 
had left her property to Amelia's sister. 
The Booths returned home, to be greeted 
so rudely by Elizabeth that they with 



drew from the house. But for the help 
of Dr. Harrison, they would have been 
destitute. Harrison set Booth up as a 
gentleman farmer and tried to help him 
make the best of his half-pay from the 
Army. But because of several small mis 
takes, Booth made enemies among the 
surrounding farmers. Dr. Harrison was 
traveling on the continent at the time 
and in his absence Booth was reduced 
almost to bankruptcy, He came to Lon 
don to try his fortunes anew. He pre 
ceded Amelia, found modest lodgings, 
and wrote her where they were. It was 
at this point that another misfortune 
landed him in prison. At the end of 
Booth's story, Miss Matthews sympa- 
thized with his unfortunate situation, 
congratulated him on his wife and chil 
dren, and paid the jailer to let Booth 
spend the next few nights with her in 
her cell. 

Booth and Miss Matthews were shortly 
released from prison, The soldier 
wounded by Miss Matthews having com 
pletely recovered, charges against her 
were dropped. Miss Matthews also se^ 
cured the release of Booth, and the two 
were preparing to leave prison when 
Amelia arrived. She had come up from 
the country to save him, and his release 
was a welcome surprise for the distressed 
wife. The Booths set themselves up in 
London, Shortly afterward, Booth met 
his former officer, now Colonel James, 
who in the meanwhile had married Miss 
Bath and grown quickly tired of her. 
Mrs. James and Amelia resumed their 
old friendship. Booth, afraid that Miss 
Matthews would inform Amelia of their 
affair in prison, told Colonel James of 
his difficulties and fears. The colonel 
gave him a loan and told him not to 
worry. Colonel James was himself in 
terested in Miss Matthews, but he was 
unable to help Booth by his intercession. 
Miss Matthews continued to send Booth 
reproachful and revealing letters which 
might at any time have been intercepted 
by Amelia. 

While walking in the park one day^, 



the Booths met Sergeant Atkinson. He 
joined their household to help care for 
the children, and soon he started a half 
flirtation with a Mrs. Ellison, Booth's 
landlady. 

Mrs. Ellison proved useful to the 
Booths, for a lord who came also to visit 
her advanced money to pay some of 
Booth's debts. Meanwhile Miss Mat 
thews had spitefully turned Colonel 
James against Booth. Colonel Bath, hear 
ing his brother-in-law's poor opinion of 
Booth, decided that Booth was neither 
an officer nor a gentleman, and chal 
lenged him to a duel. Colonel Bath be 
lieved in nothing so much as a code of 
honor, and when, in the duel, Booth had 
run him through, without serious injury, 
the colonel was so much impressed by 
Booth's gallantry that he forgave him and 
brought about a reconciliation between 
James and Booth, 

During this time Mrs. Ellison had been 
trying to arrange an assignation between 
Amelia and the nobleman who had given 
Booth money to pay his gambling debts. 
Amelia was innocently misled by her 
false friends. But the nobleman's plan 
to meet Amelia secretly at a masquerade 
was thwarted by another neighbor, Mrs. 
Bennet This woman, who had been a 
boarder in Mrs. Ellison's house, had also 
met the noble lord, had encountered 
him at a masquerade, and had drunk the 
drugged wine he provided. To prevent 
Amelia's ruin in the same manner, Mrs. 
Bennet came to warn her friend. Then 
she informed Amelia that she had re 
cently married Sergeant Atkinson, whom 
Amelia had thought in love with Mrs. 
Ellison. But Amelia's joy at learning 
of both the plot, which she now planned 
to escape, and of the marriage, was 
marred by the news that Booth had again 
been put into prison for debt, this time 
on a warrant of their old friend Dr. 
[ larrison. 

Amelia soon discovered that Dr, Har 
rison had been misled by false rumors 
of Booth's extravagance, and had put 



him in jail in order to stop his rash 
spending of money. Learning the truth, 
Dr. Harrison had Booth released from 
prison. 

On the night of the masquerade 
Amelia remained at home but sent Mrs. 
Atkinson dressed in her costume. At the 
dance Mrs. Atkinson was able to fool 
not only the lord but also Colonel James. 
The complications of the affair were 
many, almost every relationship beino 
misunderstood. Booth fell in with an old 
friend and lost a large sum of money 
to him. Again he became worried about 
being put in jail. Then he became in 
volved in a duel with Colonel Jarnes 
over Miss Matthews, whom Booth had 
visited only at her insistence. Before 
the duel could take place, Booth was 
again imprisoned for debt, and Dr. Har 
rison was forced to clear his name with 
Colonel James. Finally James forgave 
Booth, and Miss Matthews promised 
never to bother him again. 

Called by chance into a strange house 
to hear the deathbed confession of a 
man named Robinson, Dr. 1 larrison 
learned that Robinson had at one time 
been a clerk to a lawyer named Murphy 
who had made Mrs, Harris* will. He 
learned also that the will which had left 
Amelia penniless was a false one prepared 
by Elizabeth and Murphy. Dr. Harri 
son had Robinson write a confession so 
that Amelia could get the money that 
was rightfully hers. The lawyer Murphy 
was quickly brought to trial and con 
victed of forgery. 

Booth's troubles were now almost at 
an end. With Dr, Harrison he and 
Amelia returned home to confront Eliza 
beth with their knowledge of her scheme. 
Elizabeth fled to France, where Amelia, 
relenting, sent her an annual allowance. 
Booth's adventures had finally taught 
him not to gamble, and with his faithful 
Amelia he settled clown to a quiet and 
prosperous life blessed with many chil 
dren and the invaluable friendship of 
Dr, Harrison and the Atkinsons. 



26 



THE AMERICAN 



Type of work: Novel 

Author: Henry James (1843-1916) 

Type of plot: Psychological realism 

Time of plot: Mid-nineteenth century 

Locale: Paris, France 

First published: 1877 

Principal characters: 

CHRISTOPHER NEWMAN, an American 

MR. TRISTRAM, a friend 

MRS. TRISTRAM, his wife 

M. NIOCHE, a shopkeeper 

MLLE. NIOCHE, his daughter 

MADAME DE BELLEGARDE, a French aristocrat 

CLAIRE DE CENTRE, Madame de Bellegarde's daughter 

MARQUIS DE BELLEGARDE, Madame de Bellegarde s older son 

VALENTIN DE BELLEGARDE, Madame de Bellegarde's younger son 

MRS. BREAD, Madame de Bellegarde's servant 

Critique: 

In this novel Henry James shows the 
interreaction of two cultures, the Ameri 
can and the French. His primary interest 
is not in the action; his aim is to analyze 
the various psychological situations cre 
ated by the events of the plot. The au 
thor scrutinizes the inner lives of his 
characters and writes about them in an 
urbane and polished style uniqxiely his 



own. 

The Story: 

In 1868 Christopher Newman, a 
young American millionaire, withdrew 
from business and sailed for Paris. He 
wanted to loaf, to develop his aesthetic 
sense, and to find a wife for himself. 
One day, as he wandered in the Louvre, 
he made the acquaintance of Mile. 
Nioche, a young copyist. She intro 
duced him to her father, an unsuccessful 
shopkeeper. Newman bought a picture 
from Mile. Nioche and contracted to 
take French lessons from her father. 

Later, through the French wife of an 
American friend named Tristram, he met 
Claire de Cintr6, a young widow, 
daughter of an English mother and a 
French father. As a young girl, Claire 
had been married to Monsieur de Cintre*, 
an evil old man. He had soon died, 
leaviju Claire with a distaste for mar 



riage. In spite of her attitude, Newman 
saw in her the woman he wished for his 
wife. But an American businessman was 
not the person to associate with French 
aristocracy. On his first call, Newman 
was kept from entering Claire's house 
by her elder brother, the Marquis de 
Bellegarde. 

True to his promise, M, Nioche ap 
peared one morning to give Newman his 
first lesson in French, Newman enjoyed 
talking to the old man. He learned that 
Mile. Nioche dominated her father and 
that he lived in fear that she would leave 
him and become the mistress of some 
rich man. M. Nioche assured Newman 
that he would shoot her if she did. New 
man took pity on the old man and prom 
ised him enough money for Mile, 
Nioche's dowry if she would paint some 
more copies for him. 

Newman left Paris and traveled 
through Europe during the summer. 
When he returned to Paris in the au 
tumn he learned that the Tristrams had 
been helpful; the Bellegardes were will 
ing to receive him. One evening Claire's 
younger brother, Valentin, called on 
Newman and the two men found their 
opposite points of view a basis for friend 
ship. Valentin envied Newman's liberty 
to do as he pleased; Newman wished 



himself acceptable to the society in which 
the Bellegardes moved. After they had 
become good friends, Newman told Val 
entin that he wished to many his sister 
and asked Valentin to plead his cause. 
Warning Newman that his social posi 
tion was against him, Valentin promised 
to help the American as much as he 
could. 

Newman confessed his wish to Claire, 
and asked Madame de Bellegarde, Claire's 
mother, and the marquis for permission 
to he her suitor. The permission was 
given, grudgingly. The Bellegardes 
needed money in the family. 

Newman went to the Louvre to see 
how Mile. Nioche was progressing with 
her copying. There he met Valentin 
and introduced him to the young lady. 

Mrs, Bread, an old English servant of 
the Bellegardes, assured Newman that he 
was making progress with his suit. He 
asked Claire to marry him and she ac 
cepted. Meanwhile, Valentin had chal 
lenged another man to a duel in a 
quarrel over Mile. Nioche, Valentin 
left for Switzerland with his seconds. 
The next morning Newman went to see 
Claire. Mrs. Bread met him at the 
door and said that Claire was leaving 
town. Newman demanded an explana 
tion. He was told that the Bellegardes 
could not allow a commercial person in 
the family. When he arrived home, he 
found a telegram from Valentin stating 
that he had boon badly wounded and 
asking Newman to come at once to 
Switzerland. 

With this double burden of sorrow, 
Newman arrived in Switzerland and 
found Valentin near death. Valentin 
guessed what his family had done and 
told Newman that Mrs. Bread knew a 
family secret. If he could get the secret 
from her, he could make them return 
Claire to him. Valentin died the next 
morning. 

Newman attended the funeral. Three 
days later he again called on Claire, who 
told him that she intended to enter a 
convent. Newman begged her not to 



take this step. Desperate, he called on 
the Bellegardes again and told them that 
he would uncover their secret, Newman 
arranged to see Mrs. Bread that night. 
She told him that Madame de Belle- 
garde had killed her invalid husband 
because he had opposed Claire's marriage 
to M. de Cintre. The death had been 
judged natural, but Mrs. Bread had in 
her possession a document which proved 
that Madame de Bellegarde had mur 
dered her husband. She gave this paper 
to Newman. 

Mrs. Bread left the employ of the 
Bellegardes and came to keep house for 
Newman. She told him that Claire had 
gone to the convent and refused to sec 
anyone, even her own family. The next 
Sunday Newman went to mass at the 
convent. After the service he met the 
Bellegnrdes walking in the park and 
showed them a copy of the paper Mrs. 
Bread had given him. 

The next day the marquis called on 
Newman and offered to pay for the 
document, Newman refused to sell. lie 
offered, however, to accept Claire in ex 
change for it. The marquis refused. 

Newman found he could not bring 
himself to reveal the Bellegardes' secret. 
On the advice of the Tri strains he trav 
eled through the English countryside 
and in a melancholy mood went to some 
of the places he had planned to visit on 
his honeymoon. Then he went to Ameri 
ca. Restless, he returned to Paris and 
learned from Mrs. Tristram that Claire 
had become a nun. 

The next time he went to see Mrs. 
Tristram, he dropped the secret docu 
ment on the glowing logs in her fire 
place and told her that to expose the 
Bellegardes now seemed a useless and 
empty gesture, I le intended to leave 
Paris forever, Mrs. Tristram told him 
that he probably bad not frightened the 
Bellegardes with his threat, because they 
knew that they could count on his good 
nature never to reveal their secret. New 
man instinctively looked toward the (ire- 
place. The paper had burned to ashes. 



AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) 

Type of plot: Social criticism 

Time of plot: Early twentieth century 

Locale: Kansas City, Chicago, and Lycurgus, New York 

First published: 1925 

Principal characters: 
CLYDE GRIFFITHS 
ROBERTA ALDEN, his mistress 
SAMUEL GRIFFITHS, Clyde's wealthy uncle 
SONDRA FINCHLEY, society girl whom Clyde loves 

Critique: 

An American Tragedy is probably 
Dreiser's best novel. The tide itself is, 
of course, significant. Dreiser believed 
that Clyde's downfall was due to the 
American economic system and he pre 
sents a strong indictment against that 
system, If Clyde had had the privileges 
of wealth and social position, he would 
never have been tempted to a moral de 
cision and his consequent ruin. The 
novel is a powerful document on the 
theme of social inequality and lack of 
privilege. 



The Story: 

When Clyde Griffiths was still a child, 
his religious-minded parents took him and 
his brothers and sisters around the streets 
of various cities, where they prayed and 
sang in public. The family was always 
very poor, but the fundamentalist faith 
of the Griffiths was their hope and main 
stay throughout the storms and troubles 
of life. 

Young Clyde was never religious, how 
ever, and he always felt ashamed of the 
existence his parents were living. As 
soon as he was old enough to make de 
cisions for himself, he decided to go 
his own way. At sixteen he got a job as a 
bellboy in a Kansas City hotel. There 
the salary and the tips he received 
astonished him. For the first time in his 
life he had money in his pocket, and he 
could dress well and enjoy himself. Then 
a tragedy overwhelmed the family. 



Clyde's sister ran away, supposedly to be 
married. Her elopement was a great 
blow to the parents, but Clyde himself 
did not brood over the matter. Life was 
too pleasant for him; more and more 
he enjoyed the luxuries which his job 
provided. He made friends with the 
other bellhops and joined them in 
parties that centered around liquor and 
women. Clyde soon became familiar with 
drink and brothels. 

One day he discovered that his sister 
was back in town. The man with whom 
she had run away had deserted her, and 
she was penniless and pregnant. Know- 
ing his sister needed money, Clyde gave 
his mother a few dollars for ner. He 
promised to give her more; instead he 
bought an expensive coat for a girl in 
the hope that she would yield herself 
to him. One night he and his friends 
went on a party in a car that did not 
belong to them. Coming back from their 
outing, they ran over a little girl. In 
their attempt to escape, they wrecked 
the car. Clyde fled to Chicago. 

In Chicago he got work at the Union 
League Club, where he eventually met 
his wealthy uncle, Samuel Griffiths. The 
uncle, who owned a factory in Lycurgus, 
New York, took a fancy to Clyde and 
offered him work in the factory. Clyde 
went to Lycurgus. There his cousin, 
Gilbert, resented this cousin from the 
Middle West, The whole family, with 
the exception of his uncle, considered 



AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser. By permission of Mrs. Theodore Dreiser and the publisher*, 
The World Publishing Co. Copyright, 1925, by Boni & Livcright, Inc. 



29 



Clyde beneath them socially, and would 
not accept him into their circle. Clyde 
was given a job at the very bottom of 
the business, but his uncle soon made 
him a supervisor. 

In the meantime Sondra Finchley, who 
disliked Gilbert, began to invite Clyde 
to parties she and her friends oi : ten gave. 
1 ler main purpose was to annoy Gilbert. 
Clyde's growing popularity forced the 
Griffiths to receive him socially, much 
to Gilbert's disgust. 

In the course of his work at the Factory 
Clyde met Roberta Alden, with whom 
he soon fell in love. Since it was for 
bidden for a supervisor to mix socially 
with an employee, they had to meet 
secretly. Clyde attempted to persuade 
Roberta to give herself to him, but the 
girl refused. At last, rather than lose 
him, she consented and became his mis 
tress. 

At the same time Clyde was becoming 
fascinated by Sondra. He came to love 
her and hoped to marry her, and thus 
acquire the wealth ana social position 
for which he yearned. Gradually he 
began breaking dates with Roberta in 
order to be with Sondra every moment 
that she could spare him. Roberta began 
to be suspicious and eventually found 
out the truth. 

By that time she was pregnant. Clyde 
went to drug stores for medicine that 
did not work. lie attempted to find a 
doctor of questionable reputation. Roberta 
went to see one physician who refused 
to perform an operation, Clyde and 
Roberta were both becoming desperate, 
and Clyde saw his possible marriage to 



the girl as a dismal ending to all his 
hopes for a bright future. He told him 
self that he did not love Roberta, that 
it was Sondra whom he wished to marry. 
Roberta asked him to marry her for the 
sake of her child, saying she would go 
away afterward, if he wished, so that 
he could be free of her. Clyde would 
not agree to her proposal and grew more 
irritable and worried. 

One day he read in the newspaper an 
item about the accidental drowning of a 
couple who had gone boating. Slowly 
a plan began to form in his mind, He 
told Roberta he would marry her and per 
suaded her to accompany him to an 
isolated lake resort. There, as though 
accidentally, he lungecl toward her. She 
was hit by his camera and fell into 
the water. Clyde escaped, confident that 
her drowning would look like an accident, 
even though he had planned it all care* 
fully. 

But he had boon clumsy. Letters that 
he and Roberta had written were found, 
and when her condition became known 
he was arrested. I Us uncle obtained an 
attorney for him. At his trial, the do* 
fense built up an elaborate case in his 
favor. But in spite of his lawyer's efforts, 
he was found guilty and sentenced to be 
electrocuted. 1 lis mother came to see 
him and urged him to save his soul. A 
clergyman finally succeeded in getting 
Clycle to write, a statement -a declaration 
that he repented of his sins. It is doubt 
ful whether he did. 1 le died in the 
electric chair, si young man tempted by 
his desire for luxury and wealth. 



AND QUIET FLOWS THE DON 



Type of work: Novel 

Author: Mikhail Sholokhov (1905- ) 

Type of 'plot: Historical chronicle 

Tinwoffot: 1913-1918 

/ ,ocdc: Tatarsk, Russia 

/'Vrst 'published: 1928 

Principal characters; 

Giuk;oit Mi'XHKiiov, fl Cossack 
PIOTRA, Gregorys brother 



NATALIA, Gregor's wife 

AKSINIA ASTAKHOVA, Gregor's mistress 

BUNCHUK, a revolutionary leader 



Critique: 

Inasmuch as this novel has been so 
frequently mentioned by the Russians as 
proof that great art can be produced 
under their form of government, the 
book deserves careful consideration. The 
Russians are quite right in being proud 
of Sholokhov. And Quiet Flows the Don 
is a good book, free of any propaganda 
and standing on its own merit as a novel. 
The book is doubly successful, both as 
historical narrative and as an interesting 
story of people living during a difficult 
period in history. 

The Story: 

The Melekhov family lived in the 
small village of Tatarsk, in the Don 
basin of Tsarist Russia. Gregor, the 
oldest son, had a love affair with Alcsinia, 
wife of his neighbor, Stepan Astakhova. 
Stepan was away serving a term in the 
army. In an effort to make his son settle 
down, Gregor's father arranged a marriage 
with Natalia Korshunov, Because Gregor 
never loved Natalia, their relationship 
was a cold one. Soon Gregor went 
openly to Aksinia and the affair became 
the village scandal. 

When he heard the gossip, Gregor's 
father whipped him. Humiliated and 
angry, Gregor left home. With Aksinia 
he became the servant of the Listnitsky 
family, well-to-do landowners who lived 
outside the village of Tatarsk. When 
Aksinia bore him a daughter, Gregor's 
father relented enough to pay a visit 
before Gregor left for the army. 

In the meantime, Gregor's wife, 
Natalia, tried to commit suicide because 
Gregor did not return her love. She 
went back to her own home, but the 
Melekhovs asked her to come to them. 
She was glad to do so. When Gregor 
returned to Aksinia, on his first leave 
from the army, he discovered that she 



had been unfaithful to him with Eugene 
Listnitsky, the young officer-son of his 
employer. Aksinia's daughter had died, 
and Gregor felt nothing but anger at his 
mistress. He fought with Eugene and 
whipped Aksinia as well. Then he re 
turned to his own home, and there he 
and Natalia became reconciled. During 
the time he served in the axmy, Natalia 
bore him twins, a boy and a girl. 

In the war against the Central Powers, 
Gregor distinguished himself. Wounded* 
he was awarded the Cross of St. George 
and so he became the first Chevalier in 
the village. While in the army, he met 
his brother, Piotra, and his enemy, 
Stepan Astakhova, who had sworn to 
kill him. Nevertheless, on one occasion 
he saved Stepan's life during an attack. 
Discontent was growing among the 
soldiers. Bolshevik agitators began to talk 
against the government and against a 
continuance of the war. In Eugene List- 
nitsky's company an officer named Bun- 
chuk was the chief agitator. He deserted 
before Listnitsky could hand him over 
to die authorities. 

Then the provisional government of 
Kerensky was overthrown and a Soviet 
Socialist Republic was established. Civil 
war broke out. The Cossacks, proud of 
their free heritage, were strongly national 
istic and wanted an autonomous govern 
ment for the Don region. Many of them 
joined the counter-revolutionists, under 
such men as Kornilov. Many returned 
to their homes in the Don basin. Gregor, 
joining the revolutionary forces, was 
made an officer of the Red Army. 

Meanwhile the revolutionary troops in 
Rostov were under attack. Bunchuk, the 
machine gunner, was prominent in the 
battle and in the administration of the 
local revolutionary government. He fell 
in love with a woman machine gunner, 



AND QUIET FLOWS THE DON by Mikhail Sholokhov. Translated by Stephen Garry. By 
publisher*, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright, 1934, by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 



permission of thi 



Anna Poodlco, who was killed during an 
attack. The counter-revolutionary troops 
were successful, and the Red Army troops 
had to retreat. 

Gregor returned to the village and re 
sumed the ordinary life he had led before 
the war. Soon news came that revolution 
ary troops were advancing on the village. 
When his neighbors prepared to flee, 
Gregor refused to do so. Stories of burn 
ing, looting, and rape spread through the 
countryside. A counter-revolutionary of 
ficer attempted to organize the villagers 
against the approaching enemy troops. 
He named Gregor as commander, but 
the nomination was turned down in 
anger because all the village knew that 
Gregor sympathized with the Reds, had 
fought with them. Instead, Gregorys 
brother Piotra was named commander* 



The village forces marched out, Gregor 
going with them. When they arrived 
at their destination, they found that 
the revolutionary troops had already been 
defeated and that the leaders had been 
captured. Gregor asked what would 
happen to them. He was told they would 
be shot. Then Gregor came face to face 
with Podtielkov, his old revolutionary 
leader. When the latter accused him of 
being a traitor and opportunist, all of 
Gregor's suppressed feelings of disgust 
and nationalism burst forth. He re 
minded Podtielkov that he and other 
Red leaders had ordered plenty of ex 
ecutions, and he charged that Podtielkov 
had sold out the Don Cossacks, The 
revolutionists died prophesying that the 
revolution would live, Gregor went back 
to his Cossack village. 



ANNA KARENINA 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) 

Type of ylot: Social criticism 

Time of ylot: Nineteenth century 

Locale: Russia 

First published: 18754877 

Principal characters: 
ANNA KAUHNINA 
ALEXKI KAHENIN, her husband 
COUNT VRONSKY, her lover 
STUPAN OrjtoNSKY, her brother 
KITTY StrrcnmuJATSJCY, Stepan's sister-in-law 
KONSTANTINM LEVIN, in love with Kitty 

Critique: 

Anna Kctrtinina, one of Tolstoy's mas 
terpieces, is distinguished by its realism. 
The novel contains two plots: the tragedy 
of Madame Kare'nina, in love with a 
man who is not her husband, and the 
story of Konstantine Levin, a sensitive 
man whose personal philosophy is Tol 
stoy's reason for writing about him. The 
story of Anna is an absorbing one and 
true; the person of Levin reflects Tol 
stoy's own ideas about the Russian society 
in which he lived, Thus the book is a 
closely knit plot of a woman bound in 
the fetters of the Russian social system 



and a philosophy of life which attempts 
to untangle the imv/e of incongruities 
present in this society, 

The Story: 

Anna Kar6nmn> the sister of Stejxm 
Oblousky, came to Moscow in an attempt 
to patch up a tjuarrel between her 
brother and nis wife, Dolly* 'I 'here she 
met the handsome young Count Vronsky, 
who was rumored to be in love with 
Dolly's younger sister, Kitty* 

But Konstantine Levin, of an old 
Muscovite family, was also in love with 



32 



Kitty, and his visit to Moscow coincided 
with Anna's. Kitty refused Levin, but 
to her chagrin she received no proposal 
from the count. Indeed, Vronsky had 
no intention of proposing to Kitty. His 
heart went out to Anna the first time he 
laid eyes on her, and when Anna re 
turned to her home in St. Petersburg, 
he followed her. 

Soon they began to be seen together at 
soirees and at the theater, apparently 
unaware of gossip which circulated about 
them. Karnin, Anna's husband, became 
concerned. A coldly ambitious and dis 
passionate man, he felt that his social 
position was at stake. One night he 
discussed these rumors with Anna and 
pointed out the danger of her flirtation, 
as he called it. He forbade her to enter 
tain Vronsky at home, and cautioned her 
to be more careful. He was not jealous 
of his wife, only worried over the social 
consequences of her behavior. He re 
minded her of her duty to her young son, 
Seryozha, Anna said she would obey 
him, and there the matter rested. 

But Anna was unable to conceal her 
true feelings when Vronsky was injured 
in a race-track accident. Karnin up 
braided her for her indiscreet behavior 
in public. He considered a duel, separa 
tion, divorce, but rejected all of these 
courses. When he finally decided to 
keep Anna under his roof, he reflected 
that he was acting in accordance with 
the laws of religion. Anna continued to 
meet Vronsky in secret. 

Levin had returned to his country 
estate after Kitty had refused him, and 
there he busied himself in problems of 
agriculture and peasant labor. One day 
he went into the fields and worked with 
a scythe along with the serfs. He felt that 
he was beginning to understand the old 
primitive philosophy of their lives. He 
planned new developments, among them 
a cooperative enterprise system. When 
he heard that Kitty was not married after 
all, and that she had been ill but was 
soon returning to Moscow, he resolved 
to seek her hand once more. Secretly, 



he knew she loved him. His pride, as 
well as hers, had kept them apart. 

Accordingly, Levin made the journey 
to Moscow with new hope that soon 
Kitty would be his wife. 

Against her husband's orders, Anna 
Kar6nina sent for Vronsky and told him 
that she was with child. Aware of his 
responsibilities to Anna, he begged her 
to petition Kar&nin for a divorce so that 
she would be free to marry him. Kar6- 
nin informed her coldly that he would 
consider the child his and accept it so 
that the world should never know his 
wife's disgrace, but he refused to think 
of going through shameful divorce pro 
ceedings. Kardnin reduced Anna to sub 
mission by warning her that he would 
take Seryozha away if she persisted in 
making a fool of herself. 

The strained family relationship con 
tinued unbroken. One night Karnin 
had planned to go out, and Anna per 
suaded Vronsky to come to the house. 
As he was leaving, Kar^nin met Vronsky 
on the front steps. Enraged, Karnin 
told Anna that he had decided to get 
a divorce and that he would keep Ser 
yozha in his custody. But divorce pro 
ceedings were so intricate, the scandal 
so great, the whole aspect of the step 
so disgusting to Kardnin that he could 
not bring himself to go through with the 
process. As Anna's confinement drew 
near, he was still undecided. After win 
ning an important political seat, he be 
came even more unwilling to risk his 
public reputation. 

At the birth of her child, Anna became 
deathly ill. Vronsky, overcome with 
guilt, attempted suicide, but failed. Kar6- 
nin was reduced to a state of such con 
fusion that he determined to grant his 
wife any request, since he thought her 
to be on her deathbed. The sight of 
Vronsky seemed to be the only thing 
that restored her. After many months 
of illness, she went with her lover and 
baby daughter to Italy, where they lived 
under strained circumstances. Mean 
while, Levin proposed once more to Kitty , 



and after a flurry of preparations they 
Were married, 

Anna Karnina and Vronslcy returned 
to Russia and went to live on his estate. 
It was now impossible for Anna to return 
home. Although Karinin had not gone 
through with divorce proceedings, he 
considered himself separated from Anna 
and was everywhere thought to he a 
man of fine loyalty and unswerving 
honor, unjustly imposed upon by an un 
faithful wife. Sometimes Anna stole 
into town to see Seryozha but her fear 
of being discovered there by her husband 
cut these visits short, After each visit 
she returned bitter and sad. She became 
more and more demanding toward Vron 
sky, with the result that he spent less 
time with her. She took little interest 
in her child, Before long she convinced 
herself that Vronsky was in love with 
another woman. One day she could not 
stay alone in the house. She found her 
self at the railway station. She bought 
a ticket. As she stood on the platform 



gazing at the tracks below, the thunder 
of an approaching train roared in her 
ears. Suddenly she remembered a man 
run over in the Moscow railroad station 
on the day she and Vronsky met. Care 
fully measuring the distance, she threw 
herself in front of the approaching train. 

After her death, Vronsky joined the 
army. He had changed from a handsome, 
cheerful man to one who welcomed 
death; his only reason for living had been 
Anna. 

For Levin and Kitty life became an 
increasing round of daily work and 
everyday routine, which they shared with 
each other. Levin knew at last the re 
sponsibility wealth imposed upon him in 
his dealings with the peasants. Kitty 
helped him to share his responsibility. 
Although there were many questions he 
could never answer satisfactorily to him 
self, he was nevertheless aware of the 
satisfying beauty of life, its toil, leisure, 
pain, and happiness. 



ANTHONY ADVERSE 

Type of work; Novel 

Author: Hervcy Allen (1889-1949) 

Type of plot: Picaresque romance 

Time of plot: Late eighteenth and curly nineteenth centuries 

Locale: Western Europe, Africa, North America 

First published: 1933 

Principal characters: 

ANTHONY ADVBUSB 

DON Luis, MAKQUIS DA VJNOITATA, husband of Anthony's mother 

MAUEA, Anthony's mother 

Mn. BoNNYPKATuim, Anthony's grandfather 

FAITH PALHOLOGCIS, Mr. Bormyfeather's housekeeper 

ANTOULA Guisiui>n, Anthony's mistress 

FjLcmtfNau UDNKY, Anthony's first wife 



, 

DOLORES I>K LA FUHNTU, Anthony's second wife 
VJUSTCJUNT NOLTE, Anthony's friend, a banker 



Critique: 

Anthony Adverse is the story of a mention of historical personages. Hie 
soldier of fortune whose rumblings carry 
him over a large part of Europe, to 
Africa, and to North America. The book 



contains a wealth of incident, as well as 



characters, however, are subordinate to 
the plot. The novel is also interesting be 
cause its various sections represent dif 
ferent types of romantic fiction, 



ANTHONY ADVERSE by ITcrvcy Allen, By permission of the author nd the publtihori, Rx nature c O>., Inc. 
ttupy right, 1933, by Hcrvcy Allen. 



34 



The Story: 

The pretty young Marquise Maria da 
Vincitata, daughter of a Scottish mer 
chant of Leghorn, fell in love with young 
Denis Moore within a year of her mar 
riage and met with him secretly in France 
while her husband was taking a cure for 
his gout. Don Luis, die arrogant Marquis 
da Vincitata, discovering the intrigue, 
spirited his wife away and killed her 
gallant, luckless lover when he started 
out in pursuit. Maria's baby was born 
high up in the Alps. After his wife had 
died in childbirth, Don Luis took the 
child to Leghorn, where he stealthily de 
posited the infant at the Convent of 
Jesus the Child. The only tokens of its 
parentage were a cape and a statue of the 
Madonna which had belonged to Maria. 

The boy, christened Anthony by the 
nuns, lived at the convent until he was 
ten. Then he was delivered to a prom 
inent merchant of the town, Mr. Bonny- 
feather, to become his apprentice, 

Bonnyfeather and his housekeeper 
had no trouble recognizing the cape and 
the doll as possessions of the merchant's 
daughter, Maria. Although Anthony was 
given the surname Adverse and was not 
told of his relationship to his benefactor, 
he was carefully educated with the tacit 
understanding that he would one day in 
herit the flourishing Bonnyfeather busi 
ness. 

Anthony matured early. Seduced by 
the housekeeper, Faith Paleologus, he 
also had a brief affair with the cook's 
daughter, Angela. He was attracted, too, 
by the English consul's daughter, 
Florence Udney, but was not encouraged 
by her mother, who was unaware that 
Anthony had any expectations. 

Anticipating the eventual arrival of 
Napoleon's army in Leghorn, Mr. Bonny 
feather quietly liquidated his business, 
sent his money abroad, and made plans 
to retire. Me arranged passage for his 
grandson on the American ship Wam- 
fanoag, under Captain Jorham. Anthony 
was to sail to Cuba to collect some money 
on a long-overdue account. 



The Wawpanoag stopped first at 
Genoa. There Anthony visited Fathei 
Xavier, a Jesuit, who had been his guard 
ian at the convent. Mr. Bonnyfeather 
had given the priest the right to decide 
whether the time had come to tell An 
thony he was the merchant's heir. It was 
from the priest's lips that Anthony 
learned of his origin and prospects. 

When the Wampanoag reached 
Havana Anthony discovered that his 
creditor, Gallego, was in Africa as a slave 
trader. With the aid of the captain- 
general, Don Luis de la Casas, a plan was 
devised whereby Anthony would sail to 
Africa as a government agent. There he 
would impound a cargo of Gallego's 
slaves, bring them to Cuba for sale, and 
split the proceeds with the captain- 
general, thus satisfying the Bonnyfeather 
debt. Strongly attracted by Don Luis' 
young relation, Dolores de la Fuente, 
the young man finally agreed to stay in 
Africa and to ship several additional 
cargoes of slaves, for the enrichment of 
the captain-general and the increase of 
his own hopes that he might one day 
marry Dolores. 

The trip aboard the Ariostatica was a 
trying one. Father Francois, a monk who 
was being shipped to Africa because he 
had tried to give aid and comfort to the 
slaves, fell ill of yellow fever and nearly 
died. Anthony, forced to rule the crew 
and its captain with an iron hand, was 
able to put down a mutiny as the ship 
sailed up the Rio Pongo to the Gallego 
establishment. There he learned that 
Gallego had died a few months before, 
leaving his factor, Ferdinando, in charge. 

Anthony took over the trade station 
and for three years shipped cargoes of 
human freight to Cuba to be sold there. 
To the sorrow of Father Francois, he took 
the half-breed Ncleta, Ferdinando's sis 
ter, as his mistress. But he was not able 
completely to reconcile himself to trading 
in human bodies. 

While Anthony was absent from the 
trading station, Father Francois wa 



35 



captured by a native witch doctor, Mnom- 
bibi, and crucified. Upon his return, An 
thony Found the priest pinioned to his 
own cross. With the knowledge that Mr. 
Bonnyfcather was dead, and that Captain 
Bittern of the Unicorn was waiting in 
the Rio Pongo to bear him back to 
Leghorn, Arxliony decided to leave the 
trading station, He left Neleta behind. 

Don Luis, Marquis da Vincitata, 
arrived in Leghorn at the same time. 
They were both there on business, the 
marquis to close up the Casa Bonny- 
feather, of which he was landlord, and 
Anthony to receive the merchant's will 
from Vincent Nolte, a banker with whom 
he had been friendly in his youth. Vin 
cent suggested that Anthony take ad 
vantage of an offer made by M. Ouvrard, 
a French financier who was planning to 
supply the bankrupt Spanish government 
witli French food and money, in return 
for silver from Mexican mines. Anthony 
was to take charge of the shipments, 
which would arrive at New Orleans from 
Vera Cruz, and to reinvest profitably as 
much of the money as he could. The rest 
was to be shipped to Florence Udney's 
husband, David Parish, in Philadelphia, 
and from there on to Europe. 

Traveling to Paris to make arrange 
ments, Vincent and Anthony were way 
laid in the Alps by Don Luis, who tried 
to force their coach over a cliff. I Tis plans 
were thwarted, however, and his own 
carriage and coachman plunged into the 
deep gorge. At the time Don Luis was 
traveling with Faith Paleologus, whom 
he had made his mistress, The two had 
dismounted to watch the destruction of 
Anthony and his friend. After their plot 
Jailed, they were left to descend the 
mountain on foot. 

In Paris Anthony met Angela for the 
first time in many years. She hud borne 
him a son, and had become a famous 
singer and the mistress of Napoleon. She 
refused to marry Anthony and follow 



him to America, but she did give him his 
son. At her entreaty, Anthony left the 
child with Vincent's childless cousin, 
Anna. 

Anthony's affairs prospered in New 
Orleans, He was able to invest the silver 
profitably, to form a bank, and to build 
a handsome plantation for himself. 
When David Parish died of heart failure, 
Anthony married Florence. Their daugh 
ter, Maria, was three, when the planta 
tion house caught fire one night while 
Anthony was away. His wife and daugh 
ter were burned to death. 

Burdened by his sorrow, Anthony 
started west Captured by a tribe of 
Indians, he escaped, only to fall into 
the hands of soldiers from Santa F<$. 
There he was brought before the gover 
nor, Don Luis, and sentenced to go to 
Mexico City in a prison train* That 
same day Don Luis had a stroke and 
died. Faith, his wife by that time, pre 
pared to return to Spain. 

Anthony spent two years in the I lospi- 
tal of St. La'/aro before Dolores, widow 
of a wealthy landowner, found him and 
arranged for his freedom. Later they 
were married and went to live in the vil 
lage of San Lir/, Dolores bore him two 
children. All wont well until an ax 
slipped one day and caught Anthony in 
the groin while he was foiling a troo. I le 
bled to death before 1 ho was found, 

Many yoars later, long after the village 
had been deserted by Dolores and her 
people, a group of migrants on their way 
to Santa I ; <? came to its site, The little 
Madonna, whieh Anthony hud carried 
with him through life, still stood in a 
chapel in the ruins of San Lir/,. Mary 
Jorham, the young niece of a Captain 
Jorhum, found the image, Inn she was 
not allowed to keep it because her parents 
thought it a heathen idol, Instead, it 
served as a fine target for a shooting 
match. It was splintered into a thousand 
pieces. 



36 



ANTIGONE 

Type of work: Drama 

Author: Sophocles (495M06 B.C.) 

Type of -plot: Classical tragedy 

Time of 'plot: Ancient Greece 

Locale: The city of Thebes 

First 'presented: 440 B.C. 

Principal characters: 

CREON, tyrant of Thebes 
ANTIGONE, daughter of Oedipus 
ISMENE, her sister 
HAEMON, son of Creon 
TIRE si AS, a prophet 

Critique: 

Although the main problem of this 
play would be unimportant today, the 
discussions of the responsibilities of a 
ruler are as pertinent now as in ancient 
Greece. The characters of the play move 
to their tragic ends with highly dramatic 
speeches, while the moral and philosophi 
cal problems of the plot are displayed 
through the chorus and soliloquies. 
When first presented, the play was so 
successful with Athenian audiences that 
Sophocles was made a general in the 
war against Samos. Recent presentations 
of the play have been well received by 
both audience and critic. 



The Story: 

Polynices and Eteocles, sons of the 
cursed family of King Oedipus, led two 
armies against each other before the 
gates of Thebes, and both brothers were 
Killed in single combat with each other. 
Creon, their uncle, and now the tyrant 
ruler of the city, ordered that Eteocles 
be given full funeral rites, but that Poly 
nices, who had attacked the city, be left 
unburied and unmourned. Anyone who 
broke this decree would be punished with 
death. 

Antigone and Ismene, the sisters of 
Polynices and Eteocles, discussed this 
order, and with grief for the unburied 
brother tearing at her heart, Antigone 
asked Ismene to aid her in giving him 
burial. When Ismene refused to help in 
so dangerous a task, Antigone went de 
fiantly to bury Polynices. 



Shortly afterward, Creon learned 
from a sentry that the body had been 
buried. Angrily he ordered the sentry to 
find the perpetrator of the deed. The 
sentry returned to the grave and un 
covered the body. During a dust storm 
Antigone came to look at the grave and, 
finding it open, filled the air with lamen 
tation. Her cries attracted the attention 
of the guard, who captured her and 
took her to Creon. 

Questioned by Creon, she said that to 
bury a man was to obey the laws of the 
gods, even if it were against the laws of 
a man. Pier reply angered Creon. Antig 
one must die. Ismene tried to soften 
Creon's heart toward her sister by re 
minding him that Antigone was engaged 
to his son, Haemon. But Creon remained 
firm. 

Haemon incurred his father's anger by 
arguments that Creon should soften his 
cruel decree because of popular sympathy 
for Antigone. Creon said that he cared 
nothing for the ideas of the town, and 
Haemon called his answer foolish. As a 
punishment, Creon ordered that Antig 
one be killed before Haemon's eyes. 
Haemon fled with threats of revenge. 
Creon ordered that Antigone be walled 
up in a cave outside Thebes and left 
there to die for her crime against his 
law. 

When Antigone was led out of the 
city, the people of Thebes followed her, 
lamenting her fate. She was thrust into 
the cave. All this while, Polynices* body 



37 



lay unburied outside the walls. The 
prophet Tiresias warned Creon that the 
gods had not been pleased with his ac 
tion, and that the body should be buried. 
He foretold that before long Haemon 
would die if his father did not bury Poly- 
nices and rescue Antigone from the cave* 
Creon, realizing that Tiresias' prophe 
sies had never proved false, hurried to 
avert the fate the prophet had foretold. 
Quickly he ordered a tomb prepared for 
Polynices, and he himself set off to re 
lease Antigone. But the will of the gods 
could not be changed so easily. When he 
reached the cave, he heard his son's voice 
within, crying out in grief. Creon en 
tered and saw that Antigone had hanged 



herself with a rope made from her own 
dress. Haemon, sword in hand, rushed 
at his father as if to attack him, but in 
stead he spat on the old man. He then 
fell on his sword and killed himself in 
sorrow over Antigone's death. The news 
of these events quickly traveled back to 
the city, and Creon's wife, hearing of 
so many misfortunes, died by her own 
hand. 

On returning to Thebes with the body 
of his son, Creon learned of his wife's 
death. Seeing that his life could no 
longer have meaning, he had himself led 
out of the city into exile. He was, him 
self, the final victim of his harsh tyranny. 



THE APOSTLE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Sholem Asch (1880-1957) 

Type of plot: Religious chronicle 

Time of plot: Shortly after the Crucifixion 

Locale: The Roman Empire 

First published: 1943 

Principal characters: 

SAUL OF TARSHISH, afterwards known as Paul 

JOSEPH BAE NASA OF CYPRUS, Saul's friend, an early convert 

REB ISTEPHAN, a famous Jewish preacher 

SIMON BAR JONAH, called Peter 

REB JACOB, Joseph's son 

Criticpie: 

The Apostle is a faithful attempt to 
chronicle the life of the two great 
apostles, Peter and Paul. Adhering care 
fully to the history of the period, the 
author has presented a sympathetic por 
trait of the struggle of the early Chris 
tians. His knowledge of contemporary 
events gives the reader a vivid picture of 
the life of the period shortly after the 
Crucifixion. 



The Story: 

It was seven weeks after the crucifixion 
of Yeshua of Nazareth by Pontius Pilate. 
All the poor of Jerusalem, who had found 
in Jeshua their Messiah, had gone into 



hiding; but the word was spreading. Lit 
tle by little the story was told, of Yeshua 
who had come back after his death, of 
the Messiah who had appeared to his 
disciples. The matter was hotly argued 
on all sides. The pious Jews could not 
believe in a Messiah who had been killed; 
the Messianists devoutly affirmed their 
faith. 

Saul of Tarshish and Joseph bar Naba 
came upon a street preacher, a rustic 
Galilean, who told with great conviction 
of Yeshua's return after he had been 
entombed. Cries of belief and of re 
pugnance interrupted his talk. Saul him 
self spoke with great bitterness against 



THE APOSTLE by Sholan Asch. Translated by Maurice Sarane 1 By permission nf the author and the pub- 
lUhers, G. P. Putnam'* Sons. Copyright, 1943, by Sholein Asch. 



this Messiah, for he had no patience with 
the gentle Yeshua who was hanged. 

The agitation rapidly spread. One of 
the most vigorous upholders of Yeshua 
was Reb Istephan. He had a gift for 
moving men's souls, and more and more 
Jews became persuaded. Joseph bar 
Naba himself had known Yeshua in his 
lifetime, and when Joseph heard Reb 
Istephan he was convinced. Joseph be 
came a Messianist. This conversion dis 
gusted Saul, and in sorrow and bitterness 
he turned away from his friend Joseph. 
Then a dramatic incident took place. 
Simon, the first of Yeshua's disciples, 
healed Nehemiah the cripple in the 
name of the Nazarene. Many were much 
impressed by the cure, but others re 
sented Simon's use of the Messiah's 
name. As a result his enemies had their 
way, and Simon was imprisoned by the 
High Priest to await trial. Then another 
miracle happened! Simon and his fol 
lower Jochanan had been securely locked 
in a dungeon, but in the morning they 
were walking the streets again. It was 
said that they had passed directly through 
the stone walls with die help of 
Yeshua. 

The resentment against the wild Gali 
leans grew among the rulers, while the 
humble folk followed Simon with trust. 
The High Priest again brought Simon to 
trial; but Simon spoke so well in defense 
of his doctnne that he was freed. And 
now the tumult increased. The ignorant 
folk, seeing Simon released, concluded 
that there was official sanction for the 
new cult; hence more joined the followers 
of Yeshua. 

Saul was greatly incensed. He believed 
that the Messiah was yet to come, that 
the disciples were corrupting Jerusalem. 
He went to the High Priest and secured 
appointment as official spy. In his new 
job Saul tracked down the humble Mes- 
sianists and sentenced them to the lash. 
Growing in power, Saul the Zealot 
finally took Reb Istephan prisoner for 
preaching the new faith. With grim 
pleasure Saul led the way to the stoning 



pit and watched Istephan sink beneath 
the flung rocks. As he died, the preachei 
murmured a prayer for the forgiveness of 
his tormentors. Saul was vaguely 
troubled. 

Then the Messianists were much 
heartened. Reb Jacob ben Joseph, 
Yeshua's younger brother, came to Jeru 
salem to head the humble cult, and Saul 
could do little against this pious and 
strict Jew. By chance the High Priest 
heard of more Messianists in Damascus 
Saul volunteered to investigate and hur 
ried to his new field. But on the way a 
vision appeared to him and said, "Saul, 
Saul, why dost thou persecute me?" Saul 
then recognized Yeshua for his Lord and 
as he was commanded he went on to 
Damascus, although he was still blinded 
by the heavenly apparition. A follower 
of the new religion baptized him and 
restored his sight. The penitent Saul 
hurried away from the haunts of man. 
In all he waited seven years for his mis 
sion. 

Finally as he prayed in his mother's 
house, the call came. Joseph bar Naba 
asked Saul to go with him to Antioch 
to strengthen the congregation there. 
At last Saul was on the way to bring 
the word of the Messiah to others. He 
left for Antioch with Joseph and the 
Greek Titus, Saul's first convert. 

Now Simon had founded the church 
at Antioch among the Greeks. The per 
plexing question was, could a devout 
Jew even eat with the gentiles, let alone 
accept them into the church? In Jeru 
salem Jacob held firmly to the law of 
the Torah: salvation was only for the 
circumcised. Simon vacillated. In Jeru 
salem he followed Jacob; among the 
Greeks he accepted gentiles fully. Joseph 
had been sent by the elders of Jerusalem 
to Antioch to apply the stricter rule to 
the growing Messianic church. 

Saul at first met with much suspicion, 
The Messianists remembered too well 
Saul the Zealot who had persecuted them. 
But little by little the apostle won them 
over. Yeshua appeared to Saul several 



39 



dines, and he was much strengthened in 
the faith. At last Saul found his true 
mission in the conviction that he was 
divinely appointed to bring the word of 
Yeshua to the gentiles. He worked won 
ders at Antioch and huilt a strong church 
there, but his acceptance of gentiles cost 
him Joseph's friendship. As a symbol of 
his new mission Saul became Paul and 
began his years of missionary work. 

To Corinth, to Ephesus, to Cyprus 
to all the gentiles went Paul. Everywhere 
he founded a church, sometimes small 
but always zealous. With him much of 
the time went Lukas, the Greek physi 
cian. Lukas was an able minister and a 
scholar who was writing the life of 
Yeshua. 

The devout Jews in Jerusalem were 
greatly troubled by this strange preacher 
who accepted the gentiles. Finally they 
brought him up for trial. Paul escaped 
only by standing on his rights as a 
Roman citizen. As such he could de 
mand a trial before Caesar himself. Paul 
went to Rome as a captive, but he re 
joiced, for he knew the real test of 
Christianity would be in Rome. Al 
ready Simon was there, preaching to the 
orthodox Jews. 

The evil Nero made Paul wait in 
prison for two years without a hearing, 



and even then only the intervention of 
Seneca freed the apostle. For a short 
time Simon and Paul worked together, 
one among the Jews and the other among 
the gentiles. They converted many, and 
the lowly fervently embraced the promise 
of salvation. 

To give himself an outlet for his 
fancied talents as an architect, Nero 
burned Rome and planned to rebuild a 
beautiful city. But the crime was too 
much even for the Romans. To divert 
suspicion from himself, Nero blamed the 
Christians. He arrested thousands of 
them, and on the appointed day opened 
the royal carnage. Jews and Christians 
hour after hour were gored by oxen, 
torn by tigers, chewed by crocodiles. At 
the end of the third day many Romans 
could no longer bear the sight, but still 
Nero sat on. It was so strange: the 
Christians died well, and with their last 
breath they forgave their persecutors. 

Simon, only a Jew, was crucified after 
ward; Paul, born a Roman citizen, was 
beheaded. With them to the execution 
went Gabelus the gladiator, who had 
accepted Christianity. But the deaths 
of Simon and Paul were in reality the 
beginning. The martyrdom of the early 
Christians was the foundation stone of 
the Christian church. 



THE APPLE OF THE EYE 

Type of work Novel 

Author: Glenway Wescott (1901- ) 

Type of 'plot: Regional romance 

Time of plot: Twentieth century 

Locale: Rural Wisconsin 

Firs* published; 1924 

Principal characters: 

HANNAH MADOC, a primitive 

Juus BrER, Hannah s lover 

SELMA, Jule's wife 

ROSALIA, Jule's and Selma's daughter 

MIKE, Rosalia's lover 

DAN STRANE, Rosalia's cousin 

Critique: 

This novel tells of the background and 
youth of Dan Strane in rural Wisconsin, 



and the story of Hannah Madoc reveals 
the set of values against which the 



THE APPLE OF THE EYE by Glenway Wescott. By permittion of the author and the publishers, Harper ft 
Biotaert, Copyright, 1924, by Dial Press, Inc. 

40 



author measures his characters, 
himself believed in Hannah's goodness, 
but he was too weak to break away 
from his own social ties to marry the girl 
he really loved. The emphasis upon sex 
in the story is typical of a young boy's 
wonder at the difference between re 
ligious doctrines and the natural functions 
of man's true personality. 

The Story: 

When her drunken father came home 
one night and swung at her with a broom 
handle, patient, hard-working Hannah 
Madoc pushed him off the porch in self- 
defense. He died a few days later, 
leaving his daughter orphaned and penni 
less, and Hannah went to work in Mrs. 
Boyle's store. There she waited on cus 
tomers during the day and served the 
men liquor in the evening. 

One night Jule Bier saw her behind 
the store counter. Ever since the death 
of his wife and the piling up of debts, 
old Mr. Bier had struggled to make 
enough money from his farm to give 
Jule a chance in life. Cold and calculat 
ing, the elder Bier had sent Jule to work 
as a hired han,d on the neighborhood 
farms. Jule began to court Hannah dur 
ing long walks at night; he took her to 
neighborhood dances, and they went for 
rides in his buggy. Hannah soon tired of 
the attentions of other men. When Mr. 
Boyle attempted to make love to her, she 
quit her job to go to work on a farm 
near Jule's home. 

Old Mr. Bier sent Jule to court Selma 
Duncan, the oldest daughter of a wealthy 
farmer. Blindly obeying his father, Jule 
proposed to the girl and was accepted. 
Then he realized what he had done. 
Facing Hannah, he was bewildered by 
her grief, only half aware of his own. 

Leaving the neighborhood of Sheboy- 
gan, Hannah went to Fond du Lac, 
where she became a prostitute and lost 
in a few years her beauty and vitality. 
At last Jule went to Fond du Lac to 
bring his former sweetheart back to her 
home. Hannah ended her years in bitter 



sterility, answering a call for help from 
a neighbor, nursing a sick calf, or taking 
care of someone's children when theii 
mother became ill. She died, prematurely 
aged and broken, as the result of a fall. 
Jule and Selma had one daughter, 
Rosalia, Selma's sister, Mrs. Strane, had 
a son, Dan, who was a boy of fourteen 
when Rosalia was in her early twenties. 
Mike, a young man with a keen zest 
for life, worked on Jule's farm. Because 
his mother was so tight-lipped and be 
cause she tried to instill in him a chastity 
of ignorance and abstinence, Dan had 
developed an adolescent feeling of frus 
tration and curiosity. He longed to know 
what sex was, how it affected people, 
but at the same time he was overcome 
by an inbred feeling of shame. It was 
Mike who cleared the way for Dan after 
they became friends. Mike, who believed 
that life should be full of experience both 
physical and mental, made life's processes 
a wonderful thing, not obscene and dirty, 
as Dan's mother had led the boy to be 
lieve. Breaking away from the mother 
who had been his idol, Dan replaced her 
with his new friend, Mike. Mike, in 
love with Rosalia, shared his deeper 
feelings with his young friend. Dan had 
grown up, 

Mike loved Rosalia and he desired her, 
but at first Rosalia resisted his love-mak 
ing. One afternoon he seduced her. 
Rosalia's subsequent tears frightened him, 
but soon she learned to hide her terror 
of love. She told Mike that they ought 
.0 get married to redeem their sin, but 
Mike's suggestion that Selma might not 
approve quieted the frightened girl. Mike 
was not certain that he wanted to marry 
Rosalia. When Jule quietly told Mike 
that he had noticed Rosalia's and Mike's 
love and that he would not object to the 
marriage if Mike wanted it, Mike felt 
trapped, He quit his job with Jule and 
left the Bier farm. 

Dan was inconsolable. Having looked 
upon his cousin and Mike as perfect 
lovers, he could not understand why 
Mike should leave. Rosalia brooded, her 



41 



sense of guilt increasing after Mike's de 
parture. Although she hid her feelings 
from her parents, Dan knew enough of 
her affair with Mike to be curious about 
Rosalia's feelings. But he could learn 
nothing from her. Rosalia herself was 
not as calm as she appeared to be. The 
punishment for love was a child. She 
felt a surge of emotion within her, and 
it seemed permanently a part of her. She 
concluded that she must be with child. 
It was inevitable; she had sinned and this 
was to be her harvest. Deserted by her 
lover-husband, she could not bear to 
think of her shame. She told some neigh 
bors that she was going to run off to meet 
Mike, and one night during a snowstorm 
she left her home. 

No one had heard from Rosalia or 
Mike. Dan and Selma waited through 
the winter. Once, when Dan went to 
visit his aunt in Milwaukee, he looked 
for Mike, but lie did not find him. In 
the spring a neighbor brought the news 
to Jule that Rosalia's body had been 
found in the swamp. Fearing that the 
news would kill the already ailing Selma, 
Jule made the neighbor and Dan 
promised to tell no one about Rosalia's 
body. They buried the girl in the swamp, 

All summer Dan worked on his father's 
farm. He had begun to hate the memory 



of Mike ever since he had helped Jule 
bury the body of Rosalia. A liundred 
times over Dan killed Mike in effigy. In 
the fall Selma died, and Dan went to live 
with Jule. The kindly, patient man, who 
had seen so much of Hie, won Dan's af 
fections. 

Jule wanted Dun to tell him all he 
knew about Rosalia and Mike. The 
wonderful understanding of the old man 
impressed his nephew. Mike had done 
the best he knew how, Jule maintained. 
In turn, he told Dan about Hannah 
Madoc. If Hannah had been Rosalia's 
mother instead of Selma, Jule said, 
Rosalia would not have been destroyed 
through fear. Hannah knew how to 
handle life. Religious people were always 
trying to make life better than it was, 
but life should be accepted at its simple, 
natural values. Dan accepted his uncle's 
views. 

Dan's father had never understood his 
son. I laving completed his high school 
education, Dan was becoming restless. 
His father, realising that Dan was not 
cut out for farm work, suggested that 
he go to college, With high hopes that 
he would Find more answers to his ques 
tioning of life, Dan prepared to enter 
the state university. 



ARNE 



Type of work-, Novel 

Author: Bjomstjerne BjoTnson (1832-1910) 

Type of plot: Pastoral romance 

Time of plot: Early nineteenth century 

L&cale: Norway 

First published: 1858 

Principal characters: 
NILS, a tailor 
MAiiorr, his wife 
AHNE> their son 
BAAIID BORN, Nils' enemy 
ELI, Baard's daughter 

Critique: 

Arnc is best described as a pastoral 
story, but the discerning reader will find 



to personal honor, their ability to trans 
late memory into action of word or deed. 



it also an allegory of the life of Norse I Ie will read of a man us wicked as Nils 
peasants. He will read of their devotion and feel that Nils was in a sense a martyr 



42 



to evil spirits. He will leave the story of 
Arne with a sense of completion, for the 
restless and tragic searching of Nils' life 
is in a sense fulfilled when the daugh 
ter of his enemy marries his son. 

The Story: 

Arne was born on the hillside farm 
of Kampen. He was the son of Margit, 
betrayed one night when she attended a 
dance. The man said to be the child's 
father was Nils, the tailor, who in his 
free time fiddled for country dances. 
Arne's grandmother was a frugal widow 
who saved what she earned so that her 
daughter and her grandson might not 
want for lack of a man to look after 
them. In the meantime the fiddler- 
tailor, Nils, drank more and tailored less 
so that his business fell off. 

By the time Arne was six he knew a 
local song written about the wild be 
havior of his father. His grandmother 
insisted that Arne be taught his origin. 
Not long afterward Nils suffered a 
broken back in a barn fight with Baard 
Boon. About the same time the old 
grandmother, who felt that her days 
were numbered, warned her daughter 
against wasting the money saved for her 
use. 

When the grandmother died, Arne's 
mother brought Nils home to be nursed. 
The next spring Margit and Nils were 
married ana Nils recovered enough to 
help with some of the farm work. At first 
Nils was gloomy and morose because he 
was no longer able to join the fiddlers 
and the dancers at weddings, and he 
drank heavily. As his strength returned 
he began to nddle once more. Arne went 
along to merry-makings to carry his 
fiddle case. By this companionship Nils 
weaned Arne away from Margit by 
degrees. Occasionally the boy was re 
morseful, but his father's hold grew 
stronger as time passed. 

Finally, during a scene of drunken 
violence, Nils died. Arne and his mother 
took the blame for his death partly 
upon themselves. Arne became aloof 



from the villagers; he tended his cattle 
and wrote a few songs. 

He became more and more shy. At a 
wedding, interpreting one of the folk 
tales as referring to him, he told a wild 
story, part truth, part fancy, about his 
father's death. Then he rushed from the 
house. He had had too much brandy, and 
while he lay in the barn recovering, his 
mother told him she had once found 
Nils there in the same condition on 
the occasion of Arne's christening. 

Arne began to take a new interest in 
old legends and ballads. As he listened 
to stories told by an old man of the 
village, he found himself making up 
tales of his own. Sometimes he wandered 
alone in the forest and sang songs as they 
came into his head. 

From a distance he observed Eli 
Boen and her good friend, the pastor's 
daughter. He began to sing love songs. 
Arne did some carpentering and his 
work took him into the village more 
often. That winter Boen sent for Arne 
to do some carpentering. Ame's mother 
was disturbed because it had been Boen 
who had caused Nils to break his back 
years before. At first Boen's wife re 
fused to speak to Arne. Eli Boen, who 
was attentive to him in the beginning, 
later ignored him. One day Arne brought 
word that the pastor's daughter was 
leaving the village. Eli fainted when she 
heard the news, for the two girls had 
been close friends. 

Baard Boen tried to explain to Arne 
what had happened years before between 
Nils and himself. But he did not manage 
to make himself clear, and after many 
years he himself was not sure of the 
cause of their long-standing quarrel. 

Eli's mother became friendly with 
Arne at last and she asked him to sing 
for Eli, who seemed to be recovering 
from her illness. While he sang, he 
and Eli felt a deep intimacy spring up 
between them. The next day, his work 
completed, Arne took his tools and left. 
From that time on he thought more and 
more about Baard Boen's daughter. 



Ame had a friend, Kristian, who had 
gone to America. Now Kristian began 
to write urging Arne to join him, but 
Margit hid the letters as they came. 
Finally she went to the pastor for advice. 
He felt that Arne must be allowed to 
live his own life as he saw fit. 

The farm was beautiful when spring 
came. On one of his rambles Arne came 
upon Eli and thought her more beauti 
ful than he had ever seen her before. 
Margit took heart from his fondness for 
the girl. One midsummer evening she 
discovered Eli in the village and asked 
her to go for a walk. She took the girl 
to her homestead and showed her about, 



from the stables to the chest in which 
Arne kept the many gifts that were to 
belong to his bride, among them a 
hymn book with a silver clasp. On the 
clasp Eli saw her own name engraved. 

Presently Arne appeared and later he 
walked with EH back to her own home. 
They realized now that they were com 
pletely in love. 

Shortly afterward they were married, 
Children stood by the church bearing 
bits of cake. Baard Boen, remembering 
his long-ago feud with Arne's father, 
marveled at this wedding of his daugh 
ter and the son of his old enemy. 



ARROWSMITH 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) 

Type of 'plot: Social criticism 

Time of plot: Early twentieth century 

Locale; United States and West Indies 

First published: 1924 

Principal characters: 

MARTIN AxmowsMtra, a medical scientist 

LEOHA, his wife 

D&, MAX: GOTTLIEB, a scientist 

GUSTAVB SoNj>Ekiurs> a scientist 

TEJURY WXCKBTT, Martin's friend 

JOYCE LANYON, a young widow 

Dn, ALMUS PicomutrGB, a public health reformer 

Critique: 

Arrowsmith is one of the novels in 
which Sinclair Lewis has attempted to 
point out the insufficiencies and com 
placencies of American life. What 
Babbitt did for the American business 
man, Arrowsmith was intended to do for 
the American doctor, The thesis of 
Arrowsmith would appear to be that the 
only decent way for a physician to serve 
mankind is by research. Using Martin 
Arrowsmith as his example, Lewis has 
tried to show that the progressive doctor 
is not appreciated in private practice; that 
the field of public health is politically 
corrupt; that the fashionable clinic is 
often a commercial enterprise; that even 



the best institutes of research are in 
terested chiefly in publicity. 

The Story, 

Martin Arrowsmith was the descendant 
of pioneers in the Ohio wilderness. He 
tfrew up in the raw rod-brick town of 
Elk Mills, in the state of Winnemac, a 
restless, lonely boy who spent his odd 
hours in old Doc Vickerson s office. The 
village practitioner was a widower, with 
no family of his own, and bo encouraged 
Martin's interest in medicine. 

At twenty-one Martin was a junior 
preparing for medical school at the Uni 
versity of Winnemac. Continuing on at 



ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewii. By permission of the author And publinlvcrf. Harcourt Brare & Co 
Copyright, 1925, by Haroourt. Brace & Co., Inc. ' 



44 



the medical school, he was most in 
terested in bacteriology and research and 
the courses of Professor Max Gottlieb, a 
noted German scientist. After joining a 
medical fraternity, he made many life 
long friends. He also fell in love with 
Madeline Fox, a shallow, pseudo-intel 
lectual who was taking graduate work 
in English. To the young man from 
the prairie, Madeline represented culture. 
They became engaged. 

Martin spent many nights in research 
at the laboratory, and he became the 
favorite of Professor Gottlieb. One day 
Gottlieb sent him to the Zenith City 
Hospital on an errand. There Martin 
met an attractive nurse named Leora 
Tozer. He soon became so interested in 
Leora that he became engaged to her 
as well. Thus young Martin Arrowsmith 
found himself engaged to two girls at 
the same time. Unable to choose be 
tween them, he asked both Leora and 
Madeline to lunch with him. When he 
explained his predicament, Madeline 
stalked angrily from the dining-room 
and out of his life. Leora, amused, re 
mained. Martin felt that his life had 
really begun. 

Through his friendship with Gottlieb, 
Martin became a student instructor in 
bacteriology. Leora was called home to 
North Dakota. Because of Leora's 
absence, trouble with the dean, and too 
much whiskey, Martin left school during 
the Christmas holidays. Traveling like a 
tramp, he arrived at Wheatsylvania, the 
town where Leora lived. In spite of the 
warnings of the dull Tozer family, Mar 
tin and Leora were married. Martin went 
back to Winnemac alone. A married 
man now, he gave up his work in bac 
teriology and turned his attention to 
general study* Later Leora joined him in 
Mohalis, 

Upon completion of his internship, 
Martin set up an office in Wheatsylvania 
with money supplied by his wife's family. 
In the small prairie town Martin made 
friends of the wrong sort, according to 
the Tozers, but he was fairly successful 



as a physician. He also made a number 
of enemies. Meanwhile Martin and 
Leora moved from the Tozer house to 
their own home. When Leora's first child 
was born dead, they knew that they 
could never have another child, 

Martin had again become interested in 
research. When he heard that the 
Swedish scientist, Gustave Sondelius, 
was to lecture in Minneapolis, Martin 
went to hear his lecture. In that way 
Martin became interested in public 
health as a means of controlling disease. 
Back in Wheatsylvania, still under the 
influence of Sondelius, he became acting 
head of the Department of Public 
Health. Because Martin, in his officia? 
capacity, found a highly respected seam 
stress to be a chronic carrier of typhoid 
and sent her to the county home for 
isolation, he became generally unpopular. 
He welcomed the opportunity to join Dr. 
Almus Pickerbaugh of Nautilus, Iowa, 
as the Assistant Director of Public 
Health, at a considerable increase in 
salary. 

In Nautilus he found Dr. Pickerbaugh 
to be a public-spirited evangelist with 
little knowledge of medicine or interest 
in scientific control of disease. The 
director spent his time writing health 
slogans in doubtful poetic meter, lectur 
ing to clubs, and campaigning for health 
by means of Better Babies Week, Banish 
the Booze Week, and Tougher Teeth 
Week. Martin was gradually drawn 
under the influence of the flashy, arti 
ficial methods used by his superior. 
Although he tried to devote some time 
to research, the young doctor found that 
his job took up all his time. While Dr. 
Pickerbaugh was campaigning for elec 
tion to Congress, Martin investigated the 
most sanitary and efficient dairy of the 
town. He found that the dairy was 
spreading disease through a streptococcus 
infection in the udders of the cows. 
Against the advice of Dr. Pickerbaugh, 
Martin closed the dairy and made many 
enemies for himself. Despite his act, 
however, he was made Acting Director 



45 



of Public Health when Dr. Pickerbaugh 
was elected to Congress. 

In his new capacity, Martin hired a 
competent assistant in order to have 
more time for research in bacteriology. 
Largely because he fired a block of tene 
ments infested with tuberculosis, Martin 
was asked to resign. For the next year 
he worked as staff pathologist of the 
fashionable Rouncefield Clinic in Chi 
cago. Then publication of a scientific 
paper brought him again to the attention 
of his old friend and professor, Max 
Gottlieb, now located at the McGurk In 
stitute in New York. Dr. Arrowsmith 
was glad to accept the position Gottlieb 
offered him. 

At the McGurk Institute Martin de 
voted his whole time to research, with 
Gottlieb as his constant friend and 
adviser. He worked on staphylococcus 
germs, producing first a toxin, then an 
antitoxin. Under the influence of Gott 
lieb and Terry Wickett, his colleague at 
McGurk, Martin discovered the X Prin 
ciple, a bacterial infection which might 
prove to be a cure for disease. Although 
Martin wanted to postpone publication 
of his discovery until he was absolutely 
certain of its value, the directors of the 
institute insisted that he make his results 
public at once. Before his paper was 
finished, however, it was learned that 
the same principle had already been dis 
covered at the Pasteur Institute, where 
it was called a bacteriophage. After that 
disappointment, Martin began work on 
the possibility of preventing and curing 
bubonic plague with the phage, as the 
new antitoxin was called. 

Meanwhile Gustave Sondelius had 
come to the McGurk Institute. He be 
came so interested in Martin's work 
that he spent most of his time helping 
his young friend. When a plague broke 



out on St. Hubert, an island in the 
West Indies, Martin and Sondelius were 
asked to go there to help in the fight 
against the epidemic. Accompanied by 
Leora they sailed for the island of St. 
Hubert. Before leaving, Martin had 
promised Gottlieb that he would conduct 
his experiment deliberately by refusing 
to treat some of the plague cases with 
phage, so that the effects of the treatment 
could be tabulated. 

The plague spread daily on the tropical 
island. Sondelius was stricken and he 
died. Martin was often away from his 
laboratory as he traveled between villages. 
During one of his trips Leora lighted a 
half-smoked cigarette she found on a 
table in his laboratory. The tobacco had 
been saturated with germs from an over 
turned test tube. Leora died of the 
plague before Martin's return. 

Martin forgot to be the pure scientist. 
He gave the phage to all who asked for 
it. Although his assistant continued to 
take notes to carry on the research, Mar 
tin was no longer interested in the re 
sults. When the plague began to abate, 
he went back to New York. There, 
lonely and unhappy, he married Joyce 
Lanyon, a wealthy young widow whom 
he had met on St. Hubert. But the 
marriage was not a success. Joyce de 
manded more of his time than he was 
willing to take from research; he felt ill 
at ease among her rich and fashionable 
friends. When he was offered the as 
sistant directorship of McGurk Institute, 
he refused the position. In spite of 
Joyce's protests, he went off to join his 
old friend, Terry Wickett, at a rural 
laboratory in Vermont, where they in 
tended to experiment on a cure for pneu 
monia. At last, he believed, his work 
his life was really beginning. 



AS YOU LIKE IT 



Type of -work: Drama 

Author: William Shakespeare (1564-1616) 

Type of flot: Pastoral romance 

Time of <pht: The Middle Ages 



46 



Locale: The Forest of Arden in medieval France 
First presented: c. 1600 

Principal characters: 
THE BANISHED DUKE 

FREDERICK, his brother and usurper of his dominions 
OLIVER, older son of Sir Rowland de Boys 
ORLANDO, younger son of Sir Rowland de Boys 
ADAM, a servant to Oliver 
TOUCHSTONE, a clown 
ROSALIND, daughter of the banished duke 
CELIA, daughter of Frederick 

Critique: 

Shakespeare took most of the plot of 
this play from a popular novel of the 
period, Rosalynde, by Thomas Lodge. 
What he added was dramatic characteri 
zation and wit. As You Like It is a 
comedy compounded of many elements, 
but the whole is set to some of Shake 
speare's loveliest poetry. Kindliness, good 
fellowship, good-will these are the ele 
ments of As You Like It, and Shake 
speare shows how much they are worth. 



The Story: 

A long time ago the elder and lawful 
ruler of a French province had been 
deposed by his younger brother, Fred 
erick. The old duke, driven from his 
dominions, fled with several faithful fol 
lowers to the Forest of Arden. There he 
lived a happy life, free from the cares 
of the court and able to devote himself 
at last to learning the lessons nature had 
to teach. His daughter Rosalind, how 
ever, remained at court as a companion 
to her cousin Celia, the usurping Duke 
Frederick's daughter. The two girls were 
inseparable, and nothing her father said 
or did could make Celia part from her 
dearest friend. 

One day Duke Frederick commanded 
the two girls to attend a wrestling match 
between the duke's champion, Charles, 
and a young man named Orlando, the 
special object of Duke Frederick's hatred. 
Orlando was the son of Sir Rowland de 
Boys, who in his lifetime had been one 
of the banished duke's most loyal sup 
porters. When Sir Rowland died, he had 
charged his oldest son, Oliver, with the 



task of looking after his younger brother's 
education, but Oliver had neglected his 
father's charge. The moment Rosalind 
laid eyes on Orlando she fell in love with 
him, and he with her. She tried to dis 
suade him from an unequal contest with 
a champion so much more powerful than 
he, but the more she pleaded the more 
determined Orlando was to distinguish 
himself in his lady's eyes. In the end he 
completely conquered his antagonist, and 
was rewarded for his prowess by a chain 
from Rosalind's own neck. 

When Duke Frederick discovered his 
niece's interest in Sir Rowland's son, he 
banished Rosalind immediately from the 
court. His daughter Celia announced 
her intention of tallowing her cousin. As 
a consequence, Rosalind disguised herself 
as a boy and set out for the Forest of 
Arden, and Celia and the faithful Touch 
stone, the false duke's jester, went with 
her. In the meantime, Orlando also 
found it necessary to flee because of his 
brother's harsh treatment. He was ac 
companied by his faithful servant, Adam, 
an old man who willingly turned over his 
life savings of five hundred crowns for 
the privilege of following his young mas 
ter. 

Orlando and Adam also set out for the 
Forest of Arden, but before they had 
traveled very far they were both weary 
and hungry. While Adam rested in the 
shade of some trees, Orlando wandered 
into that part of the forest where the old 
duke was, and came upon the outlaws at 
their meal. Desperate from hunger, Or 
lando rushed upon the duke with a drawn 



47 



sword and demanded food. The duke im 
mediately offered to share the hospitality 
of his table, and Orlando blushed with 
shame over his rude manner. Moreover; 
he would not touch a mouthful until 
Adam had been fed. When the old duke 
found that Orlando was the son of his 
friend, Sir Rowland de Boys, he took 
Orlando and Adam under his protection 
and made them members of his band of 
foresters. 

In the meantime, Rosalind and Celia 
also arrived in the Forest of Arden, where 
they bought a flock of sheep and pro 
ceeded to live the life of shepherds. 
Rosalind passed as Ganymede, Gfr^a, as a 
sister, Aliena. In this adventure they en 
countered some real Arcadians Silvius, 
a shepherd, and Phebe, a dainty shep 
herdess with whom Silvius was in love. 
But the moment Phebe laid eyes on the 
disguised Rosalind she fell in love with 
the supposed young shepherd and would 
have nothing further to do with Silvius. 
As Ganymede, Rosalind also met Or 
lando in the forest, and twitted him 
on his practice of writing verses in praise 
of Rosalind and hanging them on the 
trees. Touchstone, in the forest, displayed 
the same willfulness and whimsicality he 
showed at court, even to his love for 
Audrey, a country wench whose sole ap 
peal was her unloveliness. 

One morning, as Orlando was on his 
way to visit Ganymede, he saw a man 
lying asleep under an oak tree. A snake 
was coiled about the sleeper's neck, and 
a hungry lioness crouched nearby ready 
to spring. He recognized the man as 
his own brother, Oliver, and for a mo 
ment Orlando was tempted to leave him 
to his fate. But he drew his sword and 
killed the snake and the lioness. In the 
encounter he himself was wounded by 
the lioness. Because Orlando had saved 
his life, Oliver was duly repentant, and 



the two brothers were joyfully reunited. 

His wound having bled profusely, Or 
lando was too weak to visit Ganymede, 
and he sent Oliver instead with a bloody 
handkerchief as proof of his wounded 
condition. When Ganymede saw the 
handkerchief the supposed shepherd 
promptly fainted. The disguised Celia 
was so impressed by Oliver's concern for 
his brother that she fell in love with him, 
and they made plans to be married on 
die following day. Orlando was so over 
whelmed by this news that he was a 
little envious. But when Ganymede came 
to call upon Orlando, the young shepherd 
promised to produce the lady Rosalind 
the next day. Meanwhile Phebe came 
to renew her ardent declaration of love 
for Ganymede, who promised on the 
morrow to unravel the love tangle of 
everyone. 

In the meantime, Duke Frederick, en 
raged at the flight of his daughter, Celia, 
had set out at the head of an expedition 
to capture his elder brother and put him 
and all his followers to death. But on 
the outskirts of the Forest of Arden he 
met an old hermit who turned Frederick's 
head from his evil design. On the day 
following, as Ganymede had promised, 
with the banished duke and his followers 
as guests, Rosalind appeared as herself 
and explained how she and Celia had 
posed as the shepherd Ganymede and 
his sister Aliena. Four marriages took 
place with great rejoicing that day Or 
lando to Rosalind, Oliver to Celia, Sil 
vius to Phebe, and Touchstone to Au 
drey. Moreover, Frederick was so com 
pletely converted by the hermit that he 
resolved to take religious orders, and he 
straightway dispatched a messenger to 
the Forest of Arden to restore his 
brother's lands and those of all his fol 
lowers. 



AUCASSIN AND NICOLETTE 



Type of work: Tale 
Author: Unknown 
Ty$e of plot: Chivalric romance 



4g 



Time of ylot: Twelfth century 

Locale: Provence, in France 

First transcribed; Fourteenth-century manuscript 
Principal characters: 

COUNT GARTN DE BEAUCAIKJS 
AUCASSIN, his son 
NICOLETTE, a slave girl 

Critique: 

Aucassin and Nicolette is considered 
by many scholars to be the masterpiece 
of the romances of chivalry. It is written 
in what is called the chante-fable, or 
song-story style a prose tale containing 
verse passages which are sung by a min 
strel. In it are found certain Oriental 
elements and much folklore. 



The Story: 

Count Bougars de Valence and Count 
Garin de Beaucaire were at war. Count 
Garin had one son, Aucassin, who was so 
smitten by love that he would neither 
accept the duties of knighthood nor par 
ticipate in his father's quarrel, unless his 
father consented to his love for Nicolette. 
She was a slave girl, bought by a captain 
of the town from the Saracens and reared 
as his own daughter. Count Garin agreed 
to the marriage of Aucassin to any daugh 
ter of a king or count, but not to Nico 
lette. He went to see the captain and told 
him to send Nicolette away. The cap 
tain said that he would keep Nicolette 
out of sight, and so she was imprisoned 
in the high chamber of a palace with an 
old woman to keep her company. 

Rumors sped through the countryside: 
Nicolette was lost; Nicolette had fled the 
country; Nicolette was slain by order of 
Count Garin. 

Meanwhile the war between the two 
counts grew more fierce, but Aucassin 
still refused to fight. Father and son then 
made a covenant; Aucassin would go into 
the battle, and if God willed that he 
should survive, the count must agree to 
allow him two or three words and one 
kiss from Nicolette. Aucassin rode into 
the fray, but thoughts of Nicolette so 
distracted him that he was captured. 
Then Aucassin reflected that if he were 



slain, he would have no chance at all 
to see Nicolette. Therefore he laid his 
hand on his sword and began fighting 
with all his strength. He killed ten 
knights and wounded seven and took 
Count Bougars prisoner. But when Count 
Garin refused to keep the covenant, Au 
cassin released Count Bougars. Aucassin 
was cast into a dungeon. 

Nicolette, knowing her companion to 
be asleep, escaped from her prison by a 
rope made of bed linen and went to the 
castle where Aucassin lay. While they 
exchanged lovers' vows, the guards came 
searching for Nicolette, as her escape had 
been discovered. But a friendly sentinel 
warned Nicolette of their coming. She 
leaped into the moat and, bruised and 
bleeding, climbed the outer wall. 

Nicolette fell asleep in a thicket near 
the castle. Next day she saw some shep 
herds eating their lunch at a fountain 
nearby. She asked them to take a mes 
sage to Aucassin, saying there was a 
beast in the forest and that he should 
have this beast and not part with one of 
its limbs for any price. Nicolette built 
herself a lodge within the forest and 
waited to prove her lover's faith. 

Aucassin was taken from his prison 
and allowed to attend a great feast, but 
he had no joy in it. A friendly knight 
offered his horse to Aucassin and sug 
gested that he ride into the forest. Au 
cassin was only too nappy for a chance 
to get away. He met the shepherds by 
the fountain and heard what Nicolette 
had told them. Aucassin prayed God 
that he would find his quarry. 

He rode in all haste through the 
thorny forest. Toward evening he began 
to weep because his search had been 
fruitless. He met a huge, ugly fellow, 



49 



leaning on a terrible cudgel. Aucassin 
told him that he mourned for a white 
hound he had lost. The burly fellow 
scornfully replied that he had lost his 
best ox and had searched fruitlessly for 
three days without meat or drink. Au 
cassin gave the man twenty sols to pay 
for the beast. They parted and went their 
separate ways. 

Aucassin found the lodge built by 
Nicolette and rested there that night. 
Nicolette heard Aucassin singing and 
came to him. The next day they mounted 
Aucassin's horse and journeyed until they 
came to the seas. Aucassin and Nicolette 
embarked upon a ship. A terrible storm 
carried them to Torelore. First Aucassin 
fought with the king of that strange 
land and then freed the king of his 
enemies. He and Nicolette lived happily 
in Torelore until Saracens besieged the 
castle and captured all within it. Aucas 
sin was put in one ship and Nicolette 
in another. A storm scattered the ships, 
and that in which Aucassin was a pris 
oner drifted ashore at Beaucaire. He 
was now the Count of Beaucaire, his 



parents having died. 

Nicolette was in the ship bearing the 
King of Carthage, who was her true 
father. They did not recognize each 
other because Nicolette had been but a 
child when she was stolen. But when 
she saw the walls of Carthage memory 
came back to her, and she revealed her 
identity in a song. The king gave her 
great honor and desired to marry her to 
a king of the Saracens, but Nicolette 
remained steadfast in her love for Au 
cassin. She disguised herself as a min 
strel and took ship for Provence, where 
she traveled from castle to castle until 
she came to Beaucaire. 

In the great hall Nicolette sang of 
her adventures. When Aucassin heard 
her song, he took her aside and inquired 
concerning Nicolette. He asked her to 
return to the land where Nicolette lived 
and bring her to him. Nicolette returned 
to the captain's house and there she 
clothed herself in rich robes and sent for 
Aucassin. And so at last they were 
wedded and lived long years with great 
joy. 



BABBITT 

Type of work; Novel 

Author: Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) 

Type of 'plot: Social satire 

Time of plot: The 1920's 

Locale: Zenith, fictional Midwestern town 

First published: 1922 

Principal characters: 

GEORGE F. BABBITT, a middle-aged real estate broker 

MTRA, his wife 

TED, their son 

VERONA, their daughter 

PAUL REISLING, Babbitt's friend 
A, Paul's shrewish wife 



Critique: 

Babbitt is a pungent satire about a 
man who typifies complacent mediocrity. 
George F. Babbitt, as standardized as his 
electric cigar lighter, revels in his own 
popularity, his ability to make money, 
his fine automobile, and his penny- 



pinching generosity. Babbitt worships 
gadgets. He praises prohibition and 
drinks bootleg whiskey, bullies his wife, 
ogles his manicurist. Though he is con 
stantly discontented with the life he 
leads, he is thoroughly satisfied with 



BABBITT by Sinclair Lewis. By permission of the author and publishers, Harcourt, Brace & Co., Inc. Copy 
right, 1922, by Harcourt, Brace & Co., Inc. 



50 



George F. Babbitt. Because his character 
is grounded in realism, Babbitt is one of 
the most convincing characters in Ameri 
can literature. 

The Story: 

George F. Babbitt was proud of his 
house in Floral Heights, one of the most 
respectable residential districts in Zenith. 
Its architecture was standardized; its in 
terior decorations were standardized; its 
atmosphere was standardized. Therein 
lay its appeal for Babbitt. 

He bustled about in a tile and 
chromium bathroom in his morning ritual 
of getting ready for another day. When 
he went down to breakfast, he was as 
grumpy as usual. It was expected of him. 
He read the dull real estate page of the 
newspaper to his patient wife, Myra. 
Then he commented on the weather, 
grumbled at his son and daughter, 
gulped his breakfast and started for his 
office. 

Babbitt was a real estate broker who 
knew how to handle business with zip 
and zowie. Having closed a deal whereby 
he forced a poor businessman to buy a 
piece of property at twice its value, he 
pocketed part of the money and paid 
the rest to the man who had suggested 
the enterprise. Proud of his acumen, he 
picked up the telephone and called his 
best friend, Paul Reisling, to ask him to 
lunch. 

Paul Reisling should have been a 
violinist, but he had gone into the 
tar-roofing business in order to support 
his shrewish wife, Zilla. Lately she had 
made it her practice to infuriate door 
men, theater ushers, or taxicab drivers, 
and then ask Paul to come to her rescue 
and fight them like a man. Cringing 
with embarrassment, Paul would pretend 
he had not noticed the incident, Later, 
at home, Zilla would accuse him of being 
a coward and a weakling. 

So sad did Paul's affairs seem to Bab 
bitt that he suggested a vacation to Maine 
together away from their wives. Paul 
was skeptical, but with magnificent as 



surance Babbitt promised to arrange the 
trip. Paul was humbly grateful. 

Back in his office Babbitt fired a sales 
man who was too honest. When he got 
home, he and his wife decided to give 
a dinner party, with the arrangements 
taken bodily from the contents of a 
woman's magazine, and everything edible 
disguised to look like something else. 

The party was a great success. Bab 
bitt's friends were exactly like Babbitt. 
They all became drunk on prohibition- 
period gin, were disappointed when the 
cocktails ran out, stuffed themselves 
with food, and went home to nurse 
headaches. 

The next day Babbitt and Myra paid 
a call on die Reislings. Zilla, trying to 
enlist their sympathy, berated her hus 
band until he was goaded to fury. Bab 
bitt finally told Zilla that she was a nag 
ging, jealous, sour, and unwholesome 
wife, and he demanded that she allow 
Paul to go with him to Maine. Weeping 
in self-pity, Zilla consented. Myra sat 
calmly during the scene, but later she 
criticized Babbitt for bullying Paul's 
wife. Babbitt told her sharply to mind 
her own business. 

On the train, Babbitt and Paul met 
numerous businessmen who loudly 
agreed with each other that what this 
country needed was a sound business 
administration. They deplored the price 
of motor cars, textiles, wheat, and oil; 
they swore that they had not an ounce 
of race-prejudice; they blamed Com 
munism and socialism for labor unions 
which got out of hand. Paul soon tired 
of the discussion and went to bed. Bab 
bitt stayed up late, smoking countless 
cigars, and telling countless stories- 

Maine had a soothing effect upon 
Babbitt. He and Paul fished and hiked 
in the quiet of the north woods, and 
Babbitt began to realize that his life in 
Zenith was not all it should be. He 
promised himself a new outlook on life, 
a more simple, less hurried way of living. 

Back in Zenith, Babbitt was asked to 
make a speech at a convention of real 



51 



estate men which was to be held in 
Monarch, a nearby city. For days he 
tried to write a speech about the good 
life, as he now thought of it. But at the 
convention he scrapped his speech, de 
claimed loudly that real estate was a 
great profession, that Zenith was God's 
own country the best little spot on earth 
and to prove his statements quoted 
countless statistics on waterways, textile 
production, and lumber manufacture. 
The speech was such a success that 
Babbitt instantly won recognition as an 
orator. 

Babbitt was made a precinct leader in 
the coming election. His duty was to 
speak to small labor groups about the 
inadvisability of voting tor Seneca Doane, 
a liberal, in favor of a man named Prout, 
a solid businessman who represented the 
conservative element. Babbitt's speeches 
helped to defeat Doane. He was very 
proud of himself for having Vision and 
Ideals. 

On a business trip to Chicago, Babbitt 
spied Paul Reisling sitting at dinner with 
a middle-aged but pretty woman. Later, 
in his hotel room, Babbitt indignantly 
demanded an explanation for Paul's lack 
of morality. Paul told Babbitt that he 
could no longer stand living with Zilla. 
Babbitt, feeling sorry for his friend, swore 
that he would keep her husband's secret 
from Zilla, Privately, Babbitt envied 
Paul's independence. 

Babbitt was made vice-president of the 
Booster's Club. He was so proud of 
himself that he bragged loudly when his 
wife called him at the office. It was a 
long time before he understood what she 
was trying to tell him; Paul had shot 
his wife, 

Babbitt's world collapsed about him. 
Though Zilla was still alive, Paul was in 
prison* Babbitt began to question his 



ideas about the power of the dollar. Paul 
was perhaps the only person Babbitt had 
ever loved. Myra had long since become 
a habit. The children were too full of 
new ideas to be close to their father. 
Babbitt felt suddenly alone. He began to 
criticize the minister's sermons. He no 
longer visited the Athletic Club, rarely 
ate lunch with any of his business 
acquaintances. 

One day a pretty widow Mrs. Juclique, 
came to his office. She became his mis 
tress, and Babbitt joined her circle of 
Bohemian friends. He drank more than 
he had ever drunk in his life. I le spent 
money wildly. Two of the most powerful 
men in town requested that he join the 
Good Citizen's League- or else. Babbitt 
refused to be bullied. For the first time 
in his life he was a human being. He 
actually made friends with his arch 
enemy, Seneca Doane, and discovered 
that he liked his liberal ideas. He 
praised Doane publicly. Babbitt's new 
outlook on life appealed to his children, 
who at once began to respect him us they 
never had before, But Babbitt became 
unpopular among his business-boosting 
friends. When he again refused to join 
the Good Citizen's League, he was 
snubbed in the streets, Gradually Bab 
bitt found that he had no real resources 
within himself. 1 le was miserable. 

When Myra became ill, Babbitt 
suddenly realized that he loved his cx>lor- 
less wife. He broke with Mrs. Juclique. 
I le joined the Good Citizen's League, By 
the time Myra was well again, there was 
no more active leader in the town of 
Zenith than George K Babbitt. Once 
more he announced his distrust of Seneca 
Doane. lie became the best Booster the 
eltib ever had. His last gesture of revolt 
was private approval of his son's elope 
ment. Outwardly he conformed! 



BAMBI 



Type of work: Novel 
Author: Felix Salten (1869-1945) 
Type of plot: Pastoral allegory 
Time of 'plot: Indefinite 



52 



Locale: The woods 
First published; 1929 

Principal characters: 

BAMBI, a deer 

THE OLD PRINCE, a stag who befriends Bambi 

BAMBI'S MOTHER 

FALINB, Bambi's cousin 

GOBO, her brother 

Critique: 

Bambi is one of the few successful 
attempts to humanize animals in fiction. 
A fairy tale for children, but an allegory 
for adults, the book tells the story of a 
deer who learns that he must travel alone 
if he is to be strong and wise. 



The Story: 

Bambi was born in a thicket in the 
woods. While he was still an awkward 
young fawn, his mother taught him that 
he was a deer. He learned that deer did 
not kill other animals, nor did they 
fight over food as jaybirds did. He 
learned, too, that deer should venture 
from their hiding places to go to the 
meadow only in the early morning and 
late in the evening and that they must 
rely on the rustle of last year's dead 
leaves to give them warning of approach 
ing danger. On his first visit to the 
meadow Bambi had a conversation with 
a grasshopper and a close look at a butter 
fly. 

One evening Bambi and his mother 
went to the meadow again. On his 
second visit he was introduced to the 
hare, an animal with big, soft eyes and 
flopping ears. Bambi was not impressed. 
The little deer was considerably happier 
to meet his cousins, Gobo and Palme, 
and their mother, Ena. The two families 
were about to separate when two stags 
with spreading antlers on their heads 
came crashing out of the forest. Bambf s 
mother explained that the larger, statelier 
stag was Bambi's father. 

As he grew older, Bambi learned the 
sounds and smells of the forest. Some 
times his mother went off by herself. 



Missing her one day, Bambi started out 
to look for her and came upon his cousins 
in the meadow. Faline suggested that 
both their mothers might have gone to 
visit their fathers. Bambi decided to con 
tinue his search by himself. As he stood 
at the edge of a clearing, he saw a 
creature he had never seen before. The 
creature raised what looked like a stick 
to its face. Terrified, Bambi ran back 
into the woods as fast as he could go. 
His mother appeared suddenly, and they 
both ran home to their glade. When they 
were safe again, Bambi learned that he 
had seen a Man. 

On another day he began to call for 
his mother. Suddenly a great stag stood 
before him. Coldly he asked Bambi why 
he was crying, and told him that he 
ought to be ashamed of himself. Then 
he was gone. The little deer did not tell 
his mother of his experience, nor did he 
call her any more. Later he learned that 
he had met the Old Prince, the biggest 
and wisest stag in the forest. One morn 
ing Bambi was nibbling in the meadow 
with his mother when one of the stags 
came out of the forest. Suddenly there 
was a crash. The stag leaped into the 
air and then fell dead. Bambi raced 
away after his mother. All he wanted 
was to go deeper and deeper into the 
forest until he could feel free of that 
new danger. He met the Old Prince 
again. When Bambi asked him who Man 
was, the stag only replied that he would 
find out for himself. Then he dis 
appeared. 

The forest gradually changed as 
summer passed into fall and then into 



BAMBI by Felix Salten. By permi&sion of the publisher!, Simon & Schuster, lac. Copyright, 1928, by Simon & 
Schuster, Inc. 



53 



winter. Snow fell, and grass was not easy 
to find. All of the deer became more 
friendly during the cold months. They 
would gather to talk and sometimes even 
one of the stags would join them. Bambi 
grew to admire the stags, lie was es 
pecially interested in Ronno, the stag 
who had escaped after a hunter had 
wounded him in the foot. The constant 
topic of conversation was Man, for none 
of the deer could understand the black 
stick he carried, They were all afraid 
of it. 

As the winter dragged on, the slaugh 
ter of the weaker animals in the forest 
began. A crow killed one of the hare's 
children. A squirrel raced around with a 
neck wound a ferret had given him. A 
fox murdered a pheasant, A party of 
hunters came into the woods with their 
noise-making sticks and killed many of 
the animals, Bambi's mother and his 
cousin Gobo were not seen again. 

That spring Bambi grew his first pair 
of antlers. With his mother gone, he 
had to spend most of his time alone. 
The other stags drove him away when 
he tried to approach them, and Falinc 
was shy with him. Deciding one day 
that he was not afraid of any of the 
stags, Bambi charged at what he thought 
was one of his tormentors in a thicket. 
The stag stepped aside, and Bambi 
charged past him. It was the Old Prince. 
Embarrassed, the young cleer began to 
tremble when his friend came close to 
him. With an admonishment to act 
bravely, the older deer disappeared into 
the woods. 

A year later Bambi met Faline again, 
and once more they played as they had 
when they were very young. Then 
an older stag named Karus appeared 
and tried to block Bambi's way. When 
Bambi attacked him, Karus fled, as did 
the stag named Ronno, who had been 
pursuing Fnline. 

Faline and Bambi ventured into the 
meadow one clay and there saw a stranger 
nibbling the grass. They were surprised 
when he came skipping up to them and 



asked if they did not know him. It 
was Gobo. Hunters had caught him and 
kept him until he was full-grown. Then 
he had been sent back to join his 
family in the forest. His mother was 
delighted to see him once more. 

Gobo explained his absence to an 
admiring audience, and praised Man for 
his kindness. While he was talking, the 
Old Prince appeared and asked Gobo 
about the strip of horsehair around his 
neck. Gobo answered that it was a 
halter. The Old Prince remarked pitingly 
that he was a poor thing, and vanished. 

Gobo would not live as the other deer 
in the forest did. He insisted on going 
about during the day and sleeping at 
night. He had no fear about eating in 
the meadow, completely exposed. One 
day, when a hunter was in the woods, 
Gobo declared that he would go talk to 
him. He walked out into the meadow. 
Suddenly there was a loud report, Gobo 
leaped into the air and then dashed 
into the thicket, where he fell mortally 
wounded. 

Bambi was alone when he met the Old 
Prince for the first time since Gobt/s 
death. They were walking together 
when they found a hare caught in a 
noose. Carefully the Old Prince managed 
to loosen the snare with his antlers. 
Then he showed Bntnbi how to test tree 
branches for a trap, Bambi realized for 
the first time that there was no time 
when Man was not in the woods, 

One misty morning, as Bambi stood 
at the edge of the clearing, a hunter 
wounded liim. He raced madly for the 
forest, and in its protection lay clown to 
rest. Soon he heard a voice beside him, 
urging him to get up, Tt was the Old 
Prince. For an hour the veteran led 
Bambi through the woods, crossing and 
recrossing the place where he had lain 
down, showing him the herbs which 
would stop his bleeding and clear his 
head. He stayed with Bambi until the 
wound had healed. 

Before he went off to die, the old 
stag showed Bambi a poacher who had 



54 



been killed. He explained that man, nice 
animals, must die. Bambi understood 
then that there is someone even more 
powerful than Man. 

Walking through the forest one day, 
Bambi spied a brother and sister fawn 



crying for their mother. As the Old 
Prince had spoken to him so many 
years before, he asked them if they 
could not stay by themselves. Then, as 
his friend had done, he vanished into the 
forest. 



BARCHESTER TOWERS 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) 

Type of plot: Social satire 

Time of plot: Mid-nineteenth century 

Locale: "Barchester/' an English cathedral town 

First published: 1857 

Principal characters: 

BISHOP PROUDIE, Bishop of Barchester 

MRS. PROUDIE, his wife 

THE REVEREND OBADIAH SLOPE, his chaplain 

THE REVEREND SEPTIMUS HARDING, member of the cathedral chapter 

MRS. ELEANOR BOLD, his daughter 

DR. GRANTLY, Archdeacon o Barchester 

CHARLOTTE STANHOPE, Mrs. Bold's friend 

LA SIGNORA MADELINE VESEY NERONI, ne'e STANHOPE, Charlotte's sister 

ETHELBERT STANHOPE (BERTIE), Charlotte's brother 

MR. QUIVERFUL, Mrs. Proudie's candidate for warden of Hiram's Hospital 

THE REVEREND FRANCIS ARABIN, dean of the cathedral 

Critique: 

This novel is the most famous of Trol- 
lope's Barchester chronicles. Its fine ironic 
tone and pleasantly complex situations 
make for interesting reading. No prob 
lems of social significance are given seri 
ous treatment, for the chief purpose is 
entertainment. The portraits of cathedral 
town characters are full and varied. 



The Story: 

At the death of Bishop Grantly of 
Barchester, there was much conjecture 
as to his successor. Bishop Grantly's 
son, the archdeacon, was ambitious for 
the position, but his hopes were deflated 
when Dr. Proudie was appointed to the 
diocese. Bishop Proudie's wife was of 
Low Church propensities. She was also 
a woman of extremely aggressive nature, 
who kept the bishop's chaplain, Obadiah 
Slope, in constant tow. 

On the first Sunday of the new bish- 
op's regime, Mr. Slope was the preacher 
in the cathedral. His sermon was con 



cerned with the importance of simplicity 
in the church service and the consequent 
omission of chanting, intoning, and for 
mal ritual. The cathedral chapter was 
aghast. For generations the services in 
the cathedral had been chanted; the 
chapter could see no reason for discon 
tinuing the practice. In counsel it was 
decreed that Mr. Slope never be per 
mitted to preach from the cathedral 
pulpit again. 

The Reverend Septimus Harding, who 
had resigned because o conscientious 
scruples from his position as warden of 
Hiram's Hospital, now had several rea 
sons to believe that he would be returned 
to his post, although at a smaller salary 
than that he had drawn before. But 
when Mr. Slope, actually Mrs. Proudie's 
mouthpiece, told him that he would be 
expected to conduct several services a 
week and also manage some Sunday 
Schools in connection with the asylum, 
Mr. Harding was perturbed. Such duties 



55 



would make arduous a preferment here 
tofore very pleasant and leisurely, 

Another change of policy was effected 
in the diocese when the bishop an 
nounced, through Mr. Slope, that ab 
sentee clergymen should return and help 
in the administration of the diocese. Dr. 
Vesey Stanhope had for years left his 
duties to his curates while he remained 
in Italy. Now he was forced to return, 
bringing with him an ailing wife and 
three grown children, spinster Charlotte, 
exotic Signora Madeline Vesey Stanhope 
Neroni, and ne'er-clo-well Ethelbert. 
Signora Neroni, separated from her hus 
band, was an invalid who passed her days 
lying on a couch. Bertie had studied art 
and had been at times a Christian, a 
Mohammedan, and a Jew. He had 
amassed some sizable debts. 

The Proudies held a reception in the 
bishop's palace soon after meir arrival. 
Signora Neroni, carried in with great 
ceremony, quite stole the show. She had 
a fascinating way with men and suc 
ceeded in almost devastating Mr. Slope. 
Mrs. Proudie disapproved and did her 
best to keep Mr, Slope and others away 
from the invalid. 

When the living of St Ewold's became 
vacant, Dr. Grantly made a trip to Ox 
ford and saw to it that the Reverend 
Francis Arabin, a High Churchman, re 
ceived the appointment. With Mrs. 
Proudie and Mr. Slope advocating Low 
Church practices, it was necessary to 
build up the strength of the High Church 
forces. Mr. Arabin was a bachelor of 
about forty. The question arose as to 
what he would do with the parsonage at 
St. E wold's. 

Mr. 1 larding's widowed daughter, Mrs. 
Eleanor Bold, had a good income and 
was the mother of a baby boy. Mr. Slope 
had his eye on her and attempted to 
interest Mrs. Bold in the work of the 
Sunday Schools. At the same time he 
asked Mr, Quiverful, of Puddingdalc, to 
cake over the duties of the hospital. Mr. 
Quiverful's fourteen children were rea 
sons enough for his being grateful for 



the opportunity. But Mrs. Bold learned 
how her father felt over the extra duties 
imposed upon him, and she grew cold 
toward Mr. Slope. In the end, Mr. 
Harding decided that he simply could 
not, at his age, undertake me new 
duties. So Mr. Quiverful, a Low Church 
man, was granted the preferment, much 
to Mrs. Proudie's satisfaction, 

Mr. Slope was not the only man in 
terested in Mrs. Bold. The Stanhope 
sisters, realizing that Bertie could never 
make a living for himself, decided that 
he should ask Mrs. Bold to be his wife. 

Meanwhile Mr. Slope was losing favor 
with Mrs. Proudie. That he should 
throw himself at the feet of Signora 
Neroni was repulsive to Mrs. Proudie. 
That he should be interested in the 
daughter of Mr. Harding, who refused 
to comply with her wishes, was disgrace 
ful, 

The Thorncs of Ullathorne were an 
old and affluent family, One day they 
gave a great party. Mrs. Bold, driving 
to Ullathorne with the Stanhopes, found 
herself in the same carriage with Mr. 
Slope, whom by this time she greatly 
disliked. Later that day, as she was walk 
ing with Mr. Slope, he suddenly put his 
arm around her and declared his love* 
She rushed away and told Charlotte Stan 
hope, who suggested that Bertie should 
speak to Mr. Slope about his irregularity, 
But the occasion for his speaking to Mr. 
Slope never arose. Bertie himself told 
Mrs. Bold that his sister Charlotte had 
urged him to marry Mrs, Bold for her 
money. Naturally insulted, Mrs. Bold 
was angered at the entire Stanhope fam 
ily. That evening, when Dr, Stanhope 
learned what had happened, he insisted 
that Bertie go away and earn his own 
living or starve. Bertie left several days 
later. 

The Dean of Barchester was beyond 
recovery after a stroke of apoplexy. It 
was understood that Dr. Grantly would 
not accept the deanship- Mr. Slope 
wanted the position but Mrs. Proudie 
would not consider him as a candidate. 



56 



When the dean died, speculation ran 
high. Mr. Slope felt encouraged by the 
newspapers, which said that younger men 
should be admitted to places of influence 
in the church. 

After Bertie had gone, Signora Neroni 
wrote a note asking Mrs. Bold to come 
to see her. When Mrs. Bold entered the 
Stanhope drawing-room, Signora Neroni 
told her that she should marry Mr. Ara- 
bin. With calculating generosity she 
had decided that he would make a good 
husband for Mrs. Bold. 

Meanwhile, Mr, Slope had been sent 
otf to another diocese, for Mrs. Proudie 
could no longer bear having him in Bar- 
chester. Ana Mr, Arabin, through Ox 



ford influences, was appointed to the 
deanship a victory for the High 
Churchmen. With Mr. Slope gone, the 
Stanhopes felt safe in returning to Italy. 
Miss Thome asked Mrs. Bold to spend 
some time at Ullathorne. She also con 
trived to have Mr. Arabin there. It was 
inevitable that Mr. Arabin should ask 
Mrs. Bold to be his wife. Dr. Grantly 
was satisfied. He had threatened to for 
bid the hospitality of Plumstead Episcopi 
to Mrs. Bold if she had become the wire 
of a Low Churchman. In fact, Dr. Grant 
ly was moved to such generosity that he 
furnished the deanery and gave wonder 
ful gifts to the entire family, including 
a cello to his father-in-law, Mr. Harding. 



BARREN GROUND 

Type of work: Novel 

Author; Ellen Glasgow (1874-1945) 

Type of plot: Social criticism 

Time of plot: Late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries 

Locale: Rural Virginia 

First published: 1925 

Principal characters: 

DORINDA OAKLEY, daughter of a poor white Virginia farmer 

JOSIAH, and 

RUFUS, her brothers 

JASON GREYLOCK, last member of an old Virginia family 

GENEVA EIXGOOJ>, later Jason's wife 

NATHAN PEDLAR, a country farmer and merchant 



Critique: 

Barren Ground is an honest, realistic 
novel of the South, in which Ellen 
Glasgow pictured the struggle of a class 
to maintain high living standards in the 
face of humiliating and depressing cir 
cumstances. Through her heroine she 
presented the problems of people who 
are by blood related to both the es 
tablished aristocracy and the poor white 
tenant class. The story of Dorinda's 
vitality stands in sharp contrast to the 
weakness of her lover, Jason GreylocL 
In their frustrated union tragedy results 
for both, a tragedy out of their own 
blood rather than one of willful creation. 



The Story: 

Late one cold winter day Dorinda 
Oakley started to walk the four miles 
between Pedlar's Mill and her home at 
Old Farm. The land was bleak and 
desolate under a gray sky, and a few 
flakes of snow were railing. For almost 
a year she had worked in Nathan Pedlar's 
store, taking the place of his consumptive 
wife. Her brisk walk carried her swiftly 
over the rutted roads toward her father's 
unproductive farm and the dilapidated 
Oakley house. On the way she passed 
Green Acres, the fertile farm of James 
Ellgood, and the run-down farm of Five 
Oaks, owned by dissolute old Doctor 



BARREN GROUND by Ellen Glasgow. By permission of the publishers, Harcourt, Brace & Co., Inc. Copy- 
rich*. 1925. 1933. bv Ellen Glasgow. 



right, 1925, 1933, by Ellen Glasgo' 



57 



Greylock, whose son, Jason, had given up 
his medical studies to take over his 
father's practice and to care for his 
drunken father. 

As she walked, Dorinda thought of 
young Jason Greylock. Before she 
reached Old Farm, Jason overtook her in 
his buggy. During the ride to her home 
she remembered the comment of old 
Matthew Fairlamb, who had told her 
that she ought to marry Jason, The 
young doctor was handsome. He repre 
sented something different from the 
drab, struggling life Dorinda had always 
known, Her father and mother and her 
two brothers were all unresponsive and 
bitter people. Mrs. Oakley suffered from 
headaches and tried to forget them in a 
ceaseless activity of work. At Old Farm, 
supper was followed by prayers and 
prayers by sleep. 

Dorinda continued to see Jason. Tak 
ing the money she had been saving to 
buy a cow, she ordered a pretty dress 
and a new hat to wear to church on 
Easter Sunday. But her Easter finery 
brought her no happiness. Jason sat in 
church with the Ellgoods and their 
daughter, Geneva, and afterward he 
went home with them to dinner. Dorinda 
sat in her bedroom that afternoon and 
meditated on her unhappincss. 

Later, Jason proposed unexpectedly, 
confessing that he too was lonely and 
unhappy. He spoke of his attachment 
to his father which had brought him 
back to Pedlar's Mill, and he cursed the 
tenant system which he said was ruining 
the South, He and Dorinda planned 
to be married in the fall. When they 
met during the hot, dark nights that 
summer, he kissed her with half-angry, 
half-hungry violence, 

Men n while Geneva EllgoocI told her 
friends that she herself was engaged 
to Jason Greylock. Late in September 
Jnson left for the city to buy surgical 
instruments. When he was overlong 
in returning, Dorinda began to worry. 
At last she visited Aunt Mehitnble Green, 
an old Negro conjure woman, in the 



hope Aunt Mehitable would have heard 
from the Greylock servants some gossip 
concerning Jason. There Dorinda be 
came ill and learned that she was to 
have a child. Distressed, she went to 
Five Oaks and confronted drunken old 
Dr. Greylock, who told her, as he 
cackled with sly mirth, that Jason had 
married Geneva Ellgood in the city. The 
old man intimated that Jason was white- 
livered and had been forced into the 
marriage by the Ellgoods. He added, 
leering, that Jason and his bride were 
expected home that night. 

On the way home Dorinda saw, her 
self unseen, the carriage which brought 
Jason and Geneva to Five Oaks. Late 
that night she went to the Greylock 
house and attempted to shoot Jason. 
Frightened, Jason begged for pity and 
understanding. Despising him for his 
weakness and falseness, she blundered 
home through the darkness. Two days 
later she packed her suitcase and left 
home. By accident she took the north 
bound train rather than the one to Rich 
mond, and so she changed the course of 
her later life. 

Dorinda arrived in New York in 
October, frightened, friendless, with no 
prospects or work. Two weeks later 
she fortunately met a kindly middle- 
aged woman who took her in and gave 
her the address of a dressmaker who 
might hire her. But on the way to the 
shop Dorinda was knocked clown by a 
cub. She awoke in a hospital. Dr. 
Faraday, a surgeon who had seen the 
accident, saved her life, but she lost 
her baby. Dr. Faraday hired her to look 
after his office and children. 

Dorinda lived in New York with the 
Faradays for two years. Then her father 
had a stroke and she returned home, 1 Ter 
brother Josiah was married; Mrs, Pedlar 
was dead, Dorinda had become a woman 
of self-confidence and poise, She saw 
Geneva Greylock, who already looked 
middle-aged, and had only pity for the 
woman who had married Jason. Her 
brother Rufus said Jason was drinking 



58 



heavily and losing all his patients. Five 
Oaks farm looked more run-down than 
ever. Determined to make the Oakley 
land productive once more, Dorinda 
borrowed enough money to buy seven 
cows. She found Nathan Pedlar help 
ful in many ways, for he knew good 
farming methods and gave her advice. 
When she saw Jason again, she wondered 
how she could ever have yielded herself 
to the husk of a man that Jason was, 

After her father's death, Josiah and his 
wife Elvira went to live on their own 
land. Rufus, who hated the farm, 
planned to go to the city. Before he left 
the farm, however, Rufus was accused 
of murdering a neighboring farmer, 
Dorinda was sure that he had committed 
the murder, but Mrs. Oakley swore under 
oath that her son had been at home with 
her at the time of the shooting. Her lie 
saved Rufus. Mrs. Oakley's conscience 
began to torment her because of the 
lie she had told, and she took to her 
bed. Her mind broken, she lived in 
dreams of her youth. When she died in 
her sleep, Dorinda wept. To her it 
seemed that her parents' lives had been 
futile and wasted. 

During the next ten years Dorinda 
worked hard. She borrowed more 
money to improve the farm and she 
saved and scrimped, but she was happy. 
Geneva Greylock was losing her mind. 
One day she told Dorinda that she had 
borne a child but that Jason had killed 
it and buried it in the garden. Geneva 
drowned herself the same day that 
Nathan Pedlar asked Dorinda to marry 
him. 

Together Dorinda and Nathan pros 
pered. She was now thirty-eight and still 
felt young. John Abner Pedlar, Nathan's 
crippled son, looked to her for help and 



she gave it willingly, Nathan's othei 
children meant less to her, and she was 
glad when they married and moved away, 
When Five Oaks was offered for sale, 
Dorinda and Nathan bought it for six 
thousand dollars. As Jason signed over 
the papers to her, Dorinda noticed that 
he was his dirty, drunken old father all 
over again. 

The next few years Dorinda devoted to 
restoring Five Oaks. John Abner was 
still her friend and helper. There were 
reports that Jason was living in an old 
house in the pine woods and drinking 
heavily. Dorinda, busy with her house 
and dairy farm, had little time for neigh 
borhood gossip, 

One day Nathan took the train to the 
city to have a tooth pulled and to attend 
a lawsuit. The train was wrecked, and 
Nathan was killed while trying to save 
the lives of the other passengers. He 
was given a hero's funeral. 

The years following Nathan's death 
were Dorinda's happiest, for as time 
passed she realized that she had regained, 
through her struggle with the land, her 
own integrity and self-respect. 

One day some hunters found Jason 
sick and starving in the woods, and her 
neighbors assumed Dorinda would take 
him in. Unwillingly, she allowed him 
to be brought to Old Farm, where she 
engaged a nurse to look after him. In 
a few months Jason died. Many of the 
people at the funeral came only out of 
curiosity, and a pompous minister said 
meaningless things about Jason, whom 
he had never known. Dorinda felt noth 
ing as she stood beside the grave, for 
her memories of Jason had outlived hei 
emotions. She sensed that for good 01 
ill the fervor and fever of her life were 
ended, 



THE BEGGAR'S OPERA 



Type of work: Comic opera 
Author: John Gay (1685-1732) 
Type of plot; Social satire 
Time of plot; Early eighteenth century 



59 



Locale: London 

First presented: 1728 

Principal characters: 

CAPTAIN MACHEATH, leader of a band of robbers 

POLLY PEACHUM, a young woman who believes she is Macheath s wite 

MR. PEACHUM, Polly's father, a fence for stolen goods and an informer 

LUCY LOCKIT, a young woman who also believes she is Macheath s wife 

MR. LOCKIT, Lucy's father, a jailer 

MRS. PEACHUM, Polly's mother 



Critique: 

The Beggar's Opera follows in the 
satiric tradition of Swift and Pope. Gay's 
purpose was to ridicule the corrupt 
politics of his day and the follies of 
polite society. Highwaymen and thieves 
stand for the great lords and powerful 
public officials of Georgian England. 
Depiction and intimation of crime and 
vice in all strata of society and shrewd, 
humorous characterization give the play 
its universality. 

The Story: 

Mr, Peachum, as he sat reckoning up 
his accounts, declared that his was an 
honest employment. Like a lawyer, he 
acted both for and against thieves. That 
he should protect them was only fitting, 
since they afforded him a living. In a 
businesslike manner he was deciding who 
among arrested rogues should escape 
punishment through bribes and who had 
been unproductive enough to deserve de 
portation or the gallows. Though Mrs. 
Peachum found a favorite of hers on his 
list, she made no effort to influence her 
husband's decision as to his fate, for she 
knew that the weakness of her sex was 
to allow her emotions to dominate her 
practical nature. 

She did say, however, that Captain 
Macheath, a highwayman, stood high in 
her regard, as well as in that so she 
hinted to Mr. Peachum of their daugh 
ter Polly. The news upset her spouse. 
If the girl married, her husband might 
learn family secrets and thus gain power 
over them. Peachum ordered his wife to 
warn the girl that marriage and a 
husband's domination would mean her 
ruin. Consequently they were dismayed 



when Polly announced her marriage to 
Macheath. They predicted grimly that 
she would not be able to keep Macheath 
in funds for gambling and philandering, 
that there would not even be enough 
money to cause quarrels, that she might 
as well have married a lord. 

The Peachums' greatest fear was that 
Macheath would have them hanged and 
so gain control of the fortune which 
would be left to Polly. Before he could 
do that, they decided, he would have to 
be disposed of, and they suggested to 
Polly that she inform on him. Widow 
hood, they declared, was a very com 
fortable state. But the girl stubbornly 
asserted that she loved the dashing high 
wayman. Overhearing the plan of her 
parents to have her husband arrested, 
Polly warned Macheath. They decided 
that he should go into hiding for a 
few weeks until, as Polly hoped, her 
parents should relent. 

Parting from his love, Macheath met 
his gang at a tavern near Newgate to 
tell diem their rendezvous would have to 
be confined to gatherings at their private 
hideout for about a week, so that 
Peachum would be led to believe the 
highwayman had deserted his com 
panions. After his men had left to go 
about their business, some street women 
and female pickpockets joined Macheath. 
Two of them covered Macheath with his 
own pistols as Peachum, accompanied 
by constables, rushed in to arrest him. 
When Macheath had been carried off to 
spend the night in Newgate, some of the 
women expressed their indignation at 
not having been chosen to spring the 
trap and share in the reward Peachum 



60 



had offered for the highwayman's 
capture. 

Though Captain Macheath had funds 
to bribe his jailer to confine him with 
only a light pair of fetters, it was another 
matter to deal with Lucy Lockit, the 
jailer's daughter. As Macheath freely 
admitted, she was his wife except for 
the ceremony. But Lucy, who had heard 
of his gallantry toward Polly Peachum, 
could be convinced of his sincerity only 
by his consent to an immediate marriage. 

Meanwhile Peachum and Lockit 
agreed that they would split the reward 
for Macheath. As he went over his ac 
counts, however, Peachum found cause 
to question his partner's honesty. One 
of his men had been convicted, although 
he had bribed Lockit to have the man go 
free. Also, Peachum's informer, Mrs, 
Coaxer, had been defrauded of informa 
tion money. The quarrel was short 
lived, however, as each was well aware 
that if they fell out each had the power 
to hang the other. After his talk with 
Peachum, Lockit warned his daughter 
that Macheath's fate had been sealed. He 
advised her to buy herself widow's weeds 
and be cheerful; since she could not have 
the highwayman and his money too, she 
might as well make use of the time 
that was left to extract what riches she 
could from him. 

There was no clergyman to be found 
that day, but Lucy had so far softened 
toward her philandering lover as to agree 
to see if her father could not be bought 
off. She had just consented to help him 
when Polly appeared in search of her 
husband. Macheath managed to convince 
Lucy of his faithfulness by disowning 
Polly, who was carried off by the angry 
Peachum. 

After they had gone, Lucy agreed to 
steal her father's keys so that her lover 
might escape. Macheath, free once more, 
went to join two of his men at a gambling 
house. There he made arrangements to 
meet them again that evening at another 
den, where he would point out a likely 
victim for them to rob. 



Peachum and Lockit were discussing 
the disposal of some assorted loot when 
they were joined by Mrs. Trapes, a 
procuress who innocently told them that 
Macheath was at that moment with one 
of her girls. While Peachum and Lockit 
went off to recapture him, Polly paid a 
visit to Lucy Lockit. Together they be 
wailed their common fate Macheath's 
neglect. Lucy tried to give Polly a 
poisoned drink. When the suspicious 
girl refused to accept it, Lucy decided 
that perhaps Polly was too miserable to 
deserve to die. 

When Macheath was brought back to 
prison once more by Peachum and 
Lockit, both girls fell on their knees 
before their fathers and begged that his 
life be spared. Neither parent would be 
moved. Lockit announced that the high 
wayman would die that day. As he pre 
pared to go to the Old Bailey, Macheath 
said that he was resigned to his fate, 
for his death would settle all disputes 
and please all his wives, 

While Macheath in his cell reflected 
ironically that rich men may escape the 
gallows while the poor must hang, he 
was visited by two of his men. He 
asked them to make sure that Lockit and 
Peachum were hanged before they them 
selves were finally strung up. The thieves 
were followed by the distraught Polly 
and Lucy, come to bid Macheath fare 
well. When the jailer announced that 
four more of his wives, each accompanied 
by a child, had appeared to say goodbye, 
Macheath declared that he was ready to 
meet his fate. 

But the rabble, feeling that the pooi 
should have their vices as well as the 
rich, raised so much clamor for Mac- 
heath's reprieve that charges were 
dropped and he was released in triumph. 
In the merrymaking that followed, he 
himself chose Polly as his partner, be 
cause, he gallantly announced, she was 
really his wife. From that time on he 
intended to give up the vices if not the 
follies of the rich. 



61 



had offered for the highwayman's 
capture. 

Though Captain Macheath had funds 
to bribe his jailer to confine him with 
only a light pair of fetters, it was another 
matter to deal with Lucy Lockit, the 
jailer's daughter. As Macheath freely 
admitted, she was his wife except for 
the ceremony. But Lucy, who had heard 
of his gallantry toward Polly Peachum, 
could be convinced of his sincerity only 
by his consent to an immediate marriage. 
Meanwhile Peachum and Lockit 
agreed that they would split the reward 
for Macheath. As he went over his ac 
counts, however, Peachum found cause 
to question his partner's honesty. One 
of his men had been convicted, although 
he had bribed Lockit to have the man go 
free. Also, Peachum's informer, Mrs, 
Coaxer, had been defrauded of informa 
tion money. The quarrel was short 
lived, however, as each was well aware 
that if they fell out each had the power 
to hang the other. After his talk with 
Peachum, Lockit warned his daughter 
that Macheath's fate had been sealed. He 
advised her to buy herself widow's weeds 
and be cheerful; since she could not have 
the highwayman and his money too, she 
might as well make use of the time 
that was left to extract what riches she 
could from him. 

There was no clergyman to be found 
that day, but Lucy had so far softened 
toward her philandering lover as to agree 
to see if her father could not be bought 
off. She had just consented to help him 
when Polly appeared in search of her 
husband. Macheath managed to convince 
Lucy of his faithfulness by disowning 
Polly, who was carried off by the angry 
Peachum. 

After they had gone, Lucy agreed to 
steal her father's keys so that her lover 
might escape. Macheath, free once more, 
went to join two of his men at a gambling 
house. There he made arrangements to 
meet them again that evening at another 
den, where he would point out a likely 
victim for them to rob. 



Peachum and Lockit were discussing 
the disposal of some assorted loot when 
they were joined by Mrs. Trapes, a 
procuress who innocently told them that 
Macheath was at that moment with one 
of her girls. While Peachum and Lockit 
went off to recapture him, Polly paid a 
visit to Lucy Lockit. Together they be 
wailed their common fate Macheath's 
neglect. Lucy tried to give Polly a 
poisoned drink. When the suspicious 
girl refused to accept it, Lucy decided 
that perhaps Polly was too miserable to 
deserve to die. 

When Macheath was brought back to 
prison once more by Peachum and 
Lockit, both girls fell on their knees 
before their fathers and begged that his 
life be spared. Neither parent would be 
moved. Lockit announced that the high 
wayman would die that day. As he pre 
pared to go to the Old Bailey, Macheath 
said that he was resigned to his fate, 
for his death would settle all disputes 
and please all his wives, 

While Macheath in his cell reflected 
ironically that rich men may escape the 
gallows while the poor must hang, he 
was visited by two of his men. He 
asked them to make sure that Lockit and 
Peachum were hanged before they them 
selves were finally strung up. The thieves 
were followed by the distraught Polly 
and Lucy, come to bid Macheath fare 
well. When the jailer announced that 
four more of his wives, each accompanied 
by a child, had appeared to say goodbye, 
Macheath declared that he was ready to 
meet his fate. 

But the rabble, feeling that the pooi 
should have their vices as well as the 
rich, raised so much clamor for Mac- 
heath's reprieve that charges were 
dropped and he was released in triumph. 
In the merrymaking that followed, he 
himself chose Polly as his partner, be 
cause, he gallantly announced, she was 
really his wife. From that time on he 
intended to give up the vices if not the 
follies of the rich. 



61 



an important column. He had barely 
assumed this position when the editor of 
a rival newspaper, La Plume, accused 
him falsely of receiving bribes and sup 
pressing news. For the honor of La Vie 
Francaise Duroy was forced to challenge 
his disparager to a duel. Though neither 
he nor his opponent was injured, M. 
Walter was pleased with Duroy' s spirit. 

Duroy moved into the apartment Mme. 
de Marelle had rented for their meetings 
after he had promised that he would 
never bring anyone else there. Shortly 
afterward Forestier became seriously ill, 
and Duroy received a telegram asking 
him to join the Forestiers in Cannes, 
where they had gone for the invalid's 
health. After Forestier's death, as he and 
Mme, Forestier kept a vigil over the 
corpse, Duroy proposed once more. The 
widow made no promises but stated the 
next day that she might consider an 
alliance, though she warned her swain 
that she would have to be treated as an 
equal and her conduct left unquestioned. 

Mme. Forestier returned to Paris. A 
year later she and Duroy were married. 
Georges du Roy de Cantel, as he now 
called himself at his wife's suggestion, 
and his bride had agreed to spend their 
honeymoon with his parents in Nor 
mandy. However, Mme. de Cantel spent 
only one day with his simple, ignorant 
peasant family in their tiny home. 

The newspaper man found in his wife 
a valuable ally who not only aided him 
in writing his articles but also, as the 
friend of influential men, helped him to 
find a place in political circles. Un 
fortunately, friction soon developed be 
tween them. After he had moved into 
his wife's home, de Cantel found that 
its comforts had been designed to please 
its old master, and he soon found him 
self pushed gently into the niche his 
friend had occupied. Even the meals 
were prepared according to Forestier's 
taste. To pique his wife de Cantel be 
gan to call Forestier "poor Charles," al 
ways using an accent of infinite pity 
when he spoke the name. 



Not long after his marriage de Cantel 
resumed his relationship with Mme. de 
Marelle and at the same time began an 
affair with Mme. Walter. He had briefly 
bemoaned the fact that he had not mar 
ried wealthy young Suzanne Walter, but 
he soon became intrigued with the idea 
of seducing her mother, a pillar of dig 
nity. His conquest was not a difficult 
one. Mme. Walter began to meet her 
lover at his rooms and to shower affection 
and attentions upon him so heavily that 
he quickly became bored. 

Among Mme. de Cantel's political ac 
quaintances was the foreign minister, 
Laroche-Mathieu, who supplied news of 
government activities to La Vie Fran- 
caise. Because the minister was also a 
close friend of M. Walter, it was not 
difficult for de Cancel's new paramour to 
learn the state secret that France would 
soon guarantee the Moroccan debt. Mme. 
Walter planned to buy some shares of 
the loan with the understanding that de 
Cantel would receive part of the profit. 
While Mme. Walter was carrying on 
her speculations, the de Cantels received 
a windfall in the form of a bequest from 
the late Count de Vaudrec, an old family 
friend of Mme, de Cantel. De Cantel 
objected to the count's bequest of one 
million francs, however, on the grounds 
that appearances would compromise her. 
He allowed her to accept the money only 
after she had agreed to divide it equally 
with him, so that it would seem to out 
siders as if they had both received a 
share. 

De Cantel profited handsomely when 
France assumed the Moroccan debt, but 
his gains were small compared to those 
of Laroche-Mathieu and M. Walter, who 
had become millionaires as a result of 
the intrigue. One evening he and his 
wife were invited to view a painting in 
the Walters' magnificent new mansion. 
There de Cantel began a flirtation with 
Suzanne Walter; his own wife and 
Laroche-Mathieu had become intimates 
without attempting to conceal their 
friendship. That evening de Cantel per- 



63 



suaded Suzanne to agree never to accept 
a proposal without first asking his advice. 
At home after the reception lie received 
with indifference the cross of the Legion 
of Honor which the foreign minister had 
given him, He felt that he was entitled 
to a larger reward for concealing news of 
the Moroccan affair from his readers, 
That spring he surprised his wife and 
Laroche-Mathieu at a rendezvous. Three 
months later he obtained a divorce, caus 
ing the minister's downfall by naming 
him corespondent. 

A free man again, de Cantel was able 
to court Suzanne Walter. It was simple 
for him to persuade the girl to tell her 
parents she wished to many him, to have 
her go away with him until they gave 
their consent to the match. 

Mme, Walter was the only one at the 



magnificent church wedding to show any 
signs of sadness. She hated the daughter 
who had taken her lover, but at the same 
time she was powerless to prevent the 
marriage without compromising herself. 
M. Walter had managed to resign him 
self to having a conniving son-in-law, 
had, in fact, recognized his shrewdness 
by making him chief editor of the news 
paper. Suzanne was innocently happy as 
she walked down the aisle with her 
father. Her new husband was also con 
tent. Greeting their well-wishers in the 
sacristy after the ceremony, he took ad 
vantage of the occasion to reaffirm, with 
his eyes, his feelings for Mine, de Ma- 
relle. As he and his wife left the church, 
it seemed to him that it was only a stone's 
throw from that edifice to the chamber 
of deputies. 



A BELL FOR ADANO 

Type of work: Novel 
Author: John Horsey (1914- ) 
Type, of 'plot: Social criticism 
Timeofylot: 1943 
Locale: Adano, Italy 
first published: 1944 
Principal characters: 

MAJOR VICTOR JOXOPOLO, American Military Governor of Ackno 

SERGEANT Bourn, Major Joppolo's subordinate 

CAPTAIN Pimvis, head of the Military Police 

GBNEXUL MARVIN, Commander-in-Cmef of the American invasion troops and Majox 
Joppolo's superior 

Critique: 

A Bell for Ada-no is one of the out 
standing works of fiction to come out of 
World War II. John Mersey has told 
his story in simple but effective language. 
There is nothing of the artificial, the 
contrived, or the melodramatic. The 
portrayal of character is perhaps the 
author's greatest achievement. Only a 
good observer, only a person with a 
deep love for human beings, could have 
written so realistically and so sympatheti 
cally of the American invasion troops, 
and of an Italian town and its people 



who had lived under Fascist rule for 
more than twenty years. 

The Story: 

When the American army invaded 
Sicily, Major Victor Joppolo was placed 
in command of Adano* lie set up his 
office in the city hall, re-hired the janitor, 
and investigated the records left by 
the Fascist mayor, who had fled to the 
hills. 

Soon after his arrival Major Joppolo 
summoned the leading citr/ens of the 



A BELL TOR ADANO by John Heraey. By perrmaiion of the author and the publisher*, Alfred A* Knopf, Inc. 
Copyright, 1944, by John Hergey. 



town and asked them, through ( 
his interpreter, what they considered the 
most important thing to be done. Some 
answered that the shortage of food was 
the most pressing problem. Others in 
sisted that what the town needed most 
was its bell, which had been removed 
by the Fascists. The bell, it seemed, 
had a soothing tone. It also regulated 
the lives of Adano's residents. 

The major promised every effort to 
recover the bell. Meanwhile the problem 
was to obtain food and to have produce 
brought into the town. In order that his 
directives would be understood and 
carried out, the major issued proclama 
tions which the town crier, after being 
silent for so long, hastened to shout in 
the village. 

On Sunday morning the major at 
tended mass at one of the churches. 
There he noticed a blonde girl sitting in 
front of him. When he later asked 
Giuseppe about her, the interpreter as 
sumed that the American's interest had 
nothing to do with official business. 
Major Joppolo's primary interest, how 
ever, was the girl's father, Tomasino, 
owner of a fishing fleet. He had 
Giuseppe ask Tomasino if he would come 
to see him. But Tomasino, distrustful 
of authority, would not come to head 
quarters. The major decided to go to 
Tomasino. He went, followed by practi 
cally all the townspeople. The old 
Italian was defiant, sure that the major 
had come to arrest him. Finally the 
Italian was convinced that the major 
meant neither to arrest him nor to ask 
For a cut in the proceeds from the sale of 
the fish. He agreed to go out with his 
fishing fleet, despite the danger of mines. 

By that time the major and his policies 
had become the subject of much discus 
sion among the people. The Fascist 
mayor provided them with a great deal 
of amusement. He had come out of 
hiding and had been paroled into Ser 
geant Borth's custody. Every morning 
the mayor went to Sergeant Borth and 
publicly confessed a Fascist sin. Giuseppe 



was astonished to discover that when the 
major told him to report for work at 
seven in the mornings, he meant it. 
Gargano, the ex-Fascist policeman, 
learned that he could no longer force 
the others to make way for him when 
they stood in line at the bakery. 

While driving through Adano one 
day, General Marvin found the road 
blocked by a mule cart. The driver, 
having had his daily quota of wine, was 
sleeping peacefully. 

When the mule refused to budge, the 
general ordered the vehicle thrown into 
the ditch. Reluctantly, the soldiers 
dumped the cart, mule, and sleeping 
driver. Swearing furiously, the general 
drove up to the city hall, confronted 
Major Joppolo, and ordered that the 
major forbid the entrance of all carts 
into Adano. 

The next day a group of townspeople 
besieged the major. The carts, they ex 
plained, were essential, for they brought 
food and water into the town. Major 
Joppolo countermanded the general's 
order and telephoned Captain Purvis 
that he would accept full responsibility. 
Captain Purvis, anxious to keep out of 
trouble, ordered Lieutenant Trapani to 
make a memorandum and to send it to 
General Marvin. But the lieutenant, 
out of regard for Major Joppolo, put the 
memorandum among Purvis' papers in 
the hope that the captain, who rarely 
looked through his files, would never find 
it 

Major Joppolo's efforts to restore the 
bell were not successful, for it had been 
melted down by the Fascists. However, 
a young Naval officer, in charge of a 
nearby station, promised to obtain a 
ship's bell for him. 

In the meantime Captain Purvis had 
gone through the papers on his desk 
and had found the memorandum for 
General Marvin. He ordered it for 
warded at once. Lieutenant Trapani 
mailed it, but addressed it to the wrong 
person at headquarters in Algiers. From 
there it was forwarded to the general's 



65 



aide, Colonel Middleton. Every day the 
colonel met with General Marvin and 
went over important communications. 
Accordingly, he was half-way through 
Purvis* letter before he realized what 
it was. He tried to go on to the next 
letter, but it was too late. The general 
had heard Major Joppolo's name and 
that of Adano, and remembered both. 

The bell arrived in Adano, It was 
toxiched, prodded, sounded by the ex 
perts, and admired by everybody. When 
it pealed fortli, the townspeople declared 
that its tone was even better than that 
of the old bell. The major was a hero, 
To show their appreciation and affection, 
the townspeople had him taken to a 



photographer. From the resulting picture, 
a local artist painted his portrait. 

At the celebration that night, Sergeant 
Borth was very, very drunk. He refused 
to take orders from Major Joppolo, say 
ing that the major was no longer in any 
position to give orders. Captain Pur 
vis, said the sergeant, almost sobbing, 
had a letter from General Marvin. It 
ordered Major Joppolo back to Algiers, 
Next morning the major said goodbye to 
Borth, who apologized for his conduct of 
the previous night. The major asked 
him to help his successor make the 
people happy. As he drove away from 
the town, he heard in the distance the 
tolling of a bell, the new bell for Adano. 



BEN HUR; A TALE OF THE CHRIST 

Type of work; Novel 

/tetfeor: Lewis (Lew) Wallace (1827-1905) 

Type of plot: Historical romance 

lime of 'plot: At the time of Christ 

Locale: Antiocli and Jerusalem 

First published: 1880 

Principal characters: 

BEN HUR, a Roman-educated Jew 

BALTHASAR, an Egyptian 

SXMONIDES, a Jewish merchant and friend of Ben Hur 

ESTHER, daughter of Simonides 

IRAS, daughter of Balthasar 

MESS ALA, a Roman and an enemy of Ben Hur 

Critique: 

Ben Hur is an ama/Jng book, a mix 
ture of melodramatic adventure and 
scholarly research. The author shows 
great familiarity with the customs and 
traditions of the society that he is describ 
ing, and it is this detailed knowledge of 
Roman and Jewish history that accounts 
for the value and importance of Ben Hur, 
It is unfortunate that the characters 
never seem quite real, and that the 
modern reader cannot feel much sym 
pathy for them. 



The Story: 

In the Roman year 747 three travelers 
met in the desert, where the Athenian, 
the Hindu, and the Egyptian had been 



led by a new bright star shining in the 
sky, After telling their stories to one 
another, they journeyed on, seeking the 
new-born child who was King of the 
Jews. In Jerusalem their inquiries aroused 
the curiosity of King Herod, who asked 
that they be brought before him. I lerocl 
then asked them to let him know if they 
found the child, for he, too, wished to 
adore the infant whose birth had been 
foretold. Arriving at last in Bethlehem, 
the three men found the new-born child 
in a stable, But having been warned in 
a dream of Herod's evil intentions, they 
did not return to tell the king of the 
child's whereabouts. 

At that time there lived in Jerusalem 



66 



three members of an old and eminent 
Jewish family named Hur. The father, 
who had been dead for some time, had 
distinguished himself in service to the 
Roman Empire and had, consequently, 
received many honors. The son, Ben 
Hur, was handsome, and the daughter, 
Tirzah, was likewise beautiful. Their 
mother was a fervent nationalist who had 
implanted in their minds a strong sense 
of pride in their race and national culture. 

When Ben Hur was still a young man, 
his friend Messala returned from his 
studies in Rome. Messala had become 
arrogant, spiteful, cruel. As Ben left 
Messala's home after their meeting, he 
was hurt, for he realized that Messala 
had so changed that their friendship must 
end, 

A few days later, while watching a 
procession below him in the streets, Ben 
Hur accidentally dislodged a piece of 
tile which fell on the Roman procurator. 
The Roman believed that the accident 
was an attempt on his life, Led by Mes 
sala, who had pointed out his former 
friend, the Romans arrested the Hur 
family and confiscated their property, 

Ben Hur was sent to be a galleyslave. 
While he was being led away in chains, 
a young man took pity on him and gave 
him a drink. One day, while he was 
rowing at his usual place in the galley, 
Ben Hur attracted the attention of Quin- 
tus Arrius, a Roman official. Later, dur 
ing a sea battle, Ben Hur saved the life 
of Quintus, who adopted the young Jew 
as his son. Educated as a Roman citizen, 
Ben Hur inherited his foster father's 
wealth when Quintus died. 

Ben Hur went to Antioch, where he 
learned that his father's old servant, 
Simonides, was now a prosperous mer 
chant. In effect, the wealth of Simonides 
was really the property of the Hur family, 
For he had been acting as agent for his 
dead master. Simonides assured himself 
that Ben Hur was really the son of his 
old master, and begged that he be allowed 
to serve the son as well. Ben Hur was 
attracted to Simonides' daughter, Esther. 



In company with a servant of Simon 
ides, Ben Hur went to see a famous well 
on the outskirts of Antioch. There an 
aged Egyptian was watering his camel, 
on which sat the most beautiful woman 
Ben Hur had ever seen. While he looked, 
a chariot came charging through the 
people near the well. Ben Hur seized 
the lead horse by the bridle and swerved 
the chariot aside. The driver was his 
false friend, Messala. The old Egyptian 
was Balthasar, one of the wise men who 
had traveled to Bethlehem. The beauti 
ful girl was his daughter, Iras. 

Learning that the arrogant Messala 
was to race his chariot in the games at 
Antioch, Ben Hur wished to defeat and 
humiliate his old playfellow. He had 
Simonides and his friends place large 
wagers on the race, until Messala had 
staked his whole fortune. The day of 
the race came. At the turn Messala sud 
denly struck with his whip at the horses 
of the chariot Ben Hur was driving. Ben 
Hur managed to keep his team under 
control, and then in the last lap around 
the arena he drove his chariot so close 
to Messala's vehicle that the wheels 
locked. Messala was thrown under his 
horses and crippled for life. Because 
Messala had attempted foul play earlier 
in the race, the judges allowed Ben Hur 
to be proclaimed the winner. Messala 
was ruined. 

From Balthasar, Ben Hur learned that 
the King of the Jews to whom the Egyp 
tian and his companions had paid homage 
some years before was not to be the king 
of a political realm, but of a spiritual 
one. But Simonides convinced Ben Hur 
that the promised king would be a real 
deliverer who would lead the Jews to 
victory over the Romans. 

From Antioch Ben Hur went to Jeru 
salem to search for his mother and sister. 
There he learned the part Messala had 
played in the ruin of his family. After 
his own arrest, his mother and sister had 
been thrown into prison, and Messala 
and the procurator had divided the con 
fiscated property between them. But 



67 



Messala knew nothing of the fate of the 
two women after the procurator had 
ordered them confined to an underground 
cell. There they had contracted leprosy. 
When Pilate, the new procurator, arrived, 
he had ordered all political prisoners 
freed and so the two women had been 
set at liberty. But there was no place 
for them to go except to the caves outside 
the city where the lepers were sent to 
die, A faithful old servant found them 
and carried food to them daily, under 
sacred oath never to reveal their names. 
When Ben Hur met the old servant, she 
allowed him to believe that his mother 
and sister were dead. 

Meanwhile Simonides had bought the 
home of his old master, and he, Esther, 
Balthasar, and Iras took possession of it 
Ben Ilur himself could visit it only at 
night and in disguise. He was plotting 
to overthrow the Roman rule and was 
recruiting an army to follow the future 
King of the Jews. He went one day 
near the place where the lepers usually 
gathered on the hill beyond the city 
gates. On the way, he met a young man 
whom he recognized as the one who had 
given him a drink of water years before 
when he was being led away to slavery. 
The young man was the Nazarene, That 
day me old servant had persuaded Tirzah 



and her mother to show themselves to 
the Nazarene as he passed. Both were 
cured, and Ben Hur saw the two lepers 
transformed into his mother and sister. 

Ben Hur's attitude toward the King of 
the Jews was slowly changing. When he 
witnessed the crucifixion in company 
with Simonides and old Balthasar, any 
doubts that he might have had were 
removed. He was convinced then that 
Christ's kingdom was a spiritual one. 
From that day on, he and his family 
were Christians. 

Some years later, in the beautiful villa 
at Misenum, Ben Hur's wife, Esther, re 
ceived a strange visit from Iras, the 
daughter of Balthasar. Iras told Esther 
that she had killed Messala for the 
misery he had brought her. When he 
learned of the visit, Ben Ilur was sure 
that on the day of the crucifixion, the 
day that Balthasar himself had died, Iras 
had deserted her father for Messala. 

Ben Hur was happy with Esther and 
their two children. He and Simonides 
devoted their fortunes to the Christian 
cause. When Nero began the persecu 
tion of the Christians in Rome it was 
Ben Hur who went there to build the 
catacombs under the city itself, so that 
those who believed in the Nazarene could 
worship in safety and peace, 



BEOWULF 

Type of work: Poem 

Author: Unknown 

Type of fflot: Heroic epic 

Time of 'plot: c, Sixth century 

Locale: Denmark, southern Sweden (land of the Gcats) 

First transcribed: c. 1000 

Principal characters: 
BEOWULF, a Goat hero 
HROTIIGAR, King of the Danes 
UNFBKTH, a Danish warrior 
WIGLAJP, loyal noble of Beowulf's court 

Critique: 

This poem is the great masterpiece of 
Anglo-Saxon literature. Its scribes were 



poem is a valuable record of the customs 
of the time, a pagan story overlaid with 



writing down a story transmitted orally a veneer of Christian theology, and a nar- 
for generations by Northern peoples. The rative of high artistic worth. 



68 



The Story: 

Once long ago in Hrothgar's kingdom 
a monster named Grendef roamed the 
countryside at night. Rising from his 
marshy home, Grendel would stalk to the 
hall of the king, where he would seize 
fifteen of Hrothgar's sleeping warriors 
and devour them. Departing, he would 
gather fifteen more into his huge arms 
and carry them back to his watery lair. 
For twelve years this slaughter continued. 
Word of the terror spread. In the 
land of the Geats, ruled over by Hygelac, 
lived Beowulf, a man of great strength 
and bravery. When he heard the tale 
of Hrothgar's distress, he set sail for Den 
mark to rid the land of its fear. With a 
company of fourteen men he came ashore 
and asked a coast watcher to lead him 
to Hrothgar's high hall. There he was 
feasted in great honor while the mead 
cup went around, Unferth reminded 
Beowulf of a swimming contest which 
Beowulf was said to have lost. Beowulf 
answered that not only had he won the 
contest, but he had also killed many 
deadly monsters in the sea. At the close 
of the feast Hrothgar and his warriors 
went to their rest, leaving Beowulf and 
his band in the hall. Then came the 
awful Grendel and seized one of the 
sleeping warriors. But he was fated to 
kill no more that night, for Beowulf 
without shield or spear seized the dread 
monster and wrenched off his mighty 
right arm, Thus maimed, Grendel fled 
back to his marshland home. His bloody 
arm was hung in Hrothgar's hall. 

The next night Grendel's mother came 
to avenge her son. Bursting into the 
great hall, she seized one of the warriors, 
Acschere, Hrothgar's chief counselor, and 
fled with him into the night. She took 
with her also the prized arm of Grendel. 
Beowulf was asleep in a house removed 
irom the hall, and not until morning did 
he learn of the monster's visit. Then, 
with Hrothgar leading the way, a mourn 
ful procession approached the dire marsh. 
At its edge they sighted the head of the 
ill-fated Aeschere and saw the stain of 



blood on the water. Beowulf prepared 
for descent to the home of the foe. Un 
ferth offered Beowulf the finest sword in 
the kingdom, and thus forfeited his own 
chance of brave deeds. 

As Beowulf sank beneath the waters of 
the marsh, he was beset on every hand 
by prodigious monsters. After a long 
swim he came to the lair of Grendel's 
mother. Failing to wound her with Un- 
ferth's sword, he seized the monster by 
the shoulder and threw her to the ground. 
During a grim hand-to-hand battle, in 
which Beowulf was being worsted, he 
sighted a famous old sword of the giants, 
which he seized and thrust at Grendel's 
mother, who fell in helpless death throes. 
Then Beowulf turned and saw Grendel 
himself lying weak and maimed on the 
floor of the lair. Quickly he swung the 
sword and severed Grendel's head from 
his body. As he began to swim back up 
to the surface of the marsh, the sword 
with which he had killed his enemies 
melted until only the head and hilt were 

j r n his return > the Da nes rejoiced 
and fted him with another high feast 
He presented the sword hilt to Hroth^ar 
and returned Unferth's sword without 
telling that it had failed him. 

The time came for Beowulf's return to 
his homeland. He left Denmark in great 
glory and sailed toward the land of the 
Geats. Once more at the court of his 
lord Hygelac, he was held in high esteem 
and was rewarded with riches and posi 
tion. After many years Beowulf himself 
became king among the Geats. One of 
the Geats by accident discovered an an 
cient hoard, and, while its guardian 
dragon slept, carried away a golden gob 
let which he presented to Beowulf. The 
discovery of the loss caused the dragon 
to rise in fury and to devastate the land. 
Old man that he was, Beowulf was 
determined to rid his kingdom of the 
dragon's scourge. Daring the flames of 
the dragon's nostrils, he smote his foe 
with his sword, but without effect, Once 
more Beowulf was forced to rely on the 



69 



grip of his mighty hands, Of his warriors 
only Wiglaf stood by his king; the others 
flccl. The dragon rushed at Beowulf and 
sank its teeth deeply into his neck. But 
Wiglaf smote the dragon with his sword, 
and Beowulf with his war-knife gave the 
dragon its death blow. 

Weak from loss of blood, the old hero 
was dying. His last act was to give Wig 



laf a king's collar of gold. The other 
warriors now came out of hiding and 
burned with pagan rites the body of their 
dead king. From the dragon's lair they 
took the treasure hoard and buried it in 
the great mound they built over Beo 
wulf's ashes. Then with due ceremony 
they mourned the passing of the great 
ana dauntless Beowulf. 



THE BIG SKY 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: A. B. Guthrie, Jr. (1901- ) 

Type of ylot: Adventure romance 

Time off lot: 1830-1843 

Locale: Western United States 

first published: 1947 

Principal characters: 

BOONE CAUDILL, a mountain man 
TEAL EYE, his Indian wife 
JIM DJGAKINS, his friend 
DICK SUMMEHS, an old hunter 
JOITBDONNAIS, a keclbout captain 
Pooru>EViL, <a half-witted Blackfoot 
ELJSHA PEABODY, a Yankee speculator 

Critique: 

For constant and varied action this 
story is outstanding. Between episodes 
much of the philosophy of the Western 
hunter and trapper is set forth. Also, 
there are passages of vivid description 
in which the author communicates the 
feel of the open spaces and the elemental 
emotions of the men who roamed them, 
Throughout the book realism is added by 
putting the words and thoughts of the 
characters into frontier dialect. The Big 
Sky is a notable contribution to regional 
and historical fiction. 



Louisville, where the sheriff and Boonc's 
father were waiting for the runaway, he 
and Jim were separated, Boone escaped 
by swimming the Ohio River to the 
Indiana shore. 

When Boone was falsely accused of 
attempted theft and jailed, Jim, who had 
Followed him after their separation, stole 
the sheriff's keys and released him. To 
gether the boys eon tinned west. 

In St. Louis they signed up on the 
crew of the keelboat Mcindmi. Most of 
the crew were French, as was the leader, 
Jourdonnais. The boat was headed for 
the country of the Blaekfeet with a 
store of whiskey and other goods to trade 
for furs. Jourdonnais also had aboard 
Teal Bye, young daughter of a Blackfoot 
chief. She lincl been separated from her 
tribe for some time; Jourdonnais hoped 
to gain the friendship of the Indians by 
returning the girl to them, 

The keelboat moved slowly upstream 

& BIG SKY by A. B. Guthrie, Jr, By partmgiion of thr author, hiit HKCJINJ Ruth & Maxwell Alcy, untl th 
publishers, Willinm Sloane Associates, Inc. Copyright, 1947, by A. B, Guthrie, Jr. 



The Story: 

In 1830 Boone Caudill set out alone 
for St. Louis and the West after a fight 
with his father. Taking his father's rifle 
with him, he headed for Louisville to get 
out of the state before his father could 
catch him. On the road he met Jim 
Dcaldns, an easy-going redhead, and the 
two decided to go West together. At 



70 



by means of poles, tow rope, and oars. 
Boone and Jim found a friend in Dick 
Summers, the hunter for the Mandan f 
whose job was to scout for Indians and 
keep the crew supplied with meat. He 
made Boone and Jim his assistants. Jour- 
donnais was worried about making 
Blackfoot country before winter, and he 
worked the crew hard. At last they 
passed into the upper river beyond the 
mouth of the Platte. All the greenhorns, 
including Boone and Jim, were initiated 
by being dunked in the river and having 
their hair shaved off. 

At last they were in buffalo country. 
Summers took Boone with him to get 
some fresh meat. Attacked by a hunting 
party of Sioux, the white men escaped 
unharmed; but Summers expected 
trouble from the hostiles farther along 
the line. A few days later the Mandan 
was ambushed by a large Indian war 
party. Only the swivel gun on the deck 
of the boat saved the white men from 
death. 

Just before the Mandan arrived at 
Fort Union, two men tried to sabotage 
the cargo. At Fort Union, Jourdonnais 
accused the American Fur Company 
trader, McKenzie, of trying to stop him. 
McKenzie denied the charge, but he 
tried to argue Jourdonnais out of con 
tinuing upriver and offered to pay double 
value for the Mandan' '$ cargo. Jourdon 
nais refused. At Fort Union, Boone met 
his Uncle Zeb, an old-time mountain 
man. He predicted that the days of hunt 
ing and trapping in open country were 
nearly over, but Boone and Jim did not 
believe him. 

When the Mandan arrived in Black- 
foot country, Teal Eye escaped. The 
crew began to build a fort and trading 
post. One day Indians attacked and killed 
all but the three hunters, Boone, Jim, 
and Summers. 

For seven years these three hunted to 
gether, and Summers made real moun 
tain men out of the others. In the spring 
of 1837 the three headed for a rendez 
vous on the Seeds-Kee-Dee River, where 



they could sell their furs and gamble, 
drink, and fight with other mountain 
men. They took with them a half 
witted Blackfoot named Poordevil. 

At the rendezvous Boone killed a man 
who said that he was going to take 
Poordevirs scalp. Then, after they had 
had their fill of women and liquor, the 
three friends left the camp. But Sum 
mers did not go hunting with them. 
No longer able to keep up the pace of 
the mountain men, he went back to 
settle in Missouri. Boone, Jim, and 
Poordevil headed up the Yellowstone 
toward Blackfoot country. 

The journey was Boone's idea. He 
knew that Teal Eye was now a grown 
woman. Her beauty had remained in his 
memory all those years; now he wanted 
her for his squaw. On the way to the 
Three Forks, Boone stole a Crow horse 
and took a Crow scalp, two coups that 
would help him to make friends with 
the Blackfoot Indians. 

They came upon a Blackfoot village 
ravaged by smallpox, but Boone refused 
to stop until he was certain that Teal 
Eye was dead. At last he located her. 
She was with a small band led by Red 
Horn, her brother, who sold her to 
Boone as his squaw. 

Life was good to Boone. For five years 
he lived happily among the Blackfoot 
Indians with Teal Eye as his wife. Jim 
lived in the Blackfoot camp also, but 
he often left for months at a time to go 
back down the Missouri. He craved com 
panionship, while Boone enjoyed living 
away from crowds. On one of his trips 
Jim met Elisha Peabody, a shrewd 
Yankee speculating upon the future pros 
perity of the Oregon Territory, who 
wanted someone to show him a pass 
where wagons could cross the mountains. 
Jim and Boone contracted to show him a 
suitable pass. Before Boone left, Tea] 
Eye told him that he would have a son 
when he returned. 

The expedition had bad luck. Indians 
stole all the horses and wounded Jim 
badly. Then snow fell, destroying all 



71 



chances to get food. Finally, Boone was 
able to shoot some mountain goats. Jim 
recovered from his wound, and the party 
went ahead on foot. Boone and Jim 
showed Peabody the way across the 
mountains and into the Columbia Valley. 
It was spring when Boone returned to 
Teal Eye and his son. 

The child, born blind, had a tinge of 
red in his hair. The baby's blindness 
brought a savage melancholy to Boone. 
Then some of the old Indians hinted that 
the red hair showed the child was Jim's 
baby. Boone laid a trap to catch Jim with 
Teal Eye. Jim, suspecting nothing, found 
Teal Eye alone in her lodge; he tried to 
comfort her about her child's blindness 
and the ugly mood of her husband, 
Boone mistook the intent of Jim's conver 
sation. Entering the lodge, he shot Jim 
in the chest, killing him. He cursed 
Teal Eye and left the Blackfoot camp. 
Then he headed back to Kentucky to see 
his mother before she died, 

In Kentucky he found his brother 



married and taking care of the farm. 
Boone grew resdess. Slowly it came to 
him that he had been wrong about Jim 
and Teal Eye, for he noticed that one 
of his brother's children had a tinge of 
red hair. His mother said that there 
had been red hair in the family. When 
a neighbor girl insisted that he marry 
her because he had made love to her, 
Boone started back to the West. He 
longed for freedom and for Teal Eye. 

In Missouri he visited Summers, who 
now had a wife and a farm. Over their 
whiskey, Boone revealed to Summers 
that he had killed Jim. He knew now 
that he had made a mistake. Everything 
was spoiled for him Teal Eye, and 
all the West. The day of the mountain 
man was nearly over; farmers were going 
to Oregon. Without saying goodbye, he 
stumbled out into the niglit. Summers 
could see him weaving along the road 
for a short distance. Then the darkness 
swallowed him, and he was gone. 



THE BLACK ARROW 



Tyye of work; Novel 

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) 

Type of ylot; Historical romance 

Time offlot: Fifteenth century 

Locale: England 

First published: 1888 



Principal characters: 

SIR DANIEL BRACKLBY, a political turncoat 
RIGHARJD SHKLTON (DxciO, his ward 
JOANNA SEDLHY, Lord Foxham's ward 
SIR OLIVEXI GATES, Sir Daniel's clerk 
ELLIS DUCKWORTH, an outlaw 
LAWLESS, another outlaw, Dick's friend 
RICHARD, Duke of Gloucester 



Critique; 

The Black Arrow; A Tale of the Two 
Roses is a historical romance intended 
primarily for younger readers. Set in 
the fifteenth century, the historical back 
ground of the plot deals with a minor 
battle of the Wars of the Roses and 
the appearance of the infamous Richard, 
Duke of Gloucester, as a young sol 
dier. More interesting are the swiftpaced 



adventures of Dick Shelron in his at 
tempts to outwit his scheming guardian, 
Sir Daniel Brackley. Children have been 
fortunate that one of the gifted writers 
of the last century lent his talents to 
their pleasure, 

The Story; 

One afternoon in the late springtime, 



72 



the Moat House bell began to ring. A 
messenger had arrived with a message 
from Sir Daniel Brackley for Sir Oliver 
Gates, his clerk. When the peasants 
gathered at the summons of the bell, they 
were told that as many armed men as 
could be spared from the defense of Moat 
House were to join Sir Daniel at Kettley, 
where a battle was to be fought between 
the armies of Lancaster and York. 

There was some grumbling at this 
order, for Sir Daniel was a faithless man 
who fought first on one side and then on 
the other. He had added to his own 
lands by securing the wardships of chil 
dren left orphans in those troubled times, 
and it was whispered that he had mur 
dered good Sir Harry Shelton to make 
himself the guardian of young Dick Shel 
ton and the lord of the Moat House 
estates. 

Planning to marry Dick Shelton to the 
orphaned heiress of Kettley, Joanna Sed- 
ley, Sir Daniel had ridden there to take 
charge of the girl. Dick, knowing noth 
ing of his guardian's plans, remained be 
hind as one of the garrison of the manor. 
Old Nick Appleyard, a veteran of Agin- 
court, grumbled at the weakness of the 
defense in a country overrun by strag 
glers from warring armies and insisted 
that Moat House lay open to attack. His 
prophecy came true. While he stood talk 
ing to Dick and Rennet Hatch, Sir Dan 
iel's bailiff, a black arrow whirred out 
of the woods and struck Nick between 
the shoulder blades. A message on the 
shaft indicated that John Amend-All, a 
mysterious outlaw, had killed old Nick, 

Sir Oliver Gates trembled when he 
read the message on the arrow. Shortly 
afterward, he was further disturbed by a 
message, pinned on the church door, an 
nouncing that John Amend- All would 
kill Sir Daniel, Sir Oliver, and Bennet 
Hatch. From it Dick learned that the 
outlaw accused Sir Oliver of killing Sir 
Harry Shelton, his father. But Sir Oliver 
swore that he had had no part in that 
knight's death. Dick decided to remain 
quiet until he learned more about the 



matter and in the meantime to act in ali 
fairness to Sir Daniel. 

It was decided that Hatch should re* 
main to guard Moat House while the 
outlaws were in the neighborhood. Dick 
rode off with ten men-at-arms to find Sii 
Daniel. He carried a letter from Sir 
Oliver telling of John Amend-All's 
threats. 

At Kettley Sir Daniel was awaiting the 
outcome of a battle already in progress, 
for he intended to join the winning side 
at the last minute. Sir Daniel was also 
upset by the outlaw's threats, and he 
ordered Dick to return to Moat House 
with a letter for Sir Oliver. He and his 
men left to join the fighting; but not be 
fore he roundly cursed his luck because 
Joanna Sedley, whom he held hostage, 
had escaped in boy's clothing. He ordered 
a party of men-at-arms to search for the 
girl and then to proceed to Moat House 
and strengthen the defenses there. 

On his return journey Dick met Jo 
anna, still dressed as a boy, who told 
him that her name was John Matcham, 
Dick, unaware that she was Sir Daniel's 
prisoner, promised to help her reach the 
abbey at Holywood, As they hurried on, 
they came upon a camp of the outlaws 
led by Ellis Duckworth, another man 
ruined by Sir Daniel. Running from the 
outlaws, they saw the party of Sir Dan 
iel's retainers shot down one by one. 
The cannonading Dick heard in the dis 
tance convinced him that the soldiers of 
Lancaster were faring badly in the day's 
battle. Not knowing on which side Sir 
Daniel had declared himself, he won 
dered whether his guardian were among 
the victors or the vanquished. 

Dick and his companion slept in the 
forest that night. The next morning a 
detachment of Sir Daniel's men swept by 
in disorderly rout. Soon afterward they 
saw a hooded leper in the woods. The 
man was Sir Daniel, attempting to make 
his way back to Moat House in disguise. 
He was dismayed when he heard that 
the outlaws had killed a party of his 
men-at-arms. 



73 



When the three arrived at Moat 
House, Sir Daniel accused Dick of dis 
trust. He claimed innocence in the death 
of Dick's father and forced Sir Oliver to 
dc the same. Another black arrow was 
shot through a window into a room in 
which the three were talking. Sir Daniel 
gave orders to defend Moat House against 
attack. Dick was placed under close 
watch in a room over the chapel, and he 
was not allowed to see his friend, John 
Matcham. 

That night, when John Matcham came 
secretly to the room over the chapel, Dick 
learned that the companion of his ad 
ventures in the forest was really Joanna 
Sedley, the girl to whom Sir Daniel had 
betrothed him, Warned that he was 
now in clanger of his life, Dick escaped 
into the forest. There he found Ellis 
Duckworth, who promised him that Sir 
Daniel would be destroyed. 

Meanwhile the war went in favor of 
Lancaster, and Sir Daniel's fortunes rose 
with those of the house he followed. The 
town of Shorcby was full of Lancastrians 
all of that summer and fall, and there 
Sir Daniel had his own house for his 
family and followers. Joanna Scdley was 
not with him; she was kept in a lonely 
house by the sea, under the care of the 
wife of Bonnet Hatch, Dick and an out 
law companion, Lawless, went to the 
town, and while recormoitering Joanna's 
hiding place Dick encountered Lord Fox- 
ham, enemy of Sir Daniel and Joanna's 
legal guardian. Lord Foxham promised 
that if Joanna could be rescued she would 
become Dick's bride. The two men at 
tempted a rescue by sea in a stolen boat, 
but a storm almost sank their boat and 
Lord Foxham was injured when the 
party attempted to land, 

1 hat winter Dick and his faithful com 
panion, Lawless, returned to Shoreby, 
Disguised as priests, they entered Sir 
Daniel's house and were there protected 
by Alicia Risingham, Joanna's friend and 
the niece of a powerful Lancastrian lord. 
When Dick and Joanna met, she told him 
that the following day she was to marry 



Lord Shoreby against her will. An alarm 
was given when Dick was forced to kill 
one of Lord Shoreby's spies. Still in the 
disguise of a priest, he was taken to Sir 
Oliver Oatcs, who promised not to betray 
Dick if he would remain quietly in the 
church until after the wedding of Joanna 
and Lord Shoreby. During the night 
Lawless found Dick and gave him the 
message that Ellis Duckworth had re 
turned and would prevent the marriage. 

As the wedding procession entered the 
church, three archers discharged their 
black arrows from a gallery. Lord Shore- 
by fell, two of the arrows in his body. 
Sir Daniel was wounded in the arm. Sir 
Oliver Oates denounced Dick and Law 
less and they were taken before the Earl 
of Risingham. But Dick argued his cause 
with such vigor, aided by Joanna and 
Alicia, that the earl agreed to protect 
him from Sir Daniel's anger. Later, 
learning from Dick that Sir Daniel was 
secretly plotting with the Yorkist leaders, 
the earl set him and Lawless free. 

Dick made his escape from Sir Daniel's 
men only to be captured by the old sea 
man whose skifl : he had stolen on the 
night he and Lord Foxhatn had attempted 
to rescue Joanna from Sir Daniel It took 
him half the night to elude the angry 
seaman and bis friends. In the morn 
ing he was in time to meet, at Lord I'ox- 
ham's request, young Richard of York, 
Duke of Gloucester. On his arrival at 
the meeting place he found the duke 
attacked by bandits. lie saved Richard's 
life and later fought with the duke in 
the battle of Shorcby, where (he army of 
Lancaster was defeated. For his bravery 
in the fight he was knighted. Afterward, 
when Richard was giving out honors, 
Dick claimed as his portion only the 
freedom of the old seaman whose boat 
he had stolen. 

Pursuing Sir Daniel, Dick rescued Jo 
anna and took her to Ilolywooci The 
next morning he encountered Sir Daniel 
in the forest near the abbey. Dick was 
willing to let his enemy escape, but Ellis 
Duckworth, lurking nearby, killed the 



74 



faithless knight. Dick asked the outlaw 
to spare the life of Sir Oliver Gates. 

Dick and Joanna were married with 
great honor. They lived quietly at Moat 
House, withdrawn from the bloody dis 



putes of the houses of Lancaster and 
York. Both the old seaman and Lawless 
were cared for in their old age, and Law 
less finally took orders and died a friar. 



BLACK LAMB AND GREY FALCON 

Type of work: Record of travel 

Author: Rebecca West (Cecily Fairfield Andrews, 1892- ) 

Type of plot: Travel sketches 

Time of plot: 1937 

Locale: Yugoslavia 

First published: 1941 

Principal characters: 

REBECCA WEST, a journalist 
HENRY ANDREWS, her husband 
CONSTANTJNE, a Yugoslavian poet 
GERDA, Constantine s German wife 

Critique: 

Miss West's book is more than a nar 
rative of her journey through Yugoslavia. 
She spent several years working on the 
hook, building up a study of Yugoslavia 
and its people around the impressions 
she had gained while traveling in the 
country. The result is that for every page 
of travel description there are several 
pages of material about the country 
gleaned from study and reading. The 
work is full of digressions on anthro 
pology, architecture, cultural history, 
literature, politics, philosophy, and Yugo 
slavian psychology. 



The Story: 

Rebecca West had not seen Yugoslavia 
until 1936, when she made a lecture 
tour in that country; but it impressed her 
so greatly that she decided to travel 
throughout the country as a tourist in 
1937. She also felt that it was important 
to know something of the country be- 
'iause of the effect it might have upon 
world politics after the death of its king, 
Alexander, in 1937. It had been of great 
importance twenty-three years before, 
when the assassination of Franz Ferdin 
and in Sarajevo had precipitated a world 
conflict 



The author and her husband entered 
Yugoslavia by railroad on the line which 
ran from Munich, Germany, to Zagreb, 
Yugoslavia, Their journey was not a very 
interesting one, except for the antics of 
four fat German tourists who shared their 
compartment and told of the advantages 
of Germany over the barbaric country 
they were entering. Zagreb was interest 
ing because it was inhabited mainly by 
Croats, one branch of the south Slavic 
racial group. 

In Zagreb they met Constantine, a 
Yugoslavian poet who had become a 
friend of the author on her previous trip 
to his country. Constantine showed them 
about the city, introduced them to various 
interesting people, and promised to travel 
with them during part of their journey. 
In Zagreb the tourists were surprised at 
the depth of feeling and the frequent 
arguments between the various Yugo 
slavian groups. There were Serbs, 
Slovenes, and Croats, all under the gov 
ernment at Belgrade, and all disagreeing 
heartily on government policies. The 
country was also divided internally by 
religious beliefs. There were three main 
religious groups, the Roman Catholics, 
the Orthodox Catholics, and the Mos- 



BLACK LAMB AND GREY FALCON by Rebecca West. By permission of the author, her agent A. D. Peters. 
London, and the publishers, The Viking: Press, Inc. Copyright, 1940, 1941, by Rebecca West. 



75 



lems. The latter were either Turks who 
had remained in the country when the 
Turkish regime had been driven out 
over a century before, or Yugoslavs who 
had accepted the religion of the Moslems 
during the five centuries of Turkish oc 
cupation oi : that part of Europe. Miss 
West noted that in Zagreb the people 
lived in physical comfort, if not in 
political comfort. She thought that the 
city had a warm and comfortable ap 
pearance, but that the Austrian influence 
had deprived it of much of its originality 
and naive te\ 

From Zagreb the travelers went to 
visit a castle which had been turned into 
a sanatorium. They found the place 
spotlessly clean for such an old castle. 
The sanatorium was one of the few 
places in Yugoslavia in which there was 
little political speculation or argument, 
The doctors were too busy for politics. 
Patients were forbidden to discuss such 
matters. 

Returning to Zagreb, the author and 
her husband went next to Sushak on the 
Dalmatian coast. Their first impression 
of the coast was one of bare, treeless 
hillsides and shouting, angry men, It 
was poor country. While at Sushak, 
they crossed the river to L'iumc, which 
seemed to be the kind of city one 
would find in a bad dream. What struck 
the travelers as being the worst aspect of 
this town was the number of officials 
throughout the city who demanded to 
see their passports. 

After visiting Fitime they traveled by 
steamer to Senj, a city which interested 
them because it had played a decisive 
part in keeping the Turks from overrun 
ning Western Europe in the sixteenth 
and seventeenth centuries. The town 
had financed pirate vessels which terror 
ized the Turks and had kept them from 
using the western part of the Mediter 
ranean and the Adriatic. 

Farther south on the Dalmatian coast 
they visited Split, and found it to have 
an almost Neapolitan air. The town was 
also famed for the palace Diocletian had 



built there. Miss West learned that 
from Diocletian's palace eighteenth-cen 
tury British architects had borrowed the 
Georgian style so popular in England 
and in some parts of the American 
colonies. 

This information came to her from 
a young Englishman she met at Split. 
The young man was making a living in 
the city by teaching English. For him 
the Dalmatian coast was the closest 
thing to a terrestrial heaven. Miss West 
was surprised at the number of old build 
ings still in use. Diocletian's mausoleum, 
for example, had been turned into a 
Christian cathedral. At Split Miss West 
disclosed that she had little respect for 
the Romans and thought far more highly 
of the Croats and Slavs. She hoped that 
school children were not being impressed 
with the idea that the Romans had been 
a great and glorious inline nee on the 
Yugoslavian territory and people, for she 
saw that their poverty and their reputa 
tion as barbarians were the result of the 
Roman attitude toward their forebears, 
an attitude maintained by Central Euro 
peans in the twentieth century. 

The last stop on the Dalmatian coast 
was Dubrovnik, a disappointment to the 
travelers. There they wired their friend 
Constantino to meet them at Sarajevo, to 
which they were going by automobile 
from Dubrovnik. On the way to Sarajevo 
they passed a valley which Miss West 
could describe only as something out of 
Baron Munchausen's tales, 'This valley 
was a lake in the wintertime, but in the 
spring the water wont out of the valley 
through some unknown outlet to the 
sea, leaving fertile fields ixt which 
peasants planted crops during the sum 
mer months. 

At Sarajevo they met Constantino and 
his Gorman wife, Certla, The German 
woman made the air about the party a 
bit tense because of the deprecating at 
titude which she, like most Germans, 
took toward Yugoslavians. While at 
Sarajevo they wandered all over the town 
and were able to visit the family of the 



76 



man who had killed Franz Ferdinand in 
1914. 

The next phase of their journey was 
a rail Crip to the capital city of Belgrade, 
where they were impressed by the large 
supply of good food available and the 
provincial air of the capital and its 
people. 

That part of the journey by rail from 
Belgrade to Skoplje was almost as un 
interesting as the trip from Munich to 
Zagreb. More enjoyable was a stay at 
Lake Natim, on the southern edge of 
Yugoslavia near Greece and Albania. It 
was a wild and beautiful part of the 
country, despite the poverty of the 
land and its people. 

From the Lake Naum area they went 
back part of the way to Belgrade on the 
railroad, and then motored to Kotor 



on the Dalmatian coast. There Con- 
stantine and his German wife bade them 
goodbye. The author and her husband 
took a ship at Kotor and traveled up 
the coast, and then returned by rail to 
Zagreb. They visited the Plivitse Lakes 
on the way. The last leg of the journey 
was by rail from Zagreb to Budapest, 
Hungary. 

The sadness of the plight of the Yugo 
slavs was impressed on Miss West one 
last time in Budapest. There she met a 
university student who wanted to write 
a paper about Miss West's work. The 
girl tried to prevent Miss West from dis 
covering that her family had come 
from the Balkans, for the girl wanted 
to be a part of the Central European cul 
ture rather than of the one she had in 
herited. 



BLEAK HOUSE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Charles Dickens (1812-1870) 

Type of 'plot: Social criticism 

Time of 'plot: Mid-nineteenth century 

Locale: London, Lincolnshire, and Hertfordshire, England 

First published: 1852-1853 

Principal characters: 

JOHN JARNDYCE, owner of Bleak House 

RICHARD CARSTONE, his cousin 

ADA CLARE, also his cousin 

ESTHER SUMMERSON, his ward and companion to Ada 

ALLAN WOODCOURT, a young physician 

LADY DEDLOCK, Sir Leicester Dedlock's wife 

TULKINGHORN, a solicitor 

WILLIAM GUPPY, Tulkinghom's clerk 



Critique: 

A satire on the methods of an English 
-equity court, Bleak House is a great novel 
based upon an actual case in Chancery. 
The story of lives sacrificed on the rack 
of a meaningless judicial system is an 
arresting one. Several of the minor char 
acters are caricatures of well-known lit 
erary figures of the day. The complicated 
Lady Dedlock plot which gave Bleak 
House its contemporary popularity is 
rather thin, but the novel as a whole 
stands up remarkably well. 



The Story: 

The suit of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce was 
a standing joke in the Court of Chancery, 
Beginning with a dispute as to how the 
trusts under a Jarndyce will were to be 
administered, the suit had dragged on, 
year after year, generation after genera 
tion, without settlement. The heirs, or 
would-be heirs, spent their lives waiting. 
Some, like Tom Jarndyce, blew out their 
brains. Others, like liny Miss Flite, 
visited the Court in daily expectation of 
some judgment which would settle the 



77 



disputed estate and bring her the 
of which she dreamed. 

Among those involved in the suit were 
John Jarndyce, great-nephew of the Tom 
Jarndyce wno had shot himself in a coffee 
house, and his two cousins, Richard Car- 
stone and Ada Clare. Jarndyce was the 
owner of Bleak House in Hertfordshire, 
a country place which was not as dreary 
as its name. His two young cousins lived 
with him. He had provided a companion 
for Ada in the person of Esther Summer- 
son. Esther had suffered an unhappy 
childhood under the care of Miss Bar- 
bary, her stem godmother, and a servant, 
Mrs. Rachel. The two had told the girl 
that her mother was a wicked woman who 
had deserted her. Miss Barbary was now 
dead, and Mr. Jarndyce had become 
Esther's benefactor. 

Two others who took a strange interest 
in the Jarndyce estate were Sir Leicester 
and Lady Dedlock of Chesney Wold, in 
Lincolnshire. Lord Dedlock had a solici 
tor named Tulldnghorn, who, like every 
other reputable lawyer in London, was 
involved in the Jarndyce suit. One day 
when the Dcdlocks were in Tulkin^- 
horn's office, the lawyer presented Lady 
Dedlock with a document. At the sight 
of the handwriting on the paper she 
swooned, Immediately suspicious, Tul- 
kinghom resolved to trace the handwrit 
ing to its source. His search led him to 
Mr. Snagsby, a stationer, but the best 
that Snagsby could tell him was that the 
paper had been copied by a man named 
Nemo, a lodger in the house of Mr. 
Krook, a junk dealer. Mr. Tulkinghorn 
went to the house with Snagsby, only to 
find Nemo dead of an overdose of opium. 
Convinced that Nemo was not the dead 
man's real name, the lawyer could learn 
nothing of the man's identity or con- 
ncctions. 

Esther Smnmerson soon found an ar 
dent friend and admirer in William 
Guppy, a clerk in the office of Kongo and 
Carboy, Jarndyce's solicitors. It was 
Guppy who first noticed Esther's resem 
blance to Lady Dedlock. Allan Wood- 



court, a young surgeon who had been 
called to administer to the dead Nemo, 
requested an inquest. One of the wit 
nesses called was Jo, a crossing sweeper 
whom Nemo had often befriended. A 
little later Jo was found with two half- 
crowns on his person. I Tc explained that 
they had been given him by a lady he 
had guided to the gate of the churchyard 
where Nemo was buried, Jo xvas ar 
rested, and in the cross-examination 
which followed, Mr. Guppy questioned 
the wife of an oily preacher named 
Ghaclband and found that the firm of 
Kenge and Carboy had once had charge 
of a young lady with whose aunt Mrs, 
Chaclband had lived, Mrs. Chadband was, 
of course, the Mrs. Rachel of Esther 
Sumincrson's childhood, She revealed 
that Esther's real name was not Sum- 
merson, but Ilawdon. 

The mystery surrounding Esther Sum- 
mcrson began to clear. A French maid 
who had left Lady Dcd lock's service 
identified her late mistress as the lady 
who had given two half-crowns to the 
crossing sweeper. The dead Nemo was 
promptly proved to have been Captain 
I Inwclon, Years before he ami the pre 
sent Lady Dedlock had fallen in love; 
Esther wus their child. But Miss Barbary, 
angry at her sister's disgrace, had taken 
the child and moved to another part of 
the country. The mother later married 
Lord Dedlock, She was now overjoyed 
that the child her unforgiving sister had 
led her to believe dead was still alive, and 
she resolved to reveal herself to her. 

Mr. Guppy informed Lady Dedlock 
that a packet; of Captain I lawdon's letters 
was in the possession of the junk dealer, 
Krook, Fearing that the revelation of 
these letters would ruin her position, 
Latly Dedlock asked Guppy to bring 
them to her, and the wily law clerk 
agreed, But on the night the letters 
were to be obtained the drunken Krook 
exploded of spontaneous combustion, and 
presumably trie letters burned with him. 

In the meantime, Richard Carstone, 
completely obsessed by the Jarndyce case, 



78 



The Story: 

Once long ago in Hrothgar's kingdom 
a monster named Grendel roamed the 
countryside at night. Rising from his 
marshy home, Grendel would stalk to the 
hall of the king, where he would seize 
fifteen of Hrothgar's sleeping warriors 
and devour them, Departing, he would 
gather fifteen more into his huge arms 
and carry them back to his watery lair. 
For twelve years this slaughter continued. 
Word of the terror spread. In the 
land of the Geats, ruled over by Hygelac, 
lived Beowulf, a man of great strength 
and bravery. When he heard the tale 
of Hrothgar's distress, he set sail for Den 
mark to rid the land of its fear. With a 
company of fourteen men he came ashore 
and asked a coast watcher to lead him 
to Hrothgar's high hall. There he was 
feasted in great honor while the mead 
cup went around, Unferth reminded 
Beowulf of a swimming contest which 
Beowulf was said to have lost. Beowulf 
answered that not only had he won the 
contest, but he had also killed many 
deadly monsters in the sea. At the close 
of the feast Hrothgar and his warriors 
went to their rest, leaving Beowulf and 
his band in the hall. Then came the 
awful Grendel and seized one of the 
sleeping warriors. But he was fated to 
kill no more that night, for Beowulf 
without shield or spear seized the dread 
monster and wrenched off his mighty 
right arm, Thus maimed, Grendel fled 
back to his marshland home. His bloody 
arm was hung in Hrothgar's hall. 

The next night Grendel's mother came 
to avenge her son. Bursting into the 
great hall, she seized one of the warriors, 
Acschere, Hrothgar's chief counselor, and 
fled with him into the night. She took 
with her also the prized arm of Grendel. 
Beowulf was asleep in a house removed 
from the hall, and not until morning did 
he learn of the monster's visit. Then, 
with Hrothgar leading the way, a mourn 
ful procession approached the dire marsh. 
At its edge they sighted the head of the 
ill-fated Aeschere and saw the stain of 



blood on the water. Beowulf prepared 
for descent to the home of the foe. Un 
ferth offered Beowulf the finest sword in 
the kingdom, and thus forfeited his own 
chance of brave deeds. 

As Beowulf sank beneath the waters of 
the marsh, he was beset on every hand 
by prodigious monsters. After a long 
swim he came to the lair of Grendel's 
mother. Failing to wound her with Un- 
ferth's sword, he seized the monster by 
the shoulder and threw her to the ground. 
During a grim hand-to-hand battle, in 
which Beowulf was being worsted, he 
sighted a famous old sword of the giants, 
which he seized and thrust at Grendel's 
mother, who fell in helpless death throes. 
Then Beowulf turned and saw Grendel 
himself lying weak and maimed on the 
floor of the lair. Quickly he swung the 
sword and severed Grendel's head from 
his body. As he began to swim back up 
to the surface of the marsh, the sword 
with which he had killed his enemies 
melted until only the head and hilt were 
left. On his return, the Danes rejoiced 
and fted him with another high feast. 
He presented the sword hilt to Hrothgar 
and returned Unferth's sword without 
telling that it had failed him. 

The time came for Beowulf's return to 
his homeland. He left Denmark in great 
glory and sailed toward the land or the 
Gcats. Once more at the court of his 
lord Hygelac, he was held in high esteem 
and was rewarded with riches and posi 
tion. After many years Beowulf himself 
became king among the Geats. One of 
the Geats by accident discovered an an 
cient hoard, and, while its guardian 
dragon slept, carried away a golden gob 
let which he presented to Beowulf. The 
discovery of me loss caused the dragon 
to rise in fury and to devastate the land. 
Old man that he was, Beowulf was 
determined to rid his kingdom of the 
dragon's scourge. Daring the flames of 
the dragon's nostrils, he smote his foe 
with his sword, but without effect, Once 
more Beowulf was forced to rely on the 



69 



it might find itself some six hundred 
years from our time. Contemporary 
trends in culture are carried to shocking, 
amusing, and fantastic extremes in the 
book. Brave New World, because of 
obvious limitations of space, contains 
features which beg further elucidation. 
Within definite limits, however, the 
author has succeeded in indicting twen 
tieth-century Western culture with de 
lightful acerbity and urbane wit, 

The Story: 

One day in the year 632 After Ford, 
as time was reckoned in the brave new 
world, the Director of the Central Lon 
don Hatchery and Conditioning Center 
took a group of new students on a tour 
of the plant where human beings were 
turned out by mass production. The 
entire process, from the fertilization of 
the egg to the birth of the baby, was 
carried out by trained workers and 
machines. Each fertilized egg was placed 
in solution in a large bottle for scientific 
development into whatever class in 
society the human was intended. The 
students were told that scientists of the 
period had developed a Bokanovsky 
Process by means of which a fertilized 
egg was arrested in its growth. The 
egg responded by budding, and instead 
of one human being resulting, there 
would be from eight to ninety-six 
humans, all identical. 

These Bokanovsky Groups were em 
ployed wherever large numbers of people 
were needed to perform identical tasks. 
Individuality was a thing of the past; the 
new society bent every effort to make 
completely true its motto, Community, 
Identity, Stability, After birth the babies 
were further cotiditionecl during their 
childhood for their predestined class in 
society. Alpha Plus Intellectuals and 
Epsilon Minus Morons were the two 
extremes of the scientific Utopia. 

Mustapha Morxd, one ol* the World 
Controllers, joined the inspection party 



and lectured to the new students on the 
horrors and disgusting features of old- 
fashioned family life. To the great 
embarrassment of the students, he, in 
his position of authority, dared use the 
forbidden words mother and father; he 
reminded the students that in 632 A. F. 
everyone belonged to everyone else. 

Lenina Crowne, one of the Alpha 
workers in the Hatchery, took an interest 
in Bernard Marx. Bernard was different 
too much alcohol had been put into 
his blood surrogate during his period in 
the prenatal bottle and he had sensibili 
ties similar to those possessed by people 
in the time of Henry Ford. 

Lenina and Bernard went by rocket 
ship to New Mexico and visited the 
Savage Reservation, a wild tract where 
primitive forms of human life had been 
preserved for scientific study. At the 
pueblo of Malpais the couple saw an 
Indian ceremonial dance in which a 
young man was whipped to propitiate 
the gods. Lenina was shocked and dis 
gusted by the filth of the place and by 
the primitive aspects of all she saw. 

The pair met a white youth named 
John. 1 lie young man disclosed to them 
that his mother, Linda, had come to 
the reservation many years before on 
vacation with a man called Thomakin. 
The vacationers had separated and 
Thomakin had returned alone to the 
brave new world. Linda, marooned in 
New Mexico, gave birth to a son and 
was slowly assimilated into the primitive 
society of the reservation. The boy 
educated himself with an old copy of 
Shakespeare's plays which he had found. 
Bernard was convinced that the boy was 
the son of the Director of Hatcheries, 
who in his youth had taken a companion 
to New Mexico on vacation and had re 
turned without her. Bernard had enough 
human curiosity to wonder how this 
young savage would react to the scientific 
world. He invited John and his mother 
to return to London with him, John, at- 



BRAVE NKW WORLD by Aldoua Huxley. By jxsrnwflion of the author and the pubUnfaeri, Ilarpcr & Brottari. 
Copyright, 1932, by Doubleday, Doran A Co., Inc. 



tracted to Lenina and anxious to see the 
outside world, went eagerly. 

Upon Bernard's return, the Director of 
Hatcheries publicly proposed to dismiss 
him from the Katchery because of his 
unorthodoxy. Bernard produced Linda 
and John, the director's son. At the 
family reunion, during which such words 
as mother and father were used more 
than once, the director was shamed out 
of the plant. He later resigned his 
position. 

Linda went on a soma holiday, soma 
being a drug which induced forgetful- 
ness. John became the curiosity of Lon 
don. He was appalled by all he saw 
by the utter lack of any humanistic 
culture and by the scientific mass pro 
duction of everything, including humans. 
Lenina tried to seduce him but he was 
held back by his primitive morality. 

John was called to attend the death 
of Linda, who had taken too much soma 
drug. Maddened by the callousness of 
people conditioned toward death, he in 
stigated a mutiny of workers as they 
were being given their soma ration. Ar 
rested, he was taken by the police to 
Mustapha Mond, with whom he had a 



long talk on the new civilization. Mond 
explained that beauty caused unhappiness 
and thus instability; therefore humanis 
tic endeavor was checked. Science was 
dominant. Art was stifled completely; 
science, even, was stifled at a certain 
point. And religion was restrained so 
that it could not cause instability, Mond 
explained, with a genial sort of cynicism, 
the reasons underlying all of the features 
of the brave new world. Despite Mond's 
persuasiveness, the Savage continued to 
champion tears, inconvenience, God, and 
poetry. 

John moved into die country outside 
London to take up his old way of life. 
Sightseers came by the thousands to see 
him; he was pestered by reporters and 
television men. At the thought of 
Lenina, whom he still desired, John mor 
tified his flesh by whipping himself. 
Lenina visited him and was whipped to 
death by him in a frenzy of passion pro 
duced by his dual nature. When he 
realized what he had done, he hanged 
himself. Bernard's experiment had failed. 
Human emotions could end only in 
tragedy in the brave new world. 



BREAD AND WINE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Ignazio Silone (1900- ) 

Type of plot: Social criticism 

Time of plot: 1930's 

Locale: Italy 

First published: 1937 

Principal characters: 

DON BENEDETTO, a liberal priest 
PJETKO SPINA, his former pupil and a political agitator 
BIANCHINA GXRASOLE, a peasant girl befriended by Spina 
CRISTINA COLAMARTINI, Bianchina's schoolmate 

Critique: 

This novel, which has been dramatized 
and produced on Broadway, is the study 
of a character who, despite tremendous 
intellectual disappointments and physical 
hardships, remained faithful to his con 
cept of justice. Silone vividly presents 



the widespread compromising of ideal* 
which took place on all levels of Italian 
society under the corporate state of 
Mussolini, By showing the efforts of 
several generations of honest, courageous 
Italians in their struggle for justice and 



BREAD AND WINE by Ignazio Silone. Translated by Gwenda David and Eric Mosbacher. By permission of 
the publishers, Harper & Brothers. Copyright, 1937, by Harper & Brothers. 



81 



social reform, Silone appears to present 
the thesis that good men, if not trium 
phant, will continue the fight as long as 
man exists. 

The Story: 

In the Italian village of Rocca del 
Marsi, Don Benedetto, a former Catholic 
teacher, and his faithful sister, Marta, 
prepared to observe the don's seventy- 
fifth birthday. It was April, and war 
with the Abyssinians was in the making. 
Benedetto had invited several of his old 
students to observe his anniversary with 
him. Three appeared and the group 
talked of old acquaintances. Most of 
Benedetto's students had compromised 
the moral precepts that the high-minded 
old scholar had taught them. Benedetto 
asked about Pietro Spina, his favorite 
pupil, and learned from his guests that 
the independent-minded Spina had be 
come a political agitator, a man without 
a country. It was rumored diat Spina 
had returned to Italy to carry on his 
work among the peasants. 

One day Doctor Nunzio Sacca, one of 
those who had been at the party, was 
summoned by a peasant to come to the 
aid of a sick man. Sacca, upon finding 
the man to be Spina, was filled with 
fear, but the sincerity and fervor of Spina 
made him ashamed. Spina, only in his 
thirties, had, with iodine, transformed 
his features to those of an old man. 
Sacca administered to Spina and arranged 
for the agitator's convalescence in a near 
by mountain village. Later he furnished 
Spina with clerical clothes. Disguised as 
a priest and calling himself Don Paolo 
Spada, Spina went to the Hotel Girasole 
in Fossa, where he brought comfort to 
a young girl who was believed dying as 
the result of an abortion. 

In the mountains, at Pietrasecca, Paolo 
as Spina now called himself stayed 
at the inn of Matelena Ricotta. In his 
retreat, Paolo began to have doubts con 
cerning the value of the life he was 
leading, but always the animal existence 
D the peasants of Pietrasecca spurred 



him on in his desire to free the op 
pressed. 

Bianchina Girasole, the girl whom 
Paolo had comforted at Fossa, appeared, 
well and healthy. Attributing her sur 
vival to Paolo, she said that the man 
was surely a saint. Bianchina, disowned 
by her family, went to Cristina Cola- 
martini, a school friend who lived in 
Pietrasecca. The two girls, discussing 
school days and old friends, concluded 
that most of their schoolmates had taken 
to ways of evil in one way or another. 
When Bianchina seduced Christina's 
brother, Alberto, the Colamartinis were 
scandalized. Paolo lost his respect for 
Cristina, who showed only too plainly 
that her devotion to God excluded all 
reason and any humanity; she avowed 
that a Colamartini could never marry 
a Girasole because of difference in caste. 

Paolo began to visit more and more 
among the peasants. Soon he had a 
reputation as a wise and friendly priest. 
In his association with those simple 
people he learned that no reformer 
could ever hope to be successful with 
them by use of abstractions; the peasants 
accepted only facts, either good or bad. 
lie left the valley. At Fossa he again 
sought out potential revolutionary ele 
ments. I le spoke of revolution to Alberto 
and Bianchina, who hud moved to Fossa, 
and to Pompeo, son of the local chemist. 
The youths were delighted. Paolo en 
listed Pompeo in the movement. 

Paolo next went to Rome. There, in 
the church of Scala Santa, he discarded 
his clerical dress to become Spina once 
again. In Rome he found an air of 
futility and despair. Romeo, his chief 
contact, told him that peasant agitators 
did not have a chance for success. Spina 
explained that propaganda by words was 
not enough; success could be achieved 
only by living the truth to encourage 
the oppressed. Spina saw student demon 
strations in favor of the leader and of the 
projected war. He talked to Uliva, who 
had become completely disillusioned. 
Then he looked for Murica, a youth 



82 



from his own district who, perhaps, 
could direct him to dependable peasants, 
But Murica had returned to his home. 
Before Spina left Rome he heard that 
an explosion had killed Uliva in his 
apartment. The police learned that 
Uliva had been preparing to blow up a 
church at a time when many high gov 
ernment officials were to be in it. 

Back at the Hotel Girasole in Fossa, 
Spina, again disguised as Don Paolo, was 
sickened by the enthusiasm of the 
peasants for the success of the Abyssinian 
war. He sent Bianchina to Rocca to seek 
out Murica, and during the pro-war 
demonstrations he went about the village 
writing anti-war and anti-government 
slogans on walls. Pompeo, who had gone 
to Rome, returned during the excitement 
and revealed that he had been won over 
by the glory of the new war; he had 
enlisted for service in Africa. Paolo's 
charcoaled slogans soon had the village 
in an uproar. Pompeo, who suspected 
Paolo, announced publicly that he would 
disclose the culprit's identity, but Bian 
china persuaded the youth not to ex 
pose her beloved Paolo. 

Paolo went to visit his old school 
master, Don Benedetto, at Rocca. He 
appeared before the venerable old priest 
as himself, not as Paolo, and the two 
men, although of different generations, 
agreed that theirs was a common problem. 
They asked each other what had become 
of God in the affairs of men. Neither 
could offer any solution for the problem, 
but they both agreed that any compromise 
to ones belief was fatal, not only to 
the individual but also to society. 

Paolo gave Bianchina money and 
letters and sent her to Rome; he himself 
went to Pietrasecca. There a young 
peasant brought him a letter from Don 



Benedetto; the messenger was Murica, 
the man he had been seeking. When 
Spina revealed his true identity to 
Murica, the two men swore to work 
together. News of Murica's work with 
Paolo circulated in Pietrasecca and Paolo 
found himself playing the part of con 
fessor to Pietraseccans. What they dis 
closed to him from their secret hearts 
disgusted him, but at the same time con 
vinced him more than ever that the 
peasants must be raised from their 
squalor. He renewed his acquaintance 
with Cristina, who had been asked by 
Don Benedetto to give Paolo help when 
ever he should need it. 

Don Benedetto had been threatened 
because of his candid opinions. Called 
to officiate at a mass, he was poisoned 
when he drank the sacramental wine. 
At the same time Paolo, having received 
word that Romeo had been arrested in 
Rome, went to the Holy City, where 
he found that Bianchina had become a 
prostitute. She confessed her undying 
love for the priest. Paolo, now Spina, 
found the underground movement in 
Rome in utter chaos after Romeo's arrest , 
Despairing, he returned to his home dis 
trict, where he learned that Murica had 
been arrested and killed by government 
authorities. He fled to Pietrasecca to 
destroy papers which he had left in the 
inn where he had stayed during his 
convalescence. Learning that he was 
sought throughout the district, he fled 
into the snow-covered mountains. Cris 
tina followed his trail in an attempt to 
take him food and warm clothing. Mists 
and deep snow hindered her progress, 
Night fell. Alone and exhausted, she 
made the sign of the cross as hungry 
wolves closed in upon her. 



BRIDESHEAD REVISITED 



Type of work; Novel 
Author: Evelyn Waugh (1903- 
Type of plot: Social criticism 
Time of plot: Twentieth century 



83 



Locale: England 
First published: 1945 

Principal characters: 

CHARLES RYDER, an architectural painter and the aarratoi 

LORD MARCHMAIN, owner o Bridesliead 

LADY MARCHMAIN, his wife 

BRIDESHEAD (BREOEY), 

SEBASTIAN, 

JULIA, and 

CORDELIA, their children 

CJBJLIA, Charles Ryder's wife 

ANTHONY BLANCHE, and 

BOY MULCASTBR, Oxford friends of Charles and Sebastian 

REX MOTTRAM, Julia's hushand 

CARA, Lord Marchmain's mistress 



Critique: 

Most of Evelyn Waugh's books are 
satires on some phase or precept of 
human life. Brldeshead Revisited is no 
exception, but beneath the surface buf 
foonery and satire is a serious dedication 
of faith, Memhers of the Marchmain 
family attempt, each in a different way, 
to escape the promptings of their faith, 
but each is drawn back, sooner or later, 
into the enduring values of the Church. 
Even the droll, mocking hero is con 
verted. In Waugh's mordantly comic 
world, man can no longer find his way 
without faith. The witty yet serious 
theme of the novel is suggested in its 
subtitle, "The Sacred and Profane 
Memories of Captain Charles Ryder/' 

The Story: 

Captain Charles Ryder of the British 
Army and his company were moved to 
a new billet in the neighborhood of 
Brklcshead, an old estate he had often 
visited during his student days at Oxford. 
Bridcshcad was the home of the March- 
mains, an old Catholic family. Follow 
ing the first World War, the Marquis 
of Marchmain went to live in Italy. 
There he met Cara, who became his mis- 
tress for life. Lady Marchmain, an 
ardent Catholic, and her four children, 
Brideshead, Sebastian, Julia, and Cor 
delia, remained in England. They lived 



cither at Brideshead or at Marchmain 
I louse in London. 

When Charles Ryder met Sebastian 
at Oxford, they soon became close 
friends. Among Sebastian's circle of 
friends were Boy Mukaster and Anthony 
Blanche. With Charles' entrance into 
that group, his tastes became more ex 
pensive so that he ended his year with 
an overdrawn account of five hundred 
and fifty pounds. 

Just after returning home from school 
for vacation, Charles received a telegram 
announcing that Sebastian had hccn in 
jured, lie rushed o(l ! to Brklcshead, 
where he found Sebastian with a cracked 
bone in his ankle. While at Bricleshead, 
Charles met some of Sebastian's family. 
Julia had met him at the station and 
later Bricley, the eldest of the March- 
mains, ancl Cordelia, the youngest, ar 
rived. After a month, his ankle having 
healed, Sebastian took Charles to Venice. 
There they spent the rest of their vacation 
with Lord Marchmain and Cara. 

Early in the following school year 
Charles met Lady Marchmain when 
she visited Sebastian at Oxford. Her 
famous charm immediately won Charles, 
and he promised to spend his Christmas 
vacation at Brklcshead. During the first 
term, Sebastian, Charles, and Boy Mul- 
caster were invited to a London charity 



UKIDKSHKAD RKVISITFJD by Evelyn Wautfh. By permbnion of the author and Brandt & Brandt. Published 
by Little, Brown & Co. Copyright, 1945, by Kvclyn Waugh. 



84 



ball by Rex Mottram, a friend of Julia's, 
Bored, they left early and were later 
arrested for drunkenness and disorderly 
conduct. Rex obtained their release. 

As a consequence of the escapade, 
Charles, Sebastian, and Boy were sent 
back to Oxford, and Mr. Samgrass, who 
was doing some literary work for Lady 
Marchmain, kept close watch on them 
for the rest of the term. Christmas at 
Brideshead was spoiled for almost every 
one by the presence of Samgrass. Back 
at Oxford, Charles began to realize that 
Sebastian drank to escape and that he 
was trying to escape his family. At 
Brideshead, during the Easter vacation, 
Sebastian became quite drunk. Later 
Lady Marchmain went to Oxford to see 
Sebastian. During her visit he again be 
came hopelessly drunk. Shortly after 
ward he left Oxford. After a visit with 
his father in Venice, he was induced to 
travel in Europe under the guidance 
of Samgrass. 

The next Christmas Charles was in 
vited to Brideshead to see Sebastian, who 
had returned from his tour. Sebastian 
told Charles that during their travels 
Samgrass had had complete control of 
all their expense money in order that 
Sebastian might not get any for drink. 
However, just before coming down to 
Brideshead, Sebastian had managed to 
evade Samgrass by pawning his own 
valuables, and by borrowing. He had 
enjoyed what he called a happy Christ 
mas; he remembered practically nothing 
of it. Lady Marchmain tried to stop 
his drinking by having all liquor locked 
up, but her efforts proved useless. In 
stead of going on a scheduled hunt, 
Sebastian borrowed two pounds from 
Charles and got damk. Charles left 
Brideshead in disgrace and went to 
Paris. Samgrass was also dismissed when 
the whole story of the tour was revealed. 
Rex Mottram was given permission to 
take Sebai>tian to a doctor in Zurich, but 
Sebastian gave him the slip in Paris. 

Rex Mottram, a wealthy man with a 
big name in political and financial circles, 



wanted Julia not only for herself but 
also for the prestige and social position 
of the Marchmains, Julia became en 
gaged to him despite her mother's pro 
tests but agreed to keep the engagement 
secret for a year. Lord Marchmain gave 
his complete approval. Rex, \vanting a 
big church wedding, agreed to become 
a Catholic. Shortly before the wedding, 
however, Bridey informed Julia that 
Rex had been married once before and 
had been divorced for six years. They 
were married by a Protestant ceremony. 

When Charles returned to England 
several years later, Julia told him that 
Lady Marchmain was dying. At her re 
quest Charles traveled to Fez to find 
Sebastian. When he arrived, Kurt, 
Sebastian's roommate, told him that 
Sebastian was in a hospital. Charles 
stayed in Fez until Sebastian had re 
covered. Meanwhile word had arrived 
that Lady Marchmain had died. Charles 
returned to London. There Bridey gave 
Charles his first commission; he was to 
paint the Marchmain town house before 
it was torn down. 

Charles spent the next ten years de 
veloping his art. He married Celia, 
Boy Mulcaster's sister, and they had two 
children, Johnjohn and Caroline, the 
daughter born while Charles was ex 
ploring Central American ruins. After 
two years of trekking about in the 
jungles, he went to New York, where 
his wife met him. On their way back to 
London they met Julia Mottram, and she 
and Charles fell in love. In London 
and at Brideshead they continued the 
affair they had begun on shipboard. 

Two years later Bridey announced 
that he planned to marry Beryl Mus- 
pratt, a widow with three children. 
When Julia suggested inviting Beryl 
down to meet the family, Bridey in 
formed her that Beryl would not come 
because Charles and Julia were living 
there in sin. Julia became hysterical. 
She told Charles that she wanted to 
marry him, and they both made ar 
rangements to obtain divorces. 



85 



Cordelia, who had been working with 
an ambulance corps in Spain, returned 
at the end of the fighting there and 
told them of her visit with Sebastian. 
Kurt had been seized by the Germans 
and taken back to Germany, where 
Sebastian followed him. Aher Kurt 
had hanged himself in a concentration 
camp, Sebastian returned to Morocco 
and gradually drifted along the coast 
until he arrived at Carthage. There he 
tried to enter a monastery, but was re 
fused. Following one of his drinking 
bouts, the monks found him lying un 
conscious outside the gate and took him 
in. Me planned to stay there as an 
uncler-portcr for the rest of his life. 

While Bridey was making arrange 
ments to settle at Brideshcad after his 
marriage, Lord Marclimain announced 
that he was returning to the estate to 



spend his remaining days. Me did not 
arrive until after he had seen Bridey 
and Beryl, honeymooning in Rome. Hav- 
ing taken a dislike to Beryl, Lord March- 
main decided that he would leave Brides- 
head to Julia and Charles. Before long 
Lord Mcirehmain's health began to fail. 
Mis children and Gara, thinking that 
he should be taken hack into the Church, 
brought Father Mackay to visit him, but 
he would not see the priest. When he 
was dying Julia again brought Father 
Mackay to his bedside and Lord March- 
main made the sign of the cross. 

That day Julia told Charles what he 
had known all along, that she could 
not marry him because to do so would 
be living in sin and without Gocl. 

These were some of Captain diaries 
Ryder's memories when he saw Brides- 
head again after many years. 



THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS KEY 

p & of work: Novel 
Author, Thornton Wilder (1897- ) 
Tjp a of plot; Philosophical romance 
Time of plot; Early eighteenth century 
Locate: Peru 
First published: 1927 

Principal characters: 

BROTH BE JUNIPER, a Spanish friar 

THE MAKQUUSA BH MONTMMAYOK, a lonely old woman 

PEPXTA, her maid 

Txni ABBUSS MADIXK MAHIA. wa PI&AK, directress of the Convent of 
Santa Maria Rosa do las Rosas 

UNCM Pio, tin actoMiumagcr 

LA PKmcxioLE, an actress 

MANUHL, a foundling 

ESTBBA.N, Ms brother 

Critique: 

The Bridge of Ban Luis l\ey tells a 
story of Peru in tlie golden days when 
it was a Spanish colony. The novel is 
full of life, of interesting sidelights on 
an interesting period, and, above all, of 
excellent character sketches. The mar- 
cjuesn is an unforgettable person, tragic 
and comic at (he same time. Wilder has 
brought together a group of unusual 



people and made them fit into a nar 
rative pattern in which their individual 
contrasts stand out more clearly. A 
Pul it/or pri/e novel of its clay, the story 
is still popular and widely read. 

The Story: 

On Friday, July the twentieth, 1714, 
the bridge of San Luis Key, the most 



TIIK BRIDGE 0V SAN LUIS REV by Thornton Wilder. By permission of the author. Copyright, 1927, by 
Albert & Charles Boni, Inc. 



86 



famous bridge in Peru, collapsed, hurling 
five travelers into the deep gorge below. 
Present at the time of the tragedy was 
Brother Juniper, who saw in the event 
a chance to prove, scientifically and ac 
curately, the wisdom of that act of God. 
He spent all his time investigating the 
lives of the five who had died, and he 
published a book showing that God had 
had a reason to send each one of them 
to his death at exactly that moment. 
The book was condemned by the Church 
authorities, and Brother Juniper was 
burned at the stake. He had gone too 
far in explaining God's ways to man. 
Through a strange quirk or fate, one 
copy of the book was left undestroyed, 
and it fell into the hands of the author. 
From it, and from his own knowledge, 
he reconstructed the lives of the five 
persons* 

The Marquesa de Montemayor had 
been an ugly child, and was still homely 
when she grew up. Because of the 
wealth of her family, she was fortunately 
able to marry a noble husband, by whom 
she had a lovely daughter, Doiia Clara. 
As she grew into a beautiful young wom 
an, the rnarquesa's daughter became 
more and more disgusted with her crude 
and unattractive mother, whose posses 
sive and over-expressive love left Dona 
Clara cold and uncomfortable. The 
daughter finally married a man who took 
her to Spain. Separated from her one 
joy in life, the marquesa became more 
eccentric than before, and spent her 
time writing long letters to her daughter 
in Spain. 

In order to free herself of some of her 
household cares, the marquesa went to 
the Abbess Madre Marfa del Pilar and 
asked for a girl from the abbess' school 
to come and live with her. So Pepita, 
unhappy that her beloved teacher was 
sending her away from the school, went 
to live with the marquesa. 

When the marquesa learned by letter 
that Dona Clara was to have a child, 
she was filled with concern. She wore 
charms, bought candles for the saints, 



said prayers, and wrote all the advice 
she could discover to her daughter. As 
a last gesture, she took Pepita with her 
to pay a visit to a famous shrine from 
which she hoped her prayers would 
surely be heard. On the way the mar 
quesa happened to read one of Pepita's 
letters to her old mistress, the abbess. 
From the letter the marquesa learned 
just how heartless she had been in her 
treatment of the girl, how thoughtless 
and egotistic. She realized that she had 
been guilty of the worst kind of love 
toward her daughter, love that was 
sterile, self-seeking, and false. Aglow 
with her new understanding, she wrote 
a final letter to her daughter, telling her 
of the change in her heart, asking for 
giveness, and showing in wonderful lan 
guage the change that had come over 
her. She resolved to change her life, to 
be kind to Pepita, to her household, to 
everyone. The next day she and Pepita, 
while crossing the bridge of San Luis 
Key, fell to their deaths. 

Uncle Pio had lived a strange life 
before he came to Peru. There he had 
found a young girl singing in a tavern. 
After years of his coaching and training, 
she became the most popular actress of 
the Spanish world. She was called La 
P6richole, and Uncle Pio's greatest pleas 
ure was to tease her and anger her into 
giving consistently better performances, 
All went well until the viceroy took an 
interest in the vivacious and beautiful 
young actress. When she became his 
mistress, she began to feel that the stage 
was too low for her. After living as a 
lady and becoming prouder and prouder 
as time went on, she contracted small 
pox. Her beauty was ruined, and she 
retired to a small farm out of town, 
there to live a life of misery over her 
lost loveliness. 

Uncle Pio had a true affection for his 
former prot6g^e and tried time and again 
to see her. One night, by a ruse, he got 
her to talk to him. She refused to let 
him help her, but she allowed him to 
take Jaime, her illegitimate son, so that 



87 



he could be educated as a gentleman. 
The old man and the young boy set off 
for Lima. On the way they came to the 
bridge, and died in the fall when it 
collapsed. 

Esteban and Manuel were twin broth 
ers who had been left as children on 
the doorstep of the abbess' school. She 
had brought them up as well as she 
could, but the strange relation between 
them was such that she could never 
make them talk much. When the boys 
were old enough, they left the school 
and took many lands of jobs. At last they 
settled down as scribes, writing letters 
for the uncultured people of Lima. One 
day Manuel, called in to write some 
letters for La P6rieholc, fell in love with 
the charming actress. Never before had 
anything come between the brothers, for 
they had always been sufficient in them 
selves. l ; or his brother's sake Manuel pre 
tended that he cared little for the ac 
tress. Shortly afterward he cut his leg 
on a piece of metal and became very 
sick, In his delirium he let Esteban 
know that he really was in love with 
La P^richole, The infection grew worse 
and Manuel died* 

Estebari was unable to do anything 
for weeks after his brother's death. I le 
could not face life without him. The 
abbess finally arranged for him to go on 



a trip with a sea captain who was about 
to sail around the world. The captain 
had lost his only daughter and the ab 
bess felt he would understand Esteban's 
problem and try to help him. Esteban 
left to go aboard ship, but on the way 
he fell with the others when the bridge 
broke. 

At the cathedral in Lima a great serv 
ice was held for the victims. Everyone 
considered the incident an example of a 
true act of God, and many reasons were 
offered for the various deaths. Some 
months after the funeral, the abbess was 
visited by Dona Clara, the ruarquesa's 
daughter. Dona Clara had finally learned 
what n wonderful woman her mother 
had really been. The last letter had 
taught the cynical daughter all that her 
mother had so painfully learned. The 
daughter, too, had learned to see life 
in a new way. La Perichole also came 
to see the abbess. She had given up 
bemoaning her own lost beauty, and she 
began a lasting friendship with the ab 
bess, Nothing could positively be said 
about the reason for the deaths of those 
five people on the bridge. Too many 
events were changed by them; one could 
not number them all. But the old abbess 
believed that the true meaning of the 
disaster was the lesson of love tor those 
who survived. 



THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV 

Type of work: Novel 

Author; I'yotlor Mikhailovieh Dostoevski (1821-1881) 

Type of yloli Impressionistic realism 

Time of ylot: Nineteenth century 

Locale: Russia 

First ^published: 1880 

Principal characters: 

FYODOK KAKAMASSOV, a profligate businessman 

DMI'I'HI, his sensuous oldest sou 

IVAN, Ins atheistic, intellectual son 

ALHXMY, his youngest son, called Alyosha 

CJnusnUNKA, a young womim loved by I'yodor ami Dmitri 

SMMIDYAKOV, an epileptic servant of Fyodor 

Zo&fUMA, an aged priest 

KATKIUNA, betxotlied to Dmitri 



88 



Critique: 

The anguish caused by the dual nature 
of man recurs in great chords throughout 
this powerful novel. Psychologist-novel 
ist Dostoevski chose as the theme for 
this story of a father and his three sons 
the effect of sensuality and inherited 
sensuality on a family and on all with 
whom the family came in contact. The 
earthy barbarism of tsarist Russia can be 
seen beneath the veneer of Western cul 
ture which covers Dostoevski's society. 
Several poorly connected and lengthy 
sub-plots in the novel detract from the 
unity of the work; their inclusion sug 
gests that Dostoevski had planned a 
longer work which, because of the in 
stallment form in which the novel first 
appeared, could not be completed. 

The Story: 

In the middle of the nineteenth cen 
tury in Skotoprigonyevski, a town in the 
Russian provinces, Fyodor Karamazov 
fathered three sons, the eldest, Dmitri, by 
his first wife, and the other two, Ivan 
and Alexey, by his second. Fyodor, a 
good businessman but a scoundrel by 
nature, abandoned the children after 
their mothers died. A family servant, 
Grigory, saw that they were placed in 
the care of relatives. 

Dmitri grew up believing he would 
receive a legacy from his mother's estate. 
He served in the army where he devel 
oped wild ways. Becoming a wastrel, 
he went to his father and asked for money 
which he believed was due him, Ivan, 
morose but not timid, went from a gym 
nasium to a college in Moscow. Poverty 
forced him to teach and to contribute 
articles to periodicals, and he achieved 
modest fame when he published an ar 
ticle on the position of the ecclesiastical 
courts. Alexey, or Alyosha, the youngest 
son, a boy of a dreamy, retiring nature, 
entered a local monastery, where he be 
came the pupil of a famous Orthodox 
Church elder, Zossima. When Alyosha 
asked his father's permission to become 
a monk, Fyodor, to whom nothing was 



sacred, scoffed but gave his sanction. 

When the brothers had all reached 
manhood, their paths met in the town 
of their birth. Dmitri returned to col 
lect his legacy. Ivan, a professed atheist, 
returned home for financial reasons. 

At a meeting of the father and sons 
at the monastery, Fyodor shamed his 
sons by behaving like a fool in the pres 
ence of the revered Zossima. Dmitri, 
who arrived late, was accused by Fyodor 
of wanting the legacy money in order to 
entertain a local adventuress to whom he 
himself was attracted. Dmitri, who was 
betrothed at this time to Katerina, a 
colonel's daughter whom he had rescued 
from shame, raged at his father, saying 
that the old man was a great sinner and 
had no room to talk. Zossima fell down 
before Dmitri, tapping his head on the 
floor, and his fall was believed to be a 
portent of an evil that would befall the 
oldest son. Realizing that the Karama- 
zovs were sensualists, Zossima advised 
Alyosha to leave the monastery and go 
into the world at Zossima's death. There 
was further dissension among the Kara- 
mazovs because of Ivan's love for Kater 
ina, the betrothed of Dmitri. 

Marfa, the wife of Grigory, Fyodor's 
faithful servant, had given birth to a 
deformed child. The night that Marfa's 
deformed baby died, Lizaveta, an idiot 
girl of the town, also died after giving 
birth to a son. The child, later to be 
called Smerdyakov, was taken in by 
Grigory and Marfa and was accepted as a 
servant in the household of Fyodor, whom 
everyone in the district believed the 
child's true father. 

Dmitri confessed his wild ways to 
Alyosha. He opened his heart to his 
brother, and told how he had spent 
three thousand roubles of Katerina's 
money in an orgy with Grushenka, a 
local woman of questionable character 
with whom he had fallen passionately 
in love. Desperate for the money to 
repay Katerina, Dmitri asked Alyosha 
to secure it for him from Fyodor. 



89 



Alyosha found Fyodor and Ivan at the 
table, attended by the servant, Smer- 
dyakov, who was an epileptic. Entering 
suddenly in search of Grushenka, Dmitri 
attacked his father. Alyosha went to 
Katerina's house, where he found Kater 
ina trying to bribe Grushenka into aban 
doning her interest in Dmitri. But Gru 
shenka was not to be bargained with. 
Upon his return to the monastery, Al 
yosha found Zossima dying. He returned 
to Fyodor, to discover his father afraid 
both Dmitri and Ivan, Ivan wanted 
Dmitri to marry Grushenka so that he 
himself could marry Katerina. Fyodor 
wanted to marry Grushenka. The father 
refused to give Alyosha any money for 
Dmitri. 

Katerina, spurned by Dmitri, dedicated 
her life to watching over him, although 
she felt a true love for Ivan, Ivan, seeing 
that Katerina was pledged to torture her 
self for life, nobly approved of her deci 
sion. 

Later, in an inn, Ivan disclosed to Al 
yosha that he believed in God, but that 
ne could not accept God's world. The 
young men discussed the dual nature of 
man. Ivan disclosed that he hated Smer- 
dyakov, who was caught between the 
wild passions of Dmitri and Fyodor and 
who, out of fear, worked for the interests 
oi : each against the other. 

The dying Zossima revived long 
enough to converse once more with his 
devoted disciples. When he died, a 
miracle was expected. In the place of 
a miracle, however, his body rapidly de 
composed, delighting certain of the 
monies who were anxious that the institu 
tion of the elders in the Orthodox Church 
be discredited. They argued that the 
decomposition of his body proved his 
teachings had been false. 

In his disappointment at the turn of 
events at the monastery, Alyosha was 
persuaded to visit Grushenka, who 
wished to seduce him. He found Gru 
shenka prepared to escape the madness 
of the Kuram:i?x>v$ by running off with 
a former lover. The saintly Alyosha saw 



good in Grusnenka; she, for her part, 
found him an understanding soul. 

Dmitri, eager to pay his debt to Kater 
ina, made various fruitless attempts to 
borrow the money. Mad with jealousy 
when he learned that Grushenka was not 
at her home, he went to Pyodor's house 
to see whether she were there, lie found 
no Grushenka, but he seriously injured 
old Grigory with a pestle with which he 
had intended to kill his father. Discov 
ering that Grushenka had fled to another 
man, he armed himself and went in pur 
suit, lie found Grushenka with two 
Poles in an inn at another village. The 
young woman welcomed Dmitri and 
professed undying love for him alone. 
During a drunken orgy of the lovers the 
police appeared and charged Dmitri with 
the mu refer of his Father, who had been 
found robbed and dead in his house. 
Blood on Dmitri's clothing, his posses 
sion of a large sum of money and pas 
sionate statements he had made against 
Fyodor were all evidence against him. 
Dmitri repeatedly protested his inno 
cence, claiming that the money he had 
spent on his latest orgy was half of 
Katerina's roubles, He had saved the 
money to insure hts future in the event 
that Grushenka accepted him. But the 
testimony of witnesses made his ease seem 
hopeless. He was taken into custody 
and placed in the town jail to nwait trial, 

Grushenka fell sick after the arrest 
of Dmitri, and she and Dmitri were 
plagued with jealousy of each other, 
Dmitri, as the result of a strange dream, 
began to look upon himself as an inno 
cent man destined to sulfer for the crimes 
of humanity. Ivan and Katerina, in the 
meantime, worked on a scheme whereby 
Dmitri might escape to America. 

Before the trial Ivau interviewed the 
servant Smerclyakov three times. The 
servant had once told Ivan that he was 
able to feign an epileptic lit; such a fit 
had been Smerclyakov's alibi in the search 
for the murderer of I'yodor. The third in 
terview ended when Smerclyakov con 
fessed to the murder, insisting, however, 



90 



that he had been the instrument of Ivan, 
who by certain words and actions had 
led the servant to believe that the death 
of Fyodor would be a blessing for every 
one in his household. Smerdyakov, de 
pending on a guilt complex in the soul 
of Ivan, had murdered his master at a 
time when all the evidence would point 
directly to Dmitri. He had felt that Ivan 
would protect him and provide him with 
a comfortable living. At the end of the 
third interview, he gave the stolen money 
to Ivan, who returned to his rooms and 
fell ill with fever and delirium, during 
which he was haunted by a realistic 
specter of the devil which resided in his 
soul. That same night Smerdyakov 
hanged himself. 

The Karamazov case having attracted 
widespread attention throughout Russia, 
many notables attended the trial. Prose^ 
cution built up what seemed to be a 
strong case against Dmitri, but the de 
fense, a city lawyer, refuted the evidence 
piece by piece. Doctors declared Dmitri 
to be abnormal, but in the end they 
could not agree. Katerina had her 
woman's revenge by revealing to the 
court a letter Dmitri had written her, in 
which he declared his intention of killing 
his father to get the money he owed her. 



Ivan, still in a fever, testified that 
dyakov had confessed to the murder. 
Ivan gave the money to the court, but 
he negated his testimony when he lost 
control of himself and told the court 
of the visits of his private devil, 

In spite of the defense counsel's elo 
quent plea in Dmitri's behalf, the jury 
returned a verdict of guilty amid a tre 
mendous hubbub in the courtroom. 

Katerina, haunted by guilt because she 
had revealed Dmitri's letter, felt that she 
was responsible for the jealousy of the 
two brothers. She left Ivan's bedside and 
went to the hospital where Dmitri, also 
ill of a fever, had been taken. Alyosha 
and Grushenka were present at their 
interview, when Katerina begged Dmitri 
for his forgiveness. 

Later Alyosha left Dmitri in the care 
of Grushenka and went to the funeral of 
a schoolboy friend. Filled with pity and 
compassion for the sorrow of death and 
the misery of life, Alyosha gently admon 
ished the mourners, most of them school 
mates of the dead boy, to live for good 
ness and to love the world of man. He 
himself was preparing to go with Dmitri 
to Siberia, for he was ready to sacrifice 
his own life for innocence and truth. 



BUDDENBROOKS 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Thomas Mann (1875-1955) 

Type of plot: Social chronicle 

Time of plot: Nineteenth century 

Locale: Germany 

First published: 1901 

Principal characters: 

JEAN BUDDENBROOK, head of a German business house 

FRAU BUDDENBROOK, Jean's wife 

ANTONIE (TONY), Jean's daughter 

CHRISTIAN, Jean's son 

TOM, Jean's son 

HERR GRUNLICH, Tony's first husband 

ERICA, daughter of Tony and Griinlich 

GERDA, Tom's wife 

HANNO, son of Tom and Gerda 

HERR PERMANEDER, Tony's second husband 



91 



Critique; 

The decadence of a materialistic society 
is clearly exposed in this novel, which 
had been compared with Galsworthy's 
Forsyte Saga. Objective in manner, the 
story nevertheless carries with it a con 
demnation of its people. The Buddcn- 
brooks were by nature honest and good; 
they were imbued with family love and 
loyalty to their own class, but they 
allowed themselves no room for new 
blood. Their development, or rather their 
decay, lay in a kind of intermarriage; 
not intermarriage of blood relations, but 
of class. Their only mainstay was wealth. 
Losing that, they were destroyed. 

The Story: 

In the year 1875 the Buddenbrook 
family was at its peak, Johann had main 
tained intact the business and wealth 
he had inherited from his father, and the 
Buddenbrook name was held in high 
esteem. Johann's oldest son, Jean, in 
herited the business when olcl Johann 
died. Antonic, Jean's first child was born 
in the family home on Mengstrasse. 
Tony was an aristocrat by nature and 
temperament The next child was Tom, 
followed by Christian, who seemed 
peculiar in his manners from birth. 
Tom displayed an early interest in the 
Buddenbrook business, but Christian 
seemed indifferent to all family respon 
sibilities. 

Tony grew into a beautiful woman. 
One day Ilerr Griinlich came to call 
on the family. Because of his obvious 
interest in Tony, Jean investigated 
Grimlieh's financial status. But the licad- 
strong girl despised Grimlich and his 
obsequious manner. I laving gone to the 
seashore to avoid meeting Griinlich 
when he called again, she fell in love 
with a young medical student named 
Morten SchartyJkopf. Learning of Tony's 
interest in the student, Jean and Frau 
Buddenbrook hurried their daughter 
home, and Tony was too much bred with 



a sense of her family duties to ignore 
their arguments in favor of Griinlich 
when he asked for her hand. Her wed 
ding date set, Griinlich received a 
promise of a dowry of eighty thousand 
marks. 

Griinlich, after taking his twenty- 
year-old bride to the country, would not 
allow her to call on any of her city 
friends. Although she complained in her 
letters to her parents, Tony resigned 
herself to obeying her husband's wishes. 

Tom held an important position in the 
business which was still amassing money 
for the Budden brooks, Christian's early- 
distaste for business and his ill healtn 
had given him the privilege of going 
to South America. 

When Griinlieh found his establish 
ment floundering, his creditors urged him 
to send to his father-in-law for help. 
Jean Buddenbrook learned then of Griin- 
lich's motive in marrying Tony; the 
Buddenbrook reputation had placed 
Grunlieh's already failing credit upon a 
sounder basis. Actually Grunlich was a 
poor man who was depending upon 
Jean's concern for Tony to keep his son- 
in-law from financial failure. Tony 
herself assured her father that she hated 
Griinlich but that she did not wish to 
endure the hardships that bankruptcy 
would entail. 

Jean brought 'Tony and his grand 
daughter, liriea Grimlieh, back to the 
Buddenbrook home. The divorce, based 
on Grunlich's fraudulent handling of 
Tony's dowry, was easily arranged. 

Jean Buddenbrook, loving his family 
dearly, firmly believed in the greatness 
of the Buddenbrook heritage. Tony was 
once again happy in her father's home, 
although she bore her sorrows like a 
cross for everyone to notice and reverence. 
Tom had grown quite close to his sister, 
who took pride in his development and 
in the progress of the Biuldenbrook 
firm. 



BUI>I)KNHK(K)K.S by Thomas Maun, Translated by TI. T, Lowe-Porter. By p#rmii0n of the author nntl the 
publishers, Allrcd A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright, 1924, by Allied A. Knopf, Inc. 



92 



Christian, having failed in his enter 
prises in South America, had returned 
home. His father gave him a job and an 
office which Christian hated and avoided. 
His manners were still peculiar and his 
health poor. Serious Tom handled the 
business as well as Jean, and he remained 
fixed in his attachment to family customs. 
When Jean died and left the business to 
Tom, Tony felt that the family had lost 
its strongest tie. Tom, too, was greatly 
affected by his father's death, but the 
responsibility of his financial burdens 
immediately became of foremost im 
portance. 

Because Christian could not adjust 
himself to Buddenbrook interests, the 
ever-patient Tom sent him to Munich 
for his health. Reports from Munich 
that he was seen often in the company 
of a notoriously loose actress distressed 
his family. Then Tom made a satis 
factory marriage with the daughter of a 
wealthy businessman. Gerda, whose 
dowry added to the Buddenbrook fortune, 
was an attractive woman who loved 
music. Parties were once more held at 
the Buddenbrook mansion on Meng- 
strasse. 

Tony returned from a trip with hopes 
that a man whom she had met while 
traveling would come to call. Soon Herr 
Permaneder did call. He was a success 
ful beer merchant in Munich. Tom and 
Frau Buddenbrook thought that Per 
maneder, in spite of his crude manners 
and strange dialect, would make a satis 
factory husband for Tony. Fortified with 
her second, smaller dowry, Tony went 
to Munich as Frau Permaneder. She 
sent Erica off to boarding-school. 

Once again Tony wrote passionate ap 
peals to her family complaining of her 
married life. Finally she came home, 
weeping because Permaneder had be 
trayed her by making love to a servant. 
Tom protested against a second divorce, 
but Tony insisted. Prevailing upon Torn 
to write to Permaneder, Tony was sur 
prised to learn that her husband would 
not fight the proceedings, that he felt 



the marriage had been a mistake, and 
that he would return to Tony her dowry 
which he did not need. 

Tom and Gerda had produced a son to 
carry on the family name. Little Johann, 
or Hanno, as he was called, inherited his 
mother's love for music, but he was pale 
and sickly from birth. Tom tried to in 
still in his son a love for the family 
business, but Hanno was too shy to 
respond to his father. 

The death of Frau Buddenbrook 
brought Christian, Tony, and Tom to 
gether to haggle over the inheritance. 
Christian demanded his money, but Tom, 
as administrator, refused. Infuriated, 
Christian quarreled bitterly with Tom, all 
the pent-up feeling of the past years 
giving vent to a torrent of abuse against 
the cold, mercenary actions of Tom Bud 
denbrook. 

Tom was not mercenary. He worked 
hard and faithfully, but in spite of his 
efforts the business had declined much 
in the past few years because of economic 
changes. In poor health, he felt that 
sickly Christian would outlive him. 

Although Tony found a fine husband 
for her daughter, even the marriage of 
Erica and Herr Weinschenk was des 
tined to end in disaster. Herr Wein 
schenk was caught indulging in some 
foul business practices and went to jail 
for three vears. Accustomed to public 
scandal, Tony bore that new hardship 
with forbearance. Erica, too, adopted 
her mother's attitude. 

Suddenly Tom died. He had fallen in 
the snow, to be brought to his bed and 
die, a few hours later, babbling in 
coherently. His loss was greater to Tony 
than to any of the others, Christian, 
arriving from Munich for the funeral, 
had grown too concerned over his own 
suffering to show grief over the death 
of his brother. Gerda felt her own sorrow 
deeply, for her marriage with Tom had 
been a true love match. 

After the will had been read, Christian 
returned to Munich to marry the mistress 
whom Tom's control had kept him from 



93 



marrying. Soon afterward Christian's 
wife wrote to Tony that his illness had 
poisoned his mind. She had placed 
Christian in an institution, 

Life at the Buddenbrook home went 
on. Little Hanno, growing up in a 
household of women, never gained much 
strength, Thin and sickly at fifteen, he 



died during a typhoid epidemic. 

So passed the last of the Buclclcnbrooks. 
From the days of the first Johann, whose 
elegance ana power had produced a fine 
business and a healthy, vigorous lineage, 
to the last pitiably small generation which 
died with 1 lanno, the Buddenbrooks had 
decayed into nothing. 



THE CABALA 

Type of work: Novel 

Author; Thornton Wilder (1897- ) 

Type of flot: Fantasy 

Time of plot: About 1920 

Locale: Rome 

First published: 1926 

Principal characters: 

SAMUHLK, a young American student ami writer 

jAMiiS BLAIH, his friend 

THE Ducmiiss o'AQuiLANmu, a Cabalist 

MAUCANTOMO, her son 

CARDINAL VAINX, a former CKnese missionary 

uciii i>w MOKI'ON fAiNU, a religious fanatic 
i>'Esiou, in love with James Blair 



Critique; 

Practically all of Thornton Wilcler's 
work is unusual in one degree or another. 
The Cabala really a series of sketches 
held together by locale and a group of 
people who have something in common 
is no exception. The novel is a fan 
tastic story ot the pagan gods grown old 
and weak. Christianity and modern 
society have doomed them to despair, 
madness, and death. A young American 
of Puritan background records their over 
throw, an ironic ending to their pagan 
power and pride. 

The Story: 

When Samuele went to Rome with 
his friend, James Blair, he learned of the 
existence there of a certain group known 
as the Cabala, talented and wealthy 
aristocrats, clover esoterics who had 
mysterious influence in affairs of Church 
iuul State. Blair, a bookish person, was 
familiar with some of its members, and 



he introduced his friend into that strange 
circle of Roman society. Samuele soon 
became a favorite of the Cabalists. 

One of them, the Duchess d'Aquila- 
nera, had a great problem on her mind, 
1 ler son Marcuntonio, who was sixteen, 
had had live or six love affairs with var 
ious women, and slue was disturbed by 
his unsettled habits. She bad arranged 
a marriage for him, but the wedding 
would not take place unless Mareantonio 
changed his ways. She pleaded with 
Samuele to spend a weekend at her 
villa and to talk to the boy in an effort 
to show him the errors of the life he 
was leading. Samuele refused, thinking 
the whole matter ridiculous. Then he 
had a talk with Cardinal Vaini, a friend 
of the duchess, who said that Marc- 
an tonic had begun his wild career by 
imitating his older friends, Later his 
vicious morality had become a habit, and 
linally a mania. Samuele was so shocked 



TUI CABALA by Thoimon Wi'der. By perwimuon *>f the author. Copyright, 1926, by Albert & Churloi Botn, 

IttC. 



94 



by the cardinal's description of the boy's 
character that he finally agreed to go to 
the villa, as the duchess had requested. 

Marcantonio liked to drive automo 
biles as fast as possible. He also told 
Samuele that he wished to train for the 
Olympics. Samuele, in a passionate out 
burst, denounced the boy's loose loves. 
The next day Marcantonio jumped from 
a balcony and killed himself. 

Samuele was shocked and grieved. But 
he was soon to become involved in the 
strange conduct of another Cabalist, the 
Princess Alix d'Espoli. Alix always had 
the habit of falling in love with men 
who could not possibly be attracted to 
her. She had beauty and charm, but 
little intelligence. To make up for her 
lack, she cultivated a way of speaking 
that was interesting and appealing. Al 
though people enjoyed having her at din 
ner, she accepted few invitations. 

One day she went to visit Samuele and 
found James Blair in his apartment. 
Though Blair was rude, she fell in love 
with him and proceeded to lay siege to 
his affections. At last she was convinced 
that she had scored a triumph, for Blair 
gave her a book that had once been 
mentioned in casual conversation. She 
began going to his rooms uninvited. 
When Blair became upset, Samuele sug 
gested that the only way out was for him 
to leave Rome. After Blair left on a 
trip to Spain, Alix proceeded to lose her 
self in the life of the city. She accepted 
all sorts of invitations, even asking to be 
introduced to various people. She seemed 
happy in a round of pleasure. Samuele 
hoped that she had forgotten Blair. 

A month later Blair wrote to Samuele, 
saying that he was returning to Rome. 
Samuele warned him to stay away, but 
Blair insisted that his researches into 
ancient secret societies made his return 
necessary. One night both of them went 
to visit a famous seer who was holding 
a seance in an old Roman palace. While 
they were there, a heavily veiled woman 
came in, rushed to the seer, and implored 
his help in some matter. Recognizing 



Alix, Samuel and Blair attempted to 
leave, but the woman saw them before 
they could get out of the room. Abruptly, 
angrily, she went away. Later Samuele 
heard that she had become interested 
in the fine arts, that she was studying 
music. She started on a trip to Greece, 
but returned suddenly without an ex 
planation. Some said that she continued 
to search for a lover. More and more 
she was spoken of in a derogatory man 
ner. 

One day in her presence a Danish 
archeologist said that he had met Blair. 
Upon hearing his name, Alix fainted. 

Samuele also spent much of his time 
with Astr6e-Luce de Morfontaine, a 
deeply religious woman. She saw some 
spiritual meaning in the initials of an 
American teacher named Irene H. 
Spencer, and on one occasion she was 
deeply offended when someone spoke 
slightingly of the pelican, because to her 
the bird was a holy symbol. She had 
great faith in prayer. One day the cardi 
nal spoke derisively of prayer, and she 
broke down. The cardinal said that she 
had never suffered, that she did not know 
the meaning of suffering. The woman's 
faith was badly shaken. She invited the 
cardinal to her house for a party. Dur 
ing the evening she accused him of being 
the devil, took out a pistol, and shot at 
him. He was not hurt. But a later re 
conciliation was impossible* The cardi 
nal decided to go back to his mission 
in China. En route, he caught a fever, 
died, and was buried at sea. 

Before Samuele left Rome, he called 
on Miss Elizabeth Grier, an American 
member of the Cabala. From her he 
learned at last who the men and women 
of the Cabala really were. They were 
the pagan gods of Europe grown old, 
deities whose brooding ancient wisdom 
could not save them from the sufferings 
and follies of ordinary humanity. Miss 
Grier confused Samuele by stating her 
belief that he was the new god Mercury, 
an idea vaguely upsetting to a young 
American or New England ancestry. 



95 



CADMUS 

Type of work: Classical legend 

Source; Folk tradition 

Type of plot: Heroic adventure 

Time of plot: Remote antiquity 

Locale: Ancient Greece 

First transcribed: Unknown 

Pri n c ipa I characters: 

CADMUS, founder of Thebes 
JIUHTKII, king of the gods 
MINEUVA, daughter of Jupiter 
MAKS, god of war 
HAIIMONIA, wife of Cadmus 

Critique: 

The story of Cadmus is not one of the 
best known myths, but it is an important 
one, for it is a basis upon which many 
other stories have been built. Cadmus, 
like the other great classieal heroes, lived 
at least thirty centuries ago, and the 
tales of his great deeds have been tolcl 
over and over, changing a little with each 
telling. In reading of Cadmus, we meet 
the gods and goddesses, the serpents and 
monsters, and the other great Figures who 
supposedly roamed the world when it 
was the playground of the gods, All 
things were possible in those heroic days. 



The Story; 

Jupiter, in the form of a hull, carried 
away Europa, who was the daughter of 
Agenor, king of Phenicia. Wlxen her 
handmaidens told her lather of the kid 
naping, he commanded his son Cadmus 
to look for Europa and not to return until 
he had found her, Cadmus searched for 
his sister for many years and in strange 
lands, But though he searched diligently, 
killing many monsters and endangering 
himself many times in his quest he could 
not find her. Afraid to return to his father, 
he consulted the oracle of Apollo at Del 
phi and asked where he should settle, 
The oracle told him that he would find 
a cow in a Held, and if he were to follow 
her, she would lead him to a good land. 
Where the cow stopped, Cadmus was to 
build a great city and call it Thebes. 

Cadmus soon saw a cow walking ahead 
of him, and he followed her. Finally 



the cow stopped on the plain of Panope. 
Cadmus prepared to give thanks to the 
gods, and he sent his slaves to find pure 
water for the sacrifice he would make. 
In a dense grove they found a wonderful 
clear spring. But the spring was guarded 
by a terrible dragon sacrecl to Mars, his 
scales shining like gold and his body 
filled with a poisonous venom. He had 
a triple tongue and three rows of huge, 
ragged teem, The servants, thinking 
only to please their master, dipped their 
pitchers in the water, whereupon all were 
instantly destroyed by the monster* 

Having waited many hours for the 
return ol his servants, Cadmus went to 
the grove and found the mangled bodies 
of his faithful slaves and close by the 
terrible monster of the spring. First Cad 
mus threw a huge stone at the dragon. 
The stone did not dent his shining scales. 
Then he drew back his javelin and 
heaved it at the serpent. It went through 
the scales and into the entrails, The 
monster, trying to draw out the weapon 
with his mouth, broke the blade and 
left the point burning his flesh. He 
swelled with rage as he advanced toward 
the hero, and Cadmus retreated before 
him. Cadmus then threw his spear at 
the monster, the weapon pinning him 
against a tree until he died. 

As Cadmus stood gating at the terrible 
creature he hoard the voice of the goddess 
Minerva telling him to sow the dragon's 
teeth in a field* Hardly had he done 
so when a warrier in armor sprang up 



96 



from each tooth. Cadmus started toward 
the warriors, thinking he must slay them 
all or lose his own life, but again Minerva 
spoke to him and told him not to strike. 
The warriors began to do battle among 
themselves and all were slain but five, 
who then presented themselves to Cad 
mus and said that they would serve him. 
These six heroes built the city of Thebes. 
Jupiter gave Cadmus Harmonia, the 
daughter of Mars and Venus, goddess of 
beauty, to be his wife, and the gods came 
down from Olympus to do honor to the 
couple. Vulcan forged a brilliant neck 
lace with his own hands and gave it to 
the bride. Four children were born, and 
for a time Cadmus and Harmonia lived 
in harmony with their children. But 
doom hung over Cadmus and his family 



for the killing of the serpent, and Mars 
revenged himself by causing all of Cad 
mus' children to perish. 

In despair, Cadmus and Harmonia left 
Thebes and went to the country of the 
Enchelians, who made Cadmus their 
king. But Cadmus could find no peace 
because of Mars' curse on him. One day 
he told Harmonia that if a serpent were 
so dear to the gods he himself wished 
to become a serpent. No sooner had he 
spoken the words than he began to grow 
scales and to change his form. When 
Harmonia beheld her husband turned 
into a serpent, she prayed to the gods 
for a like fate. Both became serpents, 
but they continued to love their fellow 
men and never did injury to any. 



CAESAR OR NOTHING 

of work: Novel 
Author: Pio Baroja (1872-1956) 
Type of plot: Political satire 
Time of plot: Early twentieth century 
Locale: Spain, Italy, France 
First published: 1919 

Principal characters: 

LAURA, Marchesa of Vaccarone, formerly Laura Moncada 

CAESAR MONCADA, Laura's brother 

AMPARO, Caesar's wife 

IGNACIO ALZUGARAY, Caesar's friend 



Critique: 

Caesar or Nothing is a political novel 
of satire directed against those elements 
of Spanish life which Baroja considered 
opposed to the improved social status of 
the common man. These elements were 
the aristocracy and the Church. The 
novel is interesting in the light of what 
has happened in Spain since this novel 
was published thirty years ago. 

The Story: 

Juan Guillen was a highwayman of 
Villanueva. When Vicenta, his youngest 
daughter, was ruined, she went away to 
Valencia, where she married Antonio 
Fort, a grocer. Francisco, Juan's eldest 



son, became a priest and changed his 
name to Fray Jos de Calasanz de Vil 
lanueva. Juan Fort, son of Vicenta, be 
came a priest and was called Fathei 
Vicente de Valencia. He later became 
Cardinal Fort. Isabel, Vicenta's daughter, 
married a soldier, Carlos Moncada. Isabel 
and Carlos became die parents of Caesar 
Moncada and of Laura, later the Mar 
chesa of Vaccarone. 

Defying family tradition, Caesar re 
belled at die idea of becoming a cleric. 
He attended various schools but cared 
little for the subjects taught there. Con 
vinced that he had a definite mission in 
life, he set about preparing himself for 



CAESAR OR NOTHING by Pio Baroja. Translated by Louis How, By permission of the publishers, Alfred A, 
Knopf, Inc. Copyright, 1919, 1947, by Alfred A Knopf, Inc. 

97 



it. Academic subjects did not enter into 
his plans. At school in Madrid he met 
Ignacio Alzugaray, who became his life 
long and intimate friend. He also met 
Carlos Yarza, a Spanish author em 
ployed in a bank in Paris, and through 
him Caesar became interested in finan 
cial speculation. Caesar developed a sys 
tem, which he could explain only 
vaguely, to use in playing the stock 
market, but he had no money at the 
time with which to try it out. 

Caesar and his sister Laura went to 
Rome, where Laura became popular in 
fashionable society, Caesar, however, 
cared little for social functions, art, and 
the historical relics of ancient Rome. 
After a time he did meet some impor 
tant personages, among them Countess 
Brcncm, with whom he had an affair. 

Cardinal l ; ort, their kinsman, sent the 
Abbe" Prccioxi to act as a guide for 
Caesar and Laura. Caesar disliked his 
uncle, the cardinal, and cared little if 
the abb carried back to the cardinal 
his nephew's frank opinions of his 
eminence. Through the abbe, Caesar 
tried to find people who would help him 
become a financial dictator, and he was 
directed to sound out Father I lerreros 
and Father Mir6. The cardinal, how 
ever, learned of Caesar's scheming and 
put a stop to it. 

Archibald Marehmont fell in love with 
Laura, Both were unhappily married, 
Susanna Marehmont', Archibald's wife, 
was in turn attracted to Caesar, and she 
and Caesar took a trip together as man 
and wife. While in Home, Caesar also 
met an Englishman named Kennedy 
through whom he learned much about 
the history of Rome and the history 
of the Borjias, Caesar Borgia's motto, 
"Caesar or Nothing/' struck a responsive 
note in the latent ambition of Caesar 
Moncatla, Without cjuite knowing why, 
he began to make notes about people 
in Rome who were members of the 
Black Party and who had connections in 
Spain. 

Coming from the Sistine Chapel one 



day, Caesar and Kennedy met a Spanish 
painter who introduced them to Don 
Calixto, a senator and the political leader 
of the province of Zamora in Spain. 
Caesar accepted Don Calixto's invitation 
to dine with him and agreed to act as 
his guide about Rome. The don was 
appreciative, and when Caesar jokingly 
asked whether the don would consider 
making him a deputy, Don Calixto 
agreed to put Caesar's name on the ballot 
as a candidate for the district of Castro 
Duro whenever Caesar returned to Spain. 

When Caesar returned to Spain, he 
reminded Don Calixto of his promise. 
Deciding to run on the Conservative 
ticket, Caesar drove about the country 
to meet the voters and to determine the 
most important political personages of 
the district, Don Platc'm Periln'rney, and 
Antonio San Roimtn were, he discovered, 
quite influential. Father Martin La- 
fuer/a, the prior of a monastery, had 
a great deal of political influence in and 
about Castro Duro. Caesar's friend, 
Ignacio Alzugaray, came to Castro Duro 
and made himself useful to Caesar in 
many ways. At the house of Don Calixto 
Caesar met Amparo, the don's niece, but 
at first Caesar and Ampuro could not 
get along, Later, however, they fell in 
love and planned to be married, 

In the election Caesar defeated his 
two opponents, Garcia Paclilla and San 
Romdn, and left Castro Duro to go to 
Madrid as deputy. In Madrid he became 
quite influential behind the political 
scene. When the Minister of Finance 
faced a crisis in his career, he sent 
Caesar to Parts to meet a financial expert 
who had a plan to save the government. 
Caesar, suspecting the minister, planned 
an airtight speculation which would 
make his own fortune and remove the 
minister from office. 

With the money he bad gained 
through his speculations, Caesar began 
to devise and carry into execution many 
improvements in Castro Duro. lie de 
signed a better water system and also 
a library for the Workmen's Club which 



98 



he had previously established. In ad 
dition, he turned his back on the Con 
servative party and became a Liberal. 
Meanwhile the reactionary element in the 
district was not idle. It formed institutions 
and organizations to compete with the 
Workmen's Club, and used every pos 
sible means to wreck the political organi 
zation of the workers, until there was 
a state of undeclared war between 
Caesar's group and the others. During 
those disturbances Caesar and Amparo 
were married. 

Father Martin's followers had hired a 
man nicknamed the "Driveller" to 
threaten and browbeat the more timid 
members of Caesar's group. The "Drivel 
ler" picked a fight with "Lengthy," the 
son of "The Cub-Slut," and a man known 
as "Gaffer." When "Lengthy" was killed 
in the fight, the workmen clamored for 
blood because they believed that the 
"Driveller" had done the deed at the 
request of the reactionaries of Father 
Martm. Caesar was requested by "The 
Cub-Slut" and the "Driveller's" mother 
to spare the "Driveller's" life, but for 
different reasons. "The Cub-Slut" 
wanted to revenge herself upon him, 
whereas the mother wanted to save her 
son. Caesar was in a quandary, and so 
he and Amparo went to Italy to visit 
Laura. It was believed that his act in 
dicated a desire to retire from politics. 

At home the political situation grew 



worse. When Caesar received a letter 
written by his liberal friends, Dr. Orti- 
gosa, Antonio San Romdn, and Jos<6 
Camacho, he decided that he would not 
retire. He returned to Castro Duro 
and joined his friends in the struggle 
once more. 

The battle continued right up to the 
next election. One day "The Cub-Slut" 
sent a note to Caesar, a message which 
he put distractedly into his pocket. Set 
ting out to tour the district, he was 
wounded by an assassin when his car 
came to a crossroads. If he had read 
"The Cub-Slut's" letter, he might not 
have been shot. After the attempted as 
sassination of Caesar, the Liberal party 
began to lose ground, the opposition using 
every possible method to defeat Caesar. 
Ballot boxes were stuffed, Messengers 
carrying ballot boxes were robbed and 
false ballots substituted. Voting places 
were hidden and made known only to 
the reactionary voters. As a result, Padilla 
won the election. Caesar Moncada re 
tired from politics and, ironically, de 
voted his time to the collection of an 
tiques and to studying primitive Castilian 
paintings, The improvements he had 
planned for Castro Duro were for 
gotten, for the reactionary elements in 
the district had gained the upper hand 
and they kept it. Caesar had not be 
come Caesar. He became nothing, 



CAKES AND ALE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: W. Somerset Maugham (1874- ) 

Type of plot: Literary satire 

Time of plot: Early twentieth century 

Locale: London and Kent 
d: 1930 

Principal characters: 
ASHENEEN, a writer 
ALROY KEAR, a popular novelist 
EDWABJD DRJFFIELD, a great Victorian 
ROSIE, Driffield's first wife 
AMY DMFFIELD, Drimeld's second wife 
GEORGE KEMP, Rosie's lover 



99 



Critique; 

This novel is written with a lightness 
of touch that defies description. By con 
trasting Alroy Kear's opinion of Drif- 
field with the real Driffield as Ashenden 
knew him, the author shows up the sham 
of the literary world and deepens the 
insight into the character of Driffield. 
Now and then the author interrupts the 
story to insert pungent comments on 
literary matters. For one interested in 
authors and the world of letters, Cakes 
and Ale is especially good reading. 

The Story: 

Alroy Kear, the most popular novelist 
of the day, arranged to lunch with his 
friend Ashenden, another writer. Ashen- 
den was fond of Kear, hut he suspected 
that his invitation had been extended for 
a purpose. He was right. Kear wanted 
to talk about the late Edward Drif 
field, a famous English author of the 
past century. Kear had nothing but praise 
for the old man's books, but Ashenden 
said that he had never thought Driffield 
exceptionaL Kear enthusiastically told 
how well he had known Driffield in his 
last years, and said that he was still a 
friend of Driffield's widow, his second 
wife. Luncheon ended without a request 
for a favor. Ashenden was puzzled. 

Returning to his rooms, Ashenden fell 
into a reverie. He recalled his first meet 
ing with Driffield. Ashenden was then 
a boy, home for the holidays at Black- 
stable, a Kentish seacoast town, where 
he lived with his uncle, the local vicar. 
Ashenden met Driffield in the company 
of his uncle's curate; but the boy thought 
the writer a rather common person. He 
learned from his uncle that Driffield had 
married a local barmaid after spending 
a wild youth away from home. 

Two or three days after Ashenden had 
lunched with Kear, he received a note 
from Driffield's widow. She wished him 
to visit her in Blackstable. Puzzled, 
Ashenden telephoned to Kear, who said 



that he would come to see him and ex 
plain the invitation. 

Ashenden had seen Mrs. Driffield only 
once. He had gone to her house with 
some other literary people several years 
before, while Driffield was still alive. 
Driffield had married his second wife 
late in life, and she had been his nurse. 
In the course of the visit Ashenden had 
been surprised to see old Driffield wink 
at him several times, as if there were 
some joke between them. 

After that visit Ashenden recalled how 
Driffield had taught him to bicycle many 
years before, Driffield azid his wife, 
Rosie, had taught him to ride and had 
taken him with them on many excursions. 
He liked the Driffields, but he was 
shocked to find how outspoken they were 
with those below and above them in 
social station. 

One evening Ashenden found Rosie 
visiting his uncle's cook, her childhood 
friend. After Rosie left, he saw her 
meet George Kemp, a local contractor. 
The couple walked out of town toward 
the open fields. Ashenden could not 
imagine how Rosie could be unfaithful 
to her husband. 

Ashenden went back to school. During 
the Christmas holiday he took tea often 
with the Driffields. Kemp was always 
there, but he and Rosie did not act like 
lovers. Driffield sang drinking songs, 
played the piano, and seldom talked 
about literature. When Ashenden re 
turned to Blackstable the next summer, 
he heard that the Driffields had bolted, 
leaving behind many unpaid bills. He 
was ashamed that he had ever been 
friendly with them. 

Kear arrived at Ashenden's rooms and 
explained that he was planning to write 
Driffield's official biography. He wanted 
Ashenden to contribute what he knew 
about the author's younger days. What 
Ashenden told him was not satisfactory, 
for the biography should contain nothing 



CAKES AND ALE by W. Somerset Maugham. By permission of the author and the publishers, Doubleday & 
Co., lac. Copyright, 1930, by W. Somerset Maugham. 



100 



co embarrass the widow. Kear insisted 
that Ashenden write down what he re 
membered of Driffield and go to Black- 
stable to visit Mrs. Driffield. Ashenden 
agreed. 

Ashenden remembered how he had 
met the Driffields again in London 
when he was a young medical student. 
By chance he saw Rosie on the street; 
he was surprised that she was not 
ashamed to meet someone from Black- 
stable. But he promised to come to one 
of the Driffields' Saturday afternoon 
gatherings. Soon he became a regular 
visitoi in their rooms. Since Driffield 
worked at night, Rosie often went out 
with her friends, Ashenden began to 
take her to shows. She was pleasant 
company, and he began to see that she 
was beautiful. One evening he invited 
her to his rooms. She offered herself to 
him and remained for the night; after 
that night Rosie visited his rooms 
regularly. 

One day Mrs. Barton Trafford, a 
literary woman who had taken Driffield 
under her care, invited Ashenden to tea. 
From her he learned that Rosie had run 
away with Kemp, her old lover from 
Blackstable. Ashenden was chagrined to 
learn that Rosie cared for another man 
more than she did for him. 

After that Ashenden lost touch with 
Driffield. He learned that the author 
had divorced Rosie, who had gone to 
New York with Kemp. Mrs. Barton 
Trafford continued to care for Driffield 
as his fame grew. Then he caught 
pneumonia. He went to the country to 



convalesce and there married his nurse, 
the present Mrs. Driffield, whom Mrs. 
Trafford had hired to look after him. 

Ashenden went down to Blackstable 
with Kear. They and Mrs. Driffield 
talked of Driffield's early life. She and 
Kear described Rosie as promiscuous. 
Ashenden said that she was nothing of 
the sort. Good and generous, she could 
not deny love to anyone; that was all. 
Ashenden knew this to be the truth, now 
that he could look down the perspective 
of years at his own past experience. The 
others disagreed and dismissed the subject 
by saying that, after all, she was dead. 

But Rosie was not dead. When Ashen 
den had last been to New York, she had 
written him and asked him to call on her. 
He found her now a wealthy widow; 
Kemp had died several years before. She 
was an old woman who retained her love 
for living. They talked of old times, and 
Ashenden discovered that Driffield, too, 
had understood her even when she was 
being unfaithful to him. 

Rosie said that she was too old to 
marry again; she had had her fling at 
life. Ashenden asked her if Kemp had 
not been the only man she really cared 
for. She said that it was true. Then 
Ashenden's eyes strayed to a photograph 
of Kemp on the wall. It showed him 
dressed in flashy clothes, with a waxed 
mustache; he carried a cane and flourished 
a cigar in one hand. Ashenden turned 
to Rosie and asked her why she had pre 
ferred Kemp to her other lovers. Her 
reply was simple. He had always been 
the perfect gentleman. 



CALEB WILLIAMS 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: William Godwin (1756-1836) 

Type of plot: Mystery romance 

Time of 'plot: Eighteenth century 

Locale: England 

First published: 1794 

Principal characters: 
CALEB WILLIAMS 

FEBDINANIX) FALKLAND, Caleb's employer 
COLLINS, Falkland's servant 



101 



BAKNABAS TYHRJEL, Falkland's enemy 

GINES, Caleb's enemy 

EMILY Mi'xvn.n, Tyrrel's cousin 

Critique: 

Godwin titled his novel, Things As 
They Arc, or the Adventures of Caleb 
Williams; it survives under the name of 
its hero, It is a novel of divided inter 
ests, as it was written both to criticize 
society and to tell an adventure story. 
All of the elements which contribute to 
Caleb's misery are the result of weak 
nesses in eighteenth-century English 
laws, which permitted the wealthy land 
owners to hold power over poorer citizens. 



The Story: 

Caleb Williams was engaged as secre 
tary by Mr. Ferdinando Falkland, the 
wealthiest and most respected squire in 
the country, Falkland, although a con 
siderate employer, was subject to fits of 
distemper which bewildered Caleb, Be 
cause these black moods were so contrary 
to his employer's usual gentle nature, 
Caleb soon questioned Collins, a trusted 
servant of the household, and learned 
from him the story of Falkland's early 
life, 

Studious and romantic in his youth, 
Falkland lived many years abroad before 
he returned to England to live on his 
ancestral estate, One of his neighbors 
was Barnabas Tyrrel, a man of proud, 
combative nature. When Falkland re 
turned to his family estate, Tyrrel was 
the leading gentleman in the neighbor 
hood, Soon Falkland, because of his 
graceful manners and warm intelligence, 
began to win the admiration of his neigh 
bors, Tyrrel, jealous, showed his feelings 
by speech and actions. Falkland tried to 
make peace, but the ill tempered Tyrrel 
re (used his proffered friendship. 

Miss Emily Melvile, Tyrrcl's cousin, 
occupied somewhat the position of a serv 
ant in his household. One night she 
was trapped in a burning building, and 
Falkland saved her from burning. After 
ward Emily could do nothing but praise 
her benefactor, Her gratitude annoyed 



her cousin, who planned to revenge him 
self on Emily for her admiration of Falk 
land, I Ic found one of his tenants, 
Grimes, a clumsy ill-bred lout, who con 
sented to marry Emily. When Emily 
refused to marry a man whom she could 
never love, Tyrrel confined her to her 
room. As part of the plot Grimes helped 
Emily to escape and then attempted to 
seduce her. She was rescued from her 
plight by Falkland, who for the second 
time proved to be her savior. Further 
cruelties inflicted on her by Tyrrel finally 
killed her, and Tyrrel became an object 
of disgrace in the community. 

One evening Tyrrel attacked Falkland 
in a public meeting and Falkland was 
deeply humiliated. That night Tyrrel 
was found dead in the streets. Since the 
quarrel had been witnessed by so many 
people just before the murder of Tyrrel, 
Falkland was called before a jury to ex 
plain his whereabouts during that fatal 
night. No one really believed Falkland 
guilty, but he was hurt by what he con 
sidered the disgrace of his inquisition. 
Although on ex-tenant was afterward 
arrested and hanged for the crime, Falk 
land never recovered his injured pride, 
I le retired to his estate where he became 
a recluse, moody and disconsolate. 

For a long time after learning these 
details Caleb pondered over the apparent 
unhappiness of his employer. Attempting 
to understand his morose personality, he 
began to wonder whether Falkland suf 
fered from the unearned infamy that 
accompanied suspicion of murder or from 
a guilty conscience, Determined to solve 
the mystery, Caleb proceeded to talk to 
his master in an insinuating tone, to draw 
him out in matters concerning murder 
and justice. Caleb also began to look 
for evidence which would prove Falkland 
guilty or innocent Finally the morose 
man became, aware of his secretary's in 
tent. Swearing Caleb to secrecy, Falkland 



102 



confessed to the murder of Barnabas 
Tyrrel and threatened Caleb with irrep 
arable harm if he should ever betray 
his employer. 

Falkland's mansion became a prison 
for Caleb, and he resolved to run away 
no matter what the consequences might 
be. When he had escaped to an inn, he 
received a letter ordering him to return 
to defend himself against a charge of 
theft. When Falkland produced from 
Caleb's baggage some missing jewels and 
bank notes, Caleb was sent to prison in 
disgrace, His only chance to prove his 
innocence was to disclose Falkland's mo 
tive, a thing no one would believe. 

Caleb spent many months in jail, con 
fined in a dreary, filthy dungeon and 
bound with chains. Thomas, a servant 
of Falkland and a former neighbor of 
Caleb's father, visited Caleb in his cell. 
Perceiving Caleb in his miserable con 
dition, Thomas could only wonder at 
English law which kept a man so impris 
oned while he waited many months for 
trial. Compassion forced Thomas to 
bring Caleb tools with which he could 
escape from his dungeon. At liberty once 
more, Caleb found himself in a hostile 
world with no resources. 

At first he became an associate of 
thieves, but he left the gang after he had 
made an enemy of a man named Gines. 
When he went to London, hoping to 
hide there, Gines followed him and soon 
Caleb was again caught and arrested. 



Falkland visited him and explained that 
he knew every move Caleb had made 
since he had escaped from prison. Falk 
land told Caleb that although he would 
no longer prosecute him for theft, he 
would continue to make Caleb's life in 
tolerable. Wherever Caleb went, Gines 
followed and exposed Caleb's story to the 
community. Caleb tried to escape to 
Holland, but as he was to land in that 
free country, Gines appeared and stopped 
him. 

Caleb returned to England and 
charged Falkland with murder, asking 
the magistrate to call Falkland before 
the court. At first the magistrate refused 
to summon Falkland to reply to this 
charge. But Caleb insisted upon his 
rights and Falkland appeared. The squire 
had now grown terrible to behold; his 
haggard and ghostlike appearance showed 
that he had not long to live. 

Caleb pressed his charges, in an at 
tempt to save himself from a life of 
persecution and misery. So well did 
Caleb describe his miserable state and 
his desperate situation that the dying 
man was deeply touched. Demonstrating 
the kindness of character and the honesty 
for which Caleb had first admired him, 
Falkland admitted his wrong doings and 
cleared Caleb's reputation. 

In a few days the sick man died, leav 
ing Caleb remorseful but determined to 
make a fresh start in life. 



THE CALL OF THE WILD 



Type of work: Novel 

Author: Jack London (1876-1916) 

Type of plot: Adventure romance 

Time of plot: 1897 

Locale: Alaska 

First published: 1903 

Principal characters: 
BUCK, a dog 
A SPITZ, his enemy 
JOHN THORNTON, his friend 

Critique: 

The most popular of all Jack London's 
books is The Call of the Wild. The great 



dog Buck seems not an animal but a 
human being. London obviously had 



103 



great love for animals and the country 
he wrote about, and he transferred that 
love into tales which are read as widely 
now as they were when first published. 
For those who like adventure and ex 
citement, The Call o\ the Wild is an ex 
cellent evening's entertainment, 

The Story: 

Buck was the undisputed leader of all 
the dogs on Judge Miller's estate in Cali 
fornia, A crossbreed of St. Bernard and 
Scottish shepherd, he had inherited the 
size of the first and the intelligence of 
the other. Buck could not know that the 
lust for gold liad hit the human beings 
of the country and that dogs of his 
breed were much in demand as sled dogs 
in the frozen North, Consequently he 
was not suspicious when one of the 
workmen on the estate took him for a 
walk one night. The man took Buck to 
the railroad station, where the dog heard 
the exchange of money. Then a rope 
was placed around his neck. When fie 
struggled to get loose, the rope was 
drawn so tight that it shut off his breath 
and he lost consciousness. 

He recovered in a baggage car. When 
the train reached Seattle, Buck tried to 
break out of his cage while he was being 
unloaded. A man in a red shirt hit him 
with a club until he was senseless. After 
that, Buck knew that he could never win 
a fight against a club. lie retained that 
knowledge for future use. 

Buck was put in a pen with other dogs 
of his type. Each day some of the dogs 
went away with strange men who came 
with money. One day Buck was sold. 
Two French-Canadians bought him and 
some other clogs and took them on board 
a ship sailing lor Alaska. The men were 
fair, though harsh, masters, and Buck 
respected them. Life on the ship was not 
particularly enjoyable, but it was a para 
dise compared to that which awaited 
Buck when the ship reached Alaska. 
There he found men and dogs to be 



little more than savages, with no law but 
the law of force. The dogs fought like 
wolves, and when one was downed the 
pack moved in for the kill. Buck watched 
one of his shipmates being torn to pieces 
after he lost a fight, and he never forgot 
the way one dog in particular, a Spitz, 
watched sly-eyed as the loser was slashed 
to ribbons. The Spitz was Buck's enemy 
from that time on. 

Buck and the other dogs were har 
nessed to sleds on which the two French- 
Canadians carried mail to prospectors in 
remote regions. It was a new kind of life 
to Buck, but not an unpleasant one. The 
men treated the dogs well, and Buck 
was intelligent enough to learn quickly 
those things which made him a good sled 
clog. He learned to dig under the snow 
for a warm place to sleep and to keep 
the traces clear and thus make pulling 
easier. When he was hungry, he stole 
food. The instincts of his ancestors 
came to life in him as the sled went 
farther and farther north. In some vague 
manner he sensed the great cunning of 
the wolves who had been his ancestors in 
the wilderness, 

Buck's muscles grew firm and taut, his 
strength greater than ever. But his feet 
became sore and he had to have moc 
casins. Occasionally one of the dogs 
died or was killed in a fight, and one 
female went mad* The dogs no longer 
worked as a team, and the two men had 
to be on guard constantly to prevent 
fights. One day Buck saw his chance, I le 
attacked the Spitz, the lead clog on the 
sled, and killed him. After that Buck 
refused to be harnessed until he was 
given the lead position. 1 le proved his 
worth by whipping the rebellious dogs 
into shape, and he became the best lead 
dog the men had ever seen. The sled 
made record runs, and Buck was soon 
famous. 

When they reached Skaguay, the two 
French-Canadians had oflicial orders to 
turn the team over to a Scottish half- 



K CAU, OF THK. WIU) by Jack London. By permiauion of the publishers, The Marmillan Co* Copyright. 
f,<H)'J, 1912, by Tb Mflcmillan Co. Renewed, 1931, by Th Macmillan Co. 



104 



breed. The sled was heavier and the 
weather bad on the long haul back to 
Dawson. At night Buck lav by the fire 
and dreamed of his wild ancestors. He 
seemed to hear a far-away call which 
was like a wolf's cry. 

After two days' rest in Dawson, the 
team started back over the long trail 
to Skaguay. The dogs were almost ex 
hausted. Some died and had to be re 
placed. When the team arrived again 
in Skaguay, the dogs expected to rest, 
but three days later they were sold to 
two men and a woman who knew noth 
ing about dogs or sledding conditions in 
the northern wilderness. Buck and the 
other dogs started out again, so weary 
that it was an effort to move. Again 
and again the gallant dogs stumbled and 
fell and lay still until the sting of a whip 
brought them to their feet for a few 
miles. At last even Buck gave up. The 
sled had stopped at the cabin of John 
Thornton, and when the men and the 
woman were ready to leave Buck refused 
to get up. One of the men beat Buck 
with a club and would have killed him 
had not Thornton intervened, knocking 
the man down and ordering him and 
his companions to leave. They left Buck 
with Thornton. 

As Thornton nursed Buck back to 
health, a feeling of love and respect 
grew between them. When Thornton's 
partners returned to the cabin, they 
understood this affection and did not at 
tempt to use Buck for any of their 
heavy work. 

Twice Buck saved Thornton's life 
and was glad that he could repay his 
friend. In Dawson Buck won more than 



a thousand dollars for Thornton on a 
wager, when the dog broke loose from 
the ice a sled carrying a thousand-pouncJ 
load. With the money won on the 
wager, Thornton and his partners went 
on a gold-hunting expedition. They 
traveled far into eastern Alaska, where 
they found a stream yellow with gold, 

In his primitive mind Buck began to 
see a hairy man who hunted with a 
club. He heard the howling of the 
wolves. Sometimes he wandered off for 
three or four days at a time, but he 
always went back to Thornton. At one 
time he made friends with a wolf that 
seemed like a brother to Buck. 

Once Buck chased and killed a great 
bull moose. On his way back to the 
camp, he sensed that something was 
wrong. He found several dogs lying 
dead along the trail. When he reached 
the camp, he saw Indians dancing around 
the bodies of the dogs and Thornton's 
two partners. He followed Thornton's 
trail to the river, where he found the 
body of his friend full of arrows. Buck 
was filled with such a rage that he at 
tacked the band of Indians, killing some 
and scattering the others. 

His last tie with man broken, he 
joined his brothers in the wild wolf 
packs. The Indians thought him a ghost 
dog, for they seldom saw more than his 
shadow, so quickly did he move. But 
had the Indians watched carefully, they 
could have seen him closely. Once each 
year Buck returned to the river that 
held Thornton's body, There the dog 
stood on the bank and howled, one long, 
piercing cry that was the tribute of a 
savage beast to his human friend. 



CAMILLE 

Type of work: Drama 

Author: Alexandra Dumas, son (1824-1895) 

Type of plot: Sentimental romance 

Time ojplot: Nineteenth century 

Locale: France 

First presented: 1852 

Principal characters: 

CAMILUB GAUTIEE, a woman ox Paris 



105 



NANHSTE, her maid 

COUNT DE VARVILLE, who desired Camille 

ARMAND DUVAL, who loved her 

M. DUVAL, Annand's father 

MAT>AME PRUDENCE, Camille's friend 



Critique: 

Although Camitte was published as a 
novel in 1848, the story is better known 
in the dramatic version first presented in 
1852. Camille, which introduced to the 
French stage a new treatment of social 
and moral problems, was received with 
critical acclaim, To the modern audi 
ence the stoiy of Camille and her love 
affairs seems somewhat exaggerated, for 
the characters in the play are sentimental 
and unreal. But the moral problem pre 
sented is one that is present in any soci 
ety, whether it be modern or a thousand 
years old. 

The Story: 

Camille Gaxitier was a woman of poor 
reputation in the city of Paris. The 
symbol of her character was the camellia, 
pale and cold. She had once been a 
noedleworker who, whiles taking a rest 
cure in Bagneres, had been befriended 
by a wealthy duke whose daughter she 
resembled. After the death of his 
daughter, the duke had taken Camille 
back to Paris and introduced her into 
society. But hi some way the story of 
Canullc's past life had been rumored on 
the boulevards, and society frowned upon 
her. She was respected only by a few 
friends who knew that she longed for a 
true love and wished to leave the gay 
life of Paris. She was heavily in debt for 
her losses at cards and had no money of 
her own to pny her creditors. 

The Count de Varville, her latest ad 
mirer, oifered to pay all her debts if she 
would become his mistress. Before she 
gave her consent, however, she met 
Annand Duval. Annand had nothing to 
oiler her but his love. 1 le was presented 
to Camille by her milliner, Madame 
Prudence, who pretended to be her friend 
but who was loyal to her only because 
Camiile was generous with her money. 



At first Camille scorned Annand's 
love, for although she longed for a simple 
life she thought she could never actually 
live in poverty, But Armand was per 
sistent, and at last Camille. loved him 
and told him she would forsake her pres 
ent friends and go away with him. Be 
cause she had a racking cough, Armand 
wanted Camille to leave Paris and go to 
a qxiiet spot where she could rest and 
have fresh air. 

Camille, Armand, and Naninc, her 
maid, moved to a cottage in the country. 
1,'or many weeks Annand was suspicious 
of Camille and feared she missed her 
former companions. Convinced at last 
of her true love, Annand lost his uneasi 
ness and they were happy together. The 
garden (lowers be grew replaced the 
camellias she had always worn in Paris. 

Their happiness was brief, Annand's 
father called on Camille and begged her 
to renounce his son, lie knew her past 
reputation, and he felt that his son had 
placed himself and his family in a dis~ 
graceful position, Camille would not 
listen to him, for she knew that Armand 
loved her and would not be happy with 
out her. Then Annand's father told her 
that his daughter was betrothed to a 
man who threatened to break the en 
gagement if Annand and Camille insisted 
on remaining together. Moved by sym 
pathy Tor the young girl, Camille prom 
ised Annand's father that she would send 
his son away. She knew that he would 
never leave her unless she betrayed him, 
and she planned to tell him that she no 
longer loved him but was going to return 
to her former life. Annand's father knew 
then that she truly loved his son and he 
promised that alter her death, which 
she felt would be soon, he would tell 
Annand she had renounced him only i'or 
the sake of his family. 



106 



Camilla, knowing that she could never 
tell Armand that lie, wrote a note declar 
ing her dislike for the simple life he had 
provided for her and her intention to re 
turn to de Varville in Paris. When 
Armand read the letter, he swooned in 
his father's arms. 

He left the cottage and then Paris, and 
did not return for many weeks. Mean 
while Camille had resumed her old life 
and spent all her time at the opera or 
playing cards with her former associates, 
always wearing a camellia in public. 
Count de Varville was her constant com 
panion, but her heart was still with 
Armand. Her cough was much worse. 
Knowing she would soon die, she longed 
to see Armand once more. 

When Camille and Armand met at 
last, Armand insulted her honor and 
that of the Count de Varville. He threw 
gold pieces on Camille, asserting they 
were the bait to catch and hold her kind, 
and he announced to the company pres 
ent that the Count de Varville was a 



man of gold but not of honor. Chal 
lenged by de Varville, Armand wounded 
the count in a duel and left Paris. He 
returned only after his father, realizing 
the sacrifice Camille had made, wrote, 
telling him the true story of Camille's 
deception, and explaining that she had 
left him only for the sake of his sister's 
honor and happiness. 

By the time Armand could reach Paris, 
Camille was dying. Only Nanine and a 
few faithful friends remained with her. 
Madame Prudence remained because 
Camille, even in her poverty, shared 
what she had. Camille and Nanine had 
moved to a small and shabby flat, and 
there Armand found them. He arrived to 
find Camille on her deathbed but wear 
ing again the simple flowers he had once 
given her. He threw himself down beside 
her, declaring his undying love and beg 
ging for her forgiveness. Thus, the once 
beautiful Camille, now as wasted as the 
flowers she wore on her breast, died in 
the arms of her true love. 



CANDIDE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author. Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778) 

Type of 'plot: Social satire 

Time of 'plot: Eighteenth century 

Locale: Europe and South America 

First published: 1759 

Principal characters: 

CANDIDE, Baroness Thunder-ten-tronckh's illegitimate son 

MLLE. CUNEGONDE, Baron Thtmder-ten-troncldTs daughter 

P ANGLOS s, Candide's friend and tutor 

CACAMBO, Candide's servant 



Critique: 

Candide, the most popular of Voltaire's 
works, is a masterful satire on the follies 
and vices of men. Everything which 
permeates and controls the lives of men 
is taken to task romance, science, phi 
losophy, religion, and government. The 
mistakes of men in this story are exactly 
the same that men make today. Candide 
is a commentary which is timeless be 
cause it is as contemporary as today's 
newspaper. 



The Story. 

Candide was born in Westphalia, the 
illegitimate son of Baron Thunder-ten- 
tronckh's sister. Dr. Pang]oss, his tutor, 
and a devout follower of Liebnitz, taught 
him metaphysico-theologo-cosmolonigolo- 
gy and assured his pupil that this is the 
best of all possible worlds. Cunegonde, 
the daughter of the baron, kissed Can 
dide one day behind a screen. Candide 
was expelled from the noble baron's 
household. 



107 



Impressed into the army of the King of 
Bulgaria, Candide deserted during a 
battle between the King of Bulgaria and 
the King of Abarcs. Later he was be 
friended by James the Anabaptist. He 
also met his old friend, Dr, Pangloss, now 
a beggar. James, Pangloss, and Candide 
started for Lisbon. Their ship was 
wrecked in a storm off the coast of Por 
tugal. James was drowned, but Candide 
and Pangloss swam to shore just as an 
earthquake shook the city. The rulers of 
Lisbon, both secular and religious, de 
cided to punish those people whose 
wickedness had brought about the earth 
quake, and Canclide and Pangloss were 
among the accused, Pangloss was hanged, 
Candide thoroughly whipped. 

While he was smarting from his 
wounds, an old woman accosted Candide 
and told him to have courage and to 
follow her. She led him to a house where 
he was fed and clothed. Then Cune- 
gonde appeared. Candide was amazed 
because Pangloss had told him that Cune- 
goncle was dead. Cunc&omle related the 
story of her life from the time that she 
last saw Candide to their happy meeting. 
She was being kept by a Jew and an 
Inquisitor, but she held both men at a 
distance. Candide killed the Jew and the 
Inquisitor when they came to see her. 

With the old woman, Cunegomle and 
Candide fled to Cadi'/, where they were 
robbed, In despair, they sailed for Para 
guay, where Canclide hoped to enlist in 
the Spanish army which was fighting the 
rebellious Jesuits. During the voyage the 
old woman told her story. They learned 
that she was the daughter of Pope Urban 
X and the Princess of Palestrina, 

The governor of Buenos Aires de 
veloped a great affection for Cunegomle, 
and through his scheming Candide was 
accused of having committed robbery 
while still in Spam, Candicle fled witft 
his servant, Cacamho; Cunegonde ami 
the old woman remained behind. When 
Candide decided to fight for the Jesuits, 
he learned that the commandant was 
in reality Cunegonde's brother. But the 



brother would not hear of his sister's 
marriage to Candide. They quarreled, 
and Candide, fearing that he had 
killed the brother, took to the road with 
Cacambo once more. Shortly afterward 
they were captured by the Oreillons, a 
tribe of savage Indians, but when Cacam 
bo proved they were not Jesuits, the 
two were allowed to go free. They 
traveled on to Eldorado. There life was 
simple and perfect, but Candide was not 
happy because he missed Cunegonde. 

At last he decided to take some of the 
useless jeweled pebbles and golden mud 
of Eldorado ami return to Buenos Aires 
to search for Cunegonde. I le and Cacam 
bo started out with a hundred sheep laden 
with riches, but they lost all but two 
sheep and the wealth these animals 
carried. 

Canclide approached a Dutch mer 
chant and tried to arrange passage to 
Buenos Aires. The merchant sailed away 
with Candida's money and treasures, 
leaving Candide behind. Cacambo then 
went to Buenos Aires to find Cunegonde 
and take her to Venice to meet Canclide. 
After many adventures, including a sea 
fight and the miraculous recovery of one 
of his lost shocp from a sinking ship, 
Candide arrived at Bordeaux. I lis in 
tention was to go to Venice by way of 
Paris. Police arrested him in Paris, how 
ever, and Canclide. was forced to buy 
his freedom with diamonds. Later he 
sailed on a Dutch ship to Portsmouth, 
Rutland, where he witnessed the ex 
ecution of an Hnglish admiral. From 
Portsmouth he went to Venice, There he 
found no Caeambo and no Cunegonde. 
f le did, however, twct Paqtiette, Cune- 
gomle's waiting maid. Shortly afterward 
Cnndicle encountered Caeambo, who was 
now a slave, and who informed him that 
Cum^omle was in Constantinople, In 
the Venetian galley which carried them 
to Constantinople, Candide found Pan- 
gloss and Gunegonde's brother among 
the galleyslnves. Pangloss related that 
he had miraculously escaped from his 
hanging in Lisbon because the bungling 



108 



hangman had not been able to tie a 
proper knot, Cunegonde's brother told 
how he survived the wound which Can- 
dide had thought fatal. Candide bought 
both men from the Venetians and gave 
them their freedom. 

When the group arrived at Constanti 



nople, Candide bought the old woman 
and Cunegonde from their masters and 
also purchased a little farm to which 
they all retired. There each had his own 
particular work to do. Candide decided 
that the best thing in the world was to 
cultivate one's garden. 



CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER 

Type of -work: Novel 

Author: C. S. Forester (1899- ) 

Type of plot: Historical romance 

Time of plot: Early nineteenth century 

Locale: The Pacific Ocean, South America, the Mediterranean, Spain, France, England 

and the Atlantic Ocean 
First published: 1937, 1938, 1939 
Principal characters: 

CAPTAIN HOBATTO HORNBLOWER, captain of H. M, S. Lydia and H. M. S. Sutherland 

BUSH, first lieutenant 

BROWN, captain's coxswain 

DON JULIAN ALVARADO (EL SUPREMO), a rich plantation owner of Central America 

MARIA, Hornblower's wife 

LADY BARBARA WELLESLEY, the Duke of Wellington's sister 

ADMIRAL LEIGHTON, Hornblower's immediate commander and Lady Barbara's husband 

Critique: 

C, S. Forester has created in Captain 
Hornblower a personality of wide gen 
eral appeal, and the writer's technical 
knowledge of war at sea is woven into 
the story with such skill that one learns 
unconsciously the language of the sea 
men, the parts of a fighting ship, and 
something of naval gunnery. The Horn- 
blower novels Beat to Quarters, "Plying 
Colours, and A Ship of the Line have 
been read with interest and enthusiasm 
by readers of all classes and all ages. 



The Story: 

Captain Horatio Hornblower, com 
mander of H. M. S. Lydia, a thirty-six- 
gun frigate, was sailing under sealed 
orders from England around the Horn to 
the Gulf of Fonseca on the western shores 
of Spanish America. He had been 
ordered to form an alliance with Don 
Julian Alvarado, a large landowner, to 
assist in raising a rebellion against Spain. 
The Lydia carried the necessary muni 



tions with which to start the revolution. 
In addition, Hornblower had fifty thou 
sand guineas in gold which he was to 
give for the support of the rebellion 
only if the revolt threatened to fail with 
out English gold to back it. To do other 
wise would result in court-martial. His 
orders also casually mentioned the pres 
ence in Pacific waters of a fifty-gun Span 
ish ship called the Natividad. It was his 
duty to take, sink, burn, or destroy this 
ship at the first opportunity. 

After the ship had been anchored in 
the Gulf of Fonseca a small boat appeared 
containing emissaries from Don Alvarado, 
who now called himself El Supremo. 
They told Hornblower that El Supremo 
required the captain's attendance. 

Hornblower was not pleased with evi 
dences of El Supremo's tyranny. What 
he observed made him only the more 
cautious. He refused to hand over to El 
Supremo the arms and ammunition which 
he had until his ship had taken on food 



CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER by C. S. Forester. By permission of Harold Matson. Published by 
Litile. Brown & Co. Copyright, 1939, by Cecil Scott Forester. 



109 



and water. The ship was loaded with 
stores as rapidly as possible, and the 
operation was going forward when a 
lookout on the mountain announced the 
approach of the Natividad. 

Deciding to try to capture her in the 
hay, Hornblower hid the Lydia behind 
an island as the Natividad approached. 
At the moment which gave him the 
greatest advantage, Hornblower ordered 
the Lydia to sail alongside the Natividad 
and rake her decks with grapeshot. The 
British sailors lashed the two ships to 
gether and boarded the Natividad. El 
Supremo demanded the captured ship 
as his own, Hornblower hesitated to 
turn over his prize to El Supremo, but 
he dared not antagonize the dictator if 
he were to fulfill the requirements of his 
orders, 

I lornblowcr sailed away and shortly 
afterward learned that England was now 
an ally of Spain because of Napoleon's 
deposition of King Ferdinand. lie also 
received further orders, one from his 
admiral and one from an English lady 
in Panama. The Englishwoman was 
Lady Barbara Wellesley, sister of the 
Duke of Wellington, who requested 
transportation to England. During this 
period the Lydia met and defeated the 
Natividad, now under El Supremo, A 
long period of association between Lady 
Barbara and Hornblower ended in deep 
mutual love. But I lornblower could not 
bring himself to make love to her because 
of his wife Maria at home and because 
of his own chivalry. Lady Barbara was 
carried safely to England* 

Captain I loratio 1 lornblower was next 
ordered to command II. M. S. Slither* 
land) a seventy-four-gun battleship. He 
sailed with the Pluto and the Caligula 
to protect a convoy of merchant ships as 
far as the latitude of North Africa, They 
met I 'rench privateers and beat them 
off. Before parting company with the 
merchantmen, I lornblower impressed 
sailors from the convoy. 

Sailing along the coast, he captured 
the Atwlie, attacked the battery at Llan- 



za, burned and destroyed supply vessels, 
and shelled two divisions of cavalry on 
a highway passing near the seashore. 

Admiral Leighton now Lady Bar 
bara's husband ordered Hornblower to 
join and take charge of Spanish forces 
at the siege of French-held Rosas, but 
the operation failed because the Span 
iards did not cooperate. After his re 
treat Hornblower met the Cassandra, a 
British frigate, and learned that four 
French ships were bearing down upon 
them. Hornblower decided to fight, even 
though the odds were four to one, and 
sent the Cassandra to seek the Pluto and 
the Caligula. The Cassandra came back 
and relayed a message to I lornblower to 
engage the enemy, That order indicated 
the presence of the admiral's flagship. 
Hornblower engaged the French ships 
one at a time. The fourth French ship, 
however, came upon him as he was fight 
ing a two-decker and forced him to sur 
render. 

After his surrender I lornblower and 
Bush were imprisoned at Rosas. Admiral 
Leighton sailed into the bay with the 
Pluto and the Caligula and completed the 
destruction of the French squadron. 
Hornblower watched the battle from the 
walls and saw the Sutherland* which had 
been beached, take fire as a raiding party 
of British seamen burned her to prevent 
her use by the French. I Ie learned from 
a seaman that Admiral 1 .eighton had been 
injured by a Hying splinter. 

Colonel Galliarcl, Napoleon's aide, 
came to Rosas to take 1 lornblower and 
the wounded Bush to Paris. Bush was 
seriously ill as a result of losing a foot 
in the buttle, therefore llornblower re 
quested a servant to attend Bush on the 
long journey. He selected Brown, the 
coxswain, because of his strength, his 
common sense, and his ability to adapt 
himself to every situation, In France 
their stagecoach was halted by a snow 
storm near Nevers, llornblower had 
noticed a small boat moored to the bank 
of a river and, us he and Brown as 
sisted the French in trying to move the 



no 



coach, he laid his plans for escape. He 
himself attacked Colonel Calliard and 
Brown tied up the Frenchman and 
threw him into the bottom of the coach. 
They lifted Bush out of the coach and 
carried him to the boat. The whole 
operation required only six minutes. 

The fugitives made their way down 
the river in the dead of night with Horn- 
blower rowing while Brown bailed the 
icy water from the boat. When the 
boat crashed against a rock, Hornblower, 
thinking he had lost Bush and Brown, 
swam ashore in the darkness. Brown, 
however, brought Bush safely to shore. 
Shivering with cold, the three men made 
their way to a farmhouse nearby, where 
they announced themselves as prisoners 
of war and were admitted. 

Throughout the winter they remained 
as guests of its owner, Comte de Gra^ay, 
and his daughter-in-law. Brown made an 
artificial foot for Bush and, when Bush 
was able to get around well, he and 
Brown built a boat in which to travel 
down the Loire. 



In early summer Hornblower disguised 
himself as a Dutch customs inspector. 
To complete his disguise the comte gave 
him the ribbon of the Legion of Honor 
which had been his son's. That decora 
tion aided Hornblower in his escape. 

When Hornblower and his two men 
arrived in the harbor at Nantes, Horn- 
blower cleverly took possession of the 
Witch of Endor, taking with him a group 
of prisoners to man the ship. They made 
their way to England. Upon his arrival, 
Hornblower was praised for his exploits, 
knighted, and whitewashed at a court- 
martial. His sickly wife had died during 
his absence and Lady Barbara had be 
come guardian of his young son. Horn- 
blower went to the home of Lady Bar 
bara to see his son and Barbara. She 
was now a widow, Admiral Leighton 
having died of wounds at Gibraltar, and 
Hornblower realized from the quiet 
warmth of her welcome that she was al 
ready his. He felt that life had given 
him fame and fortune in Barbara, good 
fortune indeed. 



CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS 

Type of 'work: Novel 

Author: Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) 

Type of plot: Adventure romance 

Time of -plot: 1890's 

Locale: Grand Banks of Newfoundland 

First published: 1897 

Principal characters: 

HARVEY CHEYNE, a spoiled young rich boy 

DISKO TROOP, owner and captain of the We're Here 

DAN TROOP, his son 

MR. CHEYNE, Harvey's father 

Critique: 

Captains Courageous is one of the 
great favorites among lovers of sea stories, 
for it captures the spirit of the men who 
risked their lives to catch fish on the 
Grand Banks in the days before com 
mercial fishing with steam-powered 
trawlers. One of the aspects of the novel, 
frequently overlooked, however, is the 
attention paid by Kipling to the Ameri 



can millionaire in the story. He, also, 
is one of the "Captains Courageous." 
As a respecter of power and force, Kipling 
esteemed the capitalist as well as the 
captain of the fishing vessel. 

The Story: 

Harvey Cheyne was a rich, spoiled 
boy of fifteen years, bound for Europe 



CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS by Rudyard Kipling. By permission, of Mrs. George Bambridge and the publishers, 
Doubladay & Co., Inc. Copyright, 1896, 1897. by Rudyard Kipling. Renewed, 1923, by Rudyard Kipling. 



Ill 



aboard a swift ocean liner. He was a 
seasick young man, as well, so seasick that 
he hardly realised what was happening to 
him when a huge wave washed him over 
the rail of the ship into the sea. Luckily, 
he was picked up by a fisherman in a 
dory, and put aboard the fishing schooner 
We're Here. The owner and captain oi : 
the boat, Disko Troop, was not pleased 
to have the boy aboard, but told him that 
he would pay him ten dollars a month 
and board until the schooner docked in 
Gloucester the following September. It 
was then the middle of May. But Har 
vey insisted upon being taken to New 
York immediately, asserting that his 
father would gladly pay for the trip. The 
captain, doubting that Harvey's father 
was a millionaire, refused to change his 
plans and hazard the profits of the fish 
ing season. Harvey became insulting. 
Disko Troop promptly punched him in 
the nose to teach him manners. 

The captain's son, Dan, soon became 
the friend of the castaway* He was glad 
to have someone his own age aboard the 
fishing boat, and Harvey's stories about 
mansions, private cars, and dinner parties 
fascinated him. Bein^ a boy, he recog 
nized the sincerity of the rich lad and 
'mew that he could not possibly have 
made up all the details of a wealthy 
man's lite. 

As Harvey began to fit into the life 
aboard the schooner, the fishermen all 
took an interest in his nautical education. 
Long Jack, one of the crew, escorted him 
about the boat to teach him the names 
of the ropes and the various pieces of 
equipment. Harvey learned quickly, for 
two reasons. First, he was a bright young 
lad, and, secondly, the sailor whipped 
him roughly with the end of a rope when 
he gave the wrong answers. He also 
learned how to swing the dories aboard 
when they were brought alongside with 
the day's catch, to help clean the cod 
and salt them away below the decks, and 
to stand watoh at the wheel of the 
schooner as they went from one fishing 
ground to another on the Grand Banks. 



Even Disko Troop began to admit that 
the boy would be a good hand before 
they reached Gloucester in the fall. 

Gradually Harvey became used to the 
sea. There were times of pleasure as 
well as work. He enjoyed listening while 
the other eight members of the crew 
talked and told sea yarns in die evenings 
or on the days when it was too rough 
to lower the dories and go after cod. 
tie discovered that the crew came from 
all over the world. Disko Troop and his 
son were from Gloucester, Long Jack 
was from Ireland, Manuel was a Por 
tuguese, Salters was a farmer, Pennsyl 
vania was a former preacher who had lost 
his family in the Johnstown flood, and 
the cook was a Negro who had been 
brought up in Nova Scotia and swore 
in Gaelic. All these men fascinated Har 
vey, for they were different from any 
one lie had ever known. What pleased 
the boy most was that they accepted 
him on his own merits as a workman 
and a member of the crew, and not as an 
heir to millions. Of all the crew, only 
Dan and the Negro cook believed Har 
vey's story* 

One day a French brig hailed the 
We're Here, Both vessels shortened sail 
while Harvey and Long Jack were sent 
from the schooner to the brig to buy 
tobacco. Much to I larvey's chagrin, 
he discovered that the sailors on the 
French boat could hardly understand his 
schoolboy French but that they under 
stood Long Jack's sign language perfectly. 

The French brig figured in another 
of Harvey's adventures. He and Dan 
went aboard the ship at a later time to 
buy a knife that had belonged to a 
deceased sailor, Dan bought the knife 
and gave it to Harvey, thinking it had 
addcxl value because lite. Frenchman had 
killed a man with it. While fishing from 
a dory several days later, Harvey felt a 
weight, on his line and pulled in the 
Frenchman's corpse. The boys cut the 
line and threw the knife into the sea, fox 
it seemed to them that the Frenchman 
had returned to claim his knife. 



112 



Although they were the same age, 
Harvey was not nearly as handy on the 
schooner or in the dory as was Dan, who 
had grown up around fishing boats and 
fishermen. But Harvey surpassed Dan in 
the use of a sextant. His acquaintance 
with mathematics and his ability to use 
his knowledge seemed enormous to the 
simple sailors. So impressed was Disko 
Troop that he began to teach Harvey 
what he knew about navigation. 

Early in September the We're Here 
joined the rest of the fishing fleet at a 
submerged rock where the cod fishing was 
at its best, and the fishermen worked 
around the clock to finish loading the 
holds with cod and halibut. The vessel 
which first filled its holds was not only 
honored by the rest of the fleet, but it 
also got the highest price for the first 
cargo into port. For the past four years 
the We're Here had finished first, and it 
won honors again the year Harvey was 
aboard. All canvas was set, the flag 
was hoisted, and the schooner made the 
triumphant round of the fleet picking 
up letters to be taken home. The home 
ward-bound men were the envy of all 
the other fishermen. 

As soon as the Were Here had docked 
at Gloucester, Harvey sent a telegram to 
his father informing him that he had 
not been drowned, but was well and 
healthy. Mr. Cheyne wired back that 
he would take his private car and travel 



to Gloucester as quickly as he could 
leave California. Great was the surprise 
of Disko Troop and the rest of the crew, 
except Dan and the Negro cook, when 
they discovered that Harvey's claims were 
true. 

Mr. Cheyne and Harvey's mother were 
overjoyed to see their son, and their 
happiness was increased many times 
when they observed how much good the 
work aboard the fishing schooner had 
done him. It had changed him from a 
snobbish adolescent into a self-reliant 
young man who knew how to make a 
living with his hands and who valued 
people for what they were rather than 
for the money they had. Mr. Cheyne, 
who had built up a fortune after a child 
hood of poverty, was particularly glad to 
see the change in his son. 

Disko Troop and the crew of the We're 
Here refused to accept any reward for 
themselves. Dan was given the chance to 
become an officer on a fleet of fast 
freighters Mr. Cheyne owned. The 
Negro cook left the sea to become a 
bodyguard for Harvey. In later years, 
when Harvey had control of the Cheyne 
interests, the Negro got a great deal of 
satisfaction out of reminding Dan, who 
was by then a mate on one of Harvey's 
ships, that he had told the two boys 
years before that some day Harvey would 
be Dan's master. 



THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER 

Type of -work: Novel 

Author: Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) 

Tyye of ^>lot; Historical romance 

Time of 'plot: About 1774 

Locale; Russia 

First published: 1836 

Principal characters: 

PETER ANDREITCII GRINEFF, a young Russian officer 

MARIA IVANOVNA, his sweetheart 

ALEXEY IVANITCH SHVABRIN, Peter's fellow officer 

SAVELITCH, Peter's servant 

EMELYAN POUGATCHEFF, a rebel Cossack leader 



Critique: 

One of the first pure examples of 



Russian realism, The Captain's Daugh' 
ter, or The Generosity of the Russicw 



113 



Usurper, Pougatcheff, is a narrative con 
cisely and excitingly told. Using the 
touch of a master, Pushkin delineated a 
gallery of characters ranging from the 
simple Maria to the cruel rebel, Pouga- 
tcheff. The novel was written as the 
result of Pushkin's appointment to the 
office of crown historian, a position 
which gave him access to the state ar 
chives and the private papers of the Em 
press Catherine II. 

The Story: 

Although Peter Andreitch Grineff was 
registered as a sergeant in the Semenov- 
sky regiment when he was very young, 
he was given leave to stay at home until 
he had completed his studies. When he 
was nearly seventeen, his father de 
cided that the time had arrived to begin 
his military career. With his parents' 
blessing, Peter set out for distant Oren 
burg, in the company of his faithful 
servant, Savelitch. 

The trip was not without incident. 
One night the travelers put up at Sim 
birsk, There, while his man went to see 
about some purchases, Peter was lured 
into playing billiards with a fellow sol 
dier, Zourin, and quickly lost one hun 
dred roubles. Toward evening of the 
following day the young man and Save 
litch found themselves on the snowy 
plain with a storm coming up. As dark 
ness fell the snow grew thicker, until 
finally the horses could not find their 
way and the driver confessed that he 
was lost. They were rescued by another 
traveler, a man with such sensitive nos 
trils that he was able to scent smoke from 
a village some distance away and to lead 
them to it. The three men and their 
guide spent the night in the village. The 
next morning Peter presented his hare- 
skin jacket to his poorly-dressed rescuer, 
Savelitch warned Peter that the coat 
would probably be pawned for drink. 

I, ate that <iay the young man reached 
Orenburg and presented himself to the 
general in command. It was decided 
that he should join due Builogorsk fortress 



garrison under Captain Mironoff, for tus 
superior felt that the dull life at Oren 
burg might lead the young man into a 
career of dissipation. 

The Bailogorsk fortress, on the edge 
of the Kirghis steppes, was nothing more 
than a village surrounded by a log fence. 
Its real commandant was not Captain 
Mironoff but his lady, Vassilissa Egor- 
ovna, a lively, firm woman who saw to 
the discipline of her husband's under 
lings as well as the running of her own 
household. 

Peter quickly made friends with a 
fellow officer, Shvabrin, who had been 
exiled to the steppes for fighting a duel. 
I le spent much time with his captain's 
family and grew deeply attached to the 
couple and to their daughter, Maria 
Ivanovna, After he had received his 
commission, he found military discipline 
so relaxed that he was able to indulge his 
literary tastes. 

The quiet routine of Peter's life was 
interrupted by an unexpected quarrel 
with Shvabrin. One day he showed his 
friend a love poem he had written to 
Maria. Shvabrin criticized the work 
severely and went on to make derogatory 
remarks about Maria until they quar 
reled and Peter found himself challenged 
to a duel for having called the man a 
liar. 

The next morning the two soldiers met 
in a field to fight but they were stopped 
by some of the garrison, for Vassilissa 
Bgorovna had learned of the duel. Peter 
and his enemy, although apparently re 
conciled, intended to carry out their 
plan at the earliest opportunity. Dis 
cussing the quarrel witlx Maria, Peter 
learned that Shvabrin's actions could be 
explained by the fact that he was her 
rejected suitor. 

Assuring themselves that they were 
not watched, Shvabrin and Peter fought 
their duel the following day, Peter, 
wounded in the breast, lay unconscious 
for live clays after the figlit When he 
began to recover, he asked Maria to marry 
him. Shvabrin had been jailed. Then 



114 



Peter's father wrote that he disapproved 
of a match with Captain MironofFs 
daughter, and that he intended to have 
his son transferred from the fortress so 
that he might forget his foolish ideas. 
As Savelitch denied having written a 
letter home, Peter could only conclude 
that Shvahrin had heen the informer. 

Life would have become unbearable 
for the young man after his father's let 
ter arrived if the unexpected had not 
happened. One evening Captain Miro 
noff informed his officers that the Yaikian 
Cossacks, led by Emelyan Pougatcheff, 
who claimed to be the dead Emperor 
Peter III, had risen and were sacking 
fortresses and committing outrages every 
where. The captain ordered his men to 
keep on the alert and to ready the can 
non. 

The news of PougatchefFs uprising 
quickly spread through the garrison. 
Many of the Cossacks of the town sided 
with the rebel, so that Captain Mironoff 
did not know whom he could trust or 
who might betray him. It was not long 
before the captain received from the Cos 
sack leader a manifesto ordering him to 
surrender. 

It was decided that Maria should be 
sent back to Orenburg, but the attack 
came early the next morning before she 
could leave. Captain Mironoff and his 
officers made a valiant effort to defend 
the town, but with the aid of Cossack 
traitors inside the walls Pougatcheff was 
soon master of the fortress. 

Captain Mironoff and hi$ aides were 
hanged. Shvabrin deserted to the rebels. 
Peter, at the intercession of old Save 
litch, was spared by Pougatcheff. The 
townspeople and the garrison soldiers had 
no scruples about pledging allegiance to 
the rebel leader. Vassilissa Egorovna was 
slain when she cried out against her 
husband's murderer. 

When Pougatcheff and his followers 
xode off to inspect the fortress, Peter be 
gan his search for Maria. To his great 
relief, he found that she had been hidden 
by the wife of die village priest, and 



that Shvabrin, who knew her where 
abouts, had not revealed her identity. 
From Savelitch he learned that the serv 
ant had recognized Pougatcheff as the 
man to whom he had given his hare- 
skin coat months before. Later the rebel 
leader sent for Peter and acknowledged 
his identity. 

The rebel tried to persuade Peter to 
join the Cossacks, but respected his wish 
to rejoin his own forces at Orenburg. 
The next day Peter and his servant were 
given safe conduct, and Pougatcheff gave 
Peter a horse and a sheepskin coat for 
the journey. 

Several days later the Cossacks at 
tacked Orenburg. During a sally against 
them Peter received a disturbing mes 
sage from one of the Bailogorsk Cos 
sacks; Shvabrin was forcing Maria to 
marry him. Peter went at once to the 
general and tried to persuade him to 
raise the siege and go to the rescue of 
the village. When the general refused, 
Peter and Savelitch started out once 
more for the Bailogorsk fortress. Inter 
cepted and taken before Pougatcheff, 
Peter persuaded the rebel to give Maria 
safe conduct to Orenburg, 

On the way they met a detachment of 
soldiers led by Captain Zourin, who per 
suaded Peter to send Maria, under Save- 
litch's protection to his family, while he 
himself remained with the troops in 
Orenburg, 

The siege of Orenburg was finally 
lifted, and the army began its task of 
tracking down rebel units. Some months 
later Peter found himself near his own 
village and set off alone to visit his 
parents' estate. Reaching his home, he 
found the serfs in rebellion and his fam 
ily and Maria captives. That day Shva 
brin swooped down upon them with his 
troops, He was about to have them al! 
hanged, except Maria, when they were 
rescued by Zourin's men. The renegade 
was shot during the encounter and taker 
prisoner. 

Peter's parents had changed their at 
titude toward the captain's daughter, and 



115 



Peter was able to rejoin Captain Zourin 
with the expectation that he and Maria 
would be wed in a month. Then an 
order came for his arrest. He was ac 
cused of having been in the pay of 
Pougatchefl:, of spying for the rebel, and 
of having taken presents from him. The 
author of the accusations was the cap 
tive, Shvabrin, Though Peter could easily 
have cleared himself by sxmimoning 
Maria as a witness, he decided not to 
drag her into the mutter, He was sen 
tenced to spend the rest of his life in 
exile in Siberia. 



Maria, however, was not one to let 
matters stand at that. Leaving Peter's 
parents, she traveled to St. Petersburg 
and went to Tsarskoe Selo, where the 
court was. Walking in the garden there 
one day, she met a woman who de 
clared that she went to court on occa 
sion and would be pleased to present 
her petition to the empress. Maria was 
summoned to the royal presence the same 
clay and discovered that it was the em 
press herseir to whom she had spoken, 
Peter received his pardon and soon after 
ward married the captain's daughter. 



CARMEN 



Type of work; Novelette 

Author: Prosper M6rim<$e (18034870) 

Type of plot: Picaresque roxmmee 

Time of plot; Early nineteenth century 

Locale: Sixain 

First pubtislietl: 1847 

Principal characters: 
DON Jos&, u soldier 
CAUMJUN, a cigarette worker 
GARCIA, Carmen's husband 
LUG AS, a toreador 

Critique; 

The importance of this short novel 
should not be underestimated. First of 
all, it is a romantic and satisfying work, 
displaying all the gifts that have earned 
Me" rime" e an honored place in world 
literature. Secondly, it was on this story 
that Bizet based his opera. Bi/,et's ver 
sion changes a few details of plot and 
characterisation, but it is safe to say that 
without the original story there would 
have been no opera. Thus we owe 
Me"rim6e a twofold debt, for a gocxl 
story and one of the world's most popular 
operas, 

The Story. 

Don Jose k was a young, handsome 
cavalryman from Navarre. The son of a 
good Basque family, he had excellent 
chances ol being quickly promoted and 
making his name as a soldier. But 
a .short time after arriving at his post 
in Seville, he happened to meet a beauti 



ful and clever young gipsy. Her name 
was Carmen. Don Jose loll in love with 
her at once, and allowed her to go free 
after she had attacked with a knife an 
other worker in a cigarette factory. 

One night she persuaded him to desert 
his post and go with her, lie was 
punished by being ordered to stand 
guard. She went to him again and urged 
him to go with her once more. When 
he refused, they argued for more than 
an hour, until l)on Jos6 was exhausted 
by his struggle between anger and love. 
After he became her lover, she caressed 
him and ridiculed him by turn. Carmen 
was independent, rebellious, and tor 
menting. The more (iekle she was, the 
more madly Don Jos<f loved her. 

One night, having agreed to a rendez 
vous with Carmen, he went to her apart 
ment. While they were together, a lieu 
tenant, who was Carmen's lover, entered. 
There was an argument and swordi 



116 



flashed. In the struggle that followed 
Don Jose" killed the lieutenant. He him 
self suffered a head wound from the of 
ficer's sword. Carmen had remained in 
the room throughout the struggle, and 
when the lieutenant fell to the floor 
she accused Don Jose of being stupid. 
Then she left him, only to return a few 
minutes later with a cloak. She told him 
to put it on and flee because he would be 
a hunted man. All of Don Jose's hopes 
for a brilliant career were shattered. His 
love had led him to murder, and he was 
doomed to live the life of an outlaw with 
a woman who was a pickpocket and a 
thief. 

Carmen had many friends and ac 
quaintances who were outlaws. Because 
Don Jose" had no choice in the matter, 
he agreed to go with her and join a 
small band of smugglers and bandits for 
whom Carmen was a spy. In the mean 
time a reward was posted for Don Jos6's 
capture. The two set out together. 
Eventually they found the smugglers. 
For a long time Don Jos6 lived with 
them, throwing himself into his new, law 
less life with such vigor and enthusiasm 
that he became known as a desperate 
and ruthless bandit. But all the time his 
life was unhappy. By nature he was 
kind and had nothing of the desperado 
in him. His wild life was not the type 
of existence he had envisioned. Further, 
he knew that Carmen was not faithful 
to him, that she had other lovers, and 
he grew silent and sullen. 

His anger and jealousy increased when 
he discovered that Garcia, the one-eyed 
leader of the gang, was Carmen's hus 
band. The band had already been re 
duced in numbers by that time. One 
day, while Carmen was absent because 
of a quarrel with Don Jos6, the latter 
killed Garcia. A fellow outlaw told Don 
fos that he had been very stupid, that 
Garcia would have given Carmen to 
him for a few dollars. When Carmen 
returned, he informed her that she was 



a widow. Also, the death of Garcia mean* 
that there were only two of the band left, 
on the eve of a dangerous raid which 
they had planned. 

Don Jos and a smuggler named Dan- 
caire organized a new band. Carmen 
continued to be useful to them. She 
went to Granada and there she met a 
toreador named Lucas. Jealous of his 
rival, Don Jose" asked her to live with 
him always, to abandon the life they 
were leading and to go off with him to 
America. Carmen refused, telling him 
that nobody had ever successfully ordered 
her to do anything, that she was a gipsy, 
and that she had read in coffee grounds 
that she and Don Jos6 would end their 
lives together. Her words half convinced 
Don Jos6 that there was no reason for 
him to worry. 

A short time later Carmen defied him 
again and went to Cordova, where Lucas 
was appearing in a bullfight. Don Jos6 
followed her, but he caught only a 
glimpse of her in the arena. Lucas 
was injured by a bull. Outside the 
arena, Don Jos6 met Carmen. Once 
more he implored her to be his forever, 
to go with him to America. She laughed 
at him and jeered at his request. 

Don Jose" went to a monk and asked 
him to say a mass for a person who was 
in danger of death. He returned to 
Carmen. When he asked her to follow 
him, she said that she would go with 
him, even to her death. She knew that 
he was about to kill her, but she was 
resigned to her fate. No longer did she 
love him, she insisted; and even if Lucas 
did not love her, she could not love Don 
Jos6 any more; their affair was ended, 
In desperate rage, Don Jos6 took out his 
knife and killed her. With the same 
knife he dug her grave and buried her in 
a grove of trees. Then he went to the 
nearest constabulary post and sur 
rendered. The monk said the mass foi 
the repose of Carmen's soul. 



117 



THE CASE OF SERGEANT GRISCHA 

Type of work: Novel 

Author. Arnold Zweig ( 1887- ) 

Type of plot; Social criticism 

Time of plot: 1917 

Locale: Russia 

First published: 1927 

Principal characters: 

GRISCHA, a Russian soldier 

BABKA, his mistress 

VON LYCHOW, a divisional general 

SCHIEFFENZAHN, an administrative general 

WINFRIED, a German lieutenant 



Critique: 

The plot of this novel, an absorbing 
account of the last months of World 
War I, appeared first as a play in 192L 
Its great and deserved popularity led 
Zweig to recast his characters in the 
larger framework of a novel. Sergeant 
Grischa, a Russian prisoner, is only a 
pawn in the struggle between the Prus 
sian caste system and middle-class op 
portunism. The reader senses at the out 
set that Grischa has little chance to es 
cape in this clash of two German philoso 
phies. 

The Story: 

In the year 1917 the Russians were 
nearly beaten, and the Germans con 
tented themselves with consolidating their 
hold on Russian territory from Riga south 
through Poland. With the end of the 
bitter fighting a comradeship grew up 
between the German soldiers and their 
Russian prisoners. Even so, Sergeant 
Grischa Iljitsch Paprotkin was deter 
mined to get away. His work was not 
hard and his cheerful strength had made 
him foreman of the labor gang and a 
general favorite with his German captors. 
But Grischa, thinking of his wife and 
son far to the east, made his plans as 
he loaded lumber into freight cars on the 
railroad siding. He made a tunnel in 
the car, a wooden tunnel about the 
size of a coffin. That night he succeeded 



in concealing himself in his hideout. Be 
fore daybreak the train pulled out. 

Grischa did not know it ? but his train 
went far to the south. After four days 
the train came to a stop. With his stolen 
pliers Grischa opened the door and 
walked cautiously away from the railroad 
tracks. Guided only by his small com 
pass, he set his path toward the east. 

The thick underbrush made traveling 
difficult. Somewhere along the route 
Grischa picked up an old umbrella. By 
binding several ribs together with a string 
and using a long thong, he had a service 
able bow. Another rib made an arrow. 
With patient waiting he could shoot 
rabbits in the snow and he seldom went 
hungry. One day he came to the blasted 
area of a battlefield, where he built a 
fire in a ruined dugout and heated snow 
water for a bath. Taking off his upper 
clothes, Grischa stretched out and began 
to wash himself. 

A curious pair, attracted by his fire, 
surprised him in his retreat. One was a 
Russian soldier, a deserter, and the other 
was Babka, a small, dirty woman whose 
gray hair justified her name, "Grand 
mother." Both were armed. After they 
became acquainted, Grischa knew he was 
in luck, for they were the leaders of a 
band of refugees camped comfortably 
nearby in a wooden house made from 
old German dugouts. 



THE CASE OF SERGEANT GRISCHA by Arnold Zweig. Translated by Eric Sutton. By permission of the 
publishers, The Viking Frew, Inc Copyright, 1928, by The Viking Press, Inc. 



118 



Grischa stayed with the refugees the 
rest of the winter. He cut wood ener 
getically and traded in the villages of 
friendly peasants. More important, he 
slept with Babka, who was young and 
vital under her misshapen clothes. Three 
years of war had turned her hair gray. 
Under the shrewd leadership of Babka 
by day, and warmed in her bed at night, 
Grischa became a man again. 

The band of refugees scattered in the 
spring. Grischa and two companions were 
the first to leave. Grischa felt reasonably 
safe. Babka had given him the identi 
fication tag of a dead Russian soldier and 
he called himself by a new name. He 
was no longer Grischa Paprotkin, an 
escaped prisoner, but Sergeant Pav- 
lovitsch Bjuscheff, a deserter from the 
Russian army who was trying to get 
back to the Russian lines. 

In Mervinsk the Germans had estab 
lished military headquarters. With little 
fighting to be done, the rivalry between 
field troops and the military police grew 
more bitter. The fighting men under 
old General von Lychow were technically 
in charge of the town, but the military 
police under General Schieffenzahn had 
been stationed in Mervinsk so long that 
Schieffenzahn had consolidated his hold 
on the whole district. Von Lychow was 
a Prussian, a stern man but just and 
human; Schieffenzahn was an upstart 
more concerned with power. 

Outside the city stood several rows of 
small wooden villas. Many of them now 
housed German officers. Grischa, gaunt 
and dirty, came upon these villas one 
day and hid in an empty one. A few 
days later alert military police discovered 
him there. 

The man called Bjuscheff was not 
really afraid at his trial. Even when they 
said he must be a spy because he had 
spent so many months behind the Ger 
man line, he was easy in his mind. They 
would merely hold him prisoner a little 
while in the town of Mervinsk. Surely 
the war would end soon. But the court 
declared that a Russian deserter who, 



according to his own story, had wandered 
about in German territory for nearly 
two years was by definition a spy. Ser 
geant Bjuscheff was condemned to die. 

Scarcely understanding what he was 
told, Grischa was led back to his cell. 
When the truth dawned on him, he 
called out so violently that an officer 
came to quiet the disturbance and to him 
Grischa told his whole story. He was 
not Bjuscheff the deserter, but Grischa 
the escaped prisoner. 

Ponsanski, a famous Jewish lawyer 
and aide to General von Lychow, ques 
tioned the prisoner. Impressed by the 
story of changed identity, but interested 
only from a legal point of view, Ponsan 
ski collected all the evidence he could 
and went to von Lychow. With the 
general's permission, two guards who 
had known Grischa in his former prison 
camp went all the way to Mervinsk and 
identified him. With legal logic Ponsan 
ski claimed that the court-martial de 
cision should be set aside. All the evi 
dence, depositions, and signatures were 
put in a neat packet and forwarded to 
Schieffenzahn with a request that the 
Komandatur indicate which military 
court now had jurisdiction over the case 
of Sergeant Grischa. 

In some way Babka learned where 
Grischa was imprisoned. Walking bare 
foot, she went to Mervinsk in the dis 
guise of a peddler woman. She was now 
carrying Grischa's child. Her plan was 
simple. She would bring berries and 
fruit to the post to sell to the Germans. 
She would get in to see Grischa. Then, 
after she had become a familiar visitor, 
she would poison the guards' schnapps. 
With the Germans dead, Grischa could 
walk out a free rnan once more. 

But Grischa would not agree to her 
plan. He knew that all his papers had 
been sent away for final judgment. Any 
way, the war would soon be over. 

When Grischa's papers went to the 
Komandatur, they came before Wilhelmi, 
his aide. Knowing the temper of Schief 
fenzahn, Wilhelmi recommended that 



119 



Gnsoha be executed When that advice 
was known in Mervinsk, von Lychow 
was indignant. A new request was for 
warded to Schieffenzahn. 

Schieffenzahn grew a little tired of the 
affair. Hearing that von Lychow was 
coining to see him, he sent a telegram 
ordering Grischa's execution within 
twenty-four hours. Von Lychow pro 
tested. Because the old Prussian had in 
fluence at court, Schieffenzahn tele 
graphed a reprieve. 

That telegram was never delivered 
in Mervinsk because of a snowstorm. 
Grischa knew at last that he would 
be shot. When Babka brought in the 



poisoned schnapps, he poured the drink 
down the drain. He was shot according 
to Schieffenzahn's orders, and he died 
like a soldier after digging his own 
grave. Babka's child and his was born 
just after his death. 

In Berlin von Lychow smarted. He 
drew up the full particulars of the case 
and presented his report to the emperor. 
The kaiser promised to demote Schief 
fenzahn, but his mind was distracted 
by a present of a jeweled casket. Be 
cause of the kaiser's joy in a new toy, 
Schieffenzahn got off with a light repri 
mand. The case of Sergeant Grischa was 
closed. 



CASS TIMBERLANE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) 

Type of plot: Social criticism 

Time of plot: 1940's 

Locale: Grand Republic, Minnesota 

First published: 1945 

Principal characters: 

CASS TrMBERLANE, a district judge 
Jnsnsrsr MARSHLAND TIMBERLANE, his wife 
BRADD CRILEY, Jinny's lover 



Critique: 

In Cass Timberlanej Sinclair Lewis 
has once again attacked his favorite 
enemy, the smugness and cruelty of 
small-town life. With his usual double- 
edged pen he has drawn portraits of the 
newly rich, who consider anyone with 
an income of less than ten thousand 
dollars to be a revolutionist; of the "good" 
families, who are but one generation 
removed from bartenders or hod car 
riers; of the virtuous gossips who attack 
the morals of the lower classes but who 
are more generous in their attitudes to 
ward the affairs of their social equals. 
The story of Cass Timberlane continues 
the examination of American manners 
and morals Lewis began in Main Street 
and Babbitt. 



The Story: 

After his divorce from his wife, 
Blanche, Judge Cass Timberlane con 
tinued to meet his old friends socially 
and to hold court in his usual honest 
and effective manner, but it was not 
until Jinny Marshland appeared in his 
court as witness in a routine case that 
Cass once more began to find his life 
interesting. Because Cass was forty-one 
and Jinny in her early twenties, he told 
himself that he was foolish to think of 
her in a romantic manner. But in spite 
of his logical reasoning, Cass thought 
more and more about Jinny; and within 
a few days of their first meeting he had 
arranged to see her again. Dignified 
Judge Cass Timberlane was falling in 
love. 



CASS TIMBERLANE by Sinclair Lcwii. By permission of the author and the publifthcrs, Raxulora Houe, Inc. 
Copyright, 194-5, by Sinclair Lewis. 



120 



He had no smooth romance. His 
friends thought him stupid to become 
involved with a young girl of the work 
ing class. It seemed strange to Cass that 
his friends would dare to criticize any 
one. For example, there was Dr. Roy 
Drover, who openly made love to any 
and every cheap girl he met without 
bothering to conceal his infidelities from 
his wife. In the same class were Boone 
and Queenie Havock, both loud, brassy 
and very vulgar; Jay Laverick, rich, lust 
ful, and a drunkard; Bradd Criley, noto 
rious for his affairs with the wives of his 
best friends. Cass Timberlane's friends 
were not the only ones opposed to the 
affair. Jinny's young radical friends 
thought Cass a stuffy conservative. The 
only two people who were sympathetic 
with Cass were Chris Grau, who also 
wanted to marry him, and Mrs. Higbee, 
his housekeeper. 

What his friends thought of Jinny did 
not matter; it was what Jinny would 
think of them that worried Cass at the 
time of their marriage. After the honey 
moon they lived in nis old family home, 
although Jinny would have preferred 
a new house in the country club section. 
They went out seldom, for they were 
happy enough to stay at home together. 
tt was the first year of the war, and 
Jinny found work to do in various civic 
activities. Cass hoped that the work 
would keep her stimulated. When he 
noticed that she was beginning to be 
bored by civic duties, he encouraged her 
to accept a part in a little theater pro 
duction. Later he was sorry that he had 
encouraged her, for the town began to 
talk about Jinny and various male mem 
bers of the cast, particularly Jay Laverick. 
When Cass spoke to her about the gossip, 
Jinny accused him of being unreasonably 
jealous and then apologized. Cass loved 
her more than ever. 

Cass sold some property at an unex 
pectedly high price and bought the new 
house in the country club district. 
While waiting for it to be finished, 
they took a trip to New York. At first 



Jinny was enchanted with the size and 
brightness of the city, but soon she was 
bored by the unfriendliness of everyone 
she met until Bradd Criley arrived in 
New York and took them under his 
wing. Then Jinny enjoyed herself. Cass 
was not so happy. 

Shortly after they returned home, they 
learned that Jinny was pregnant. But 
their happiness was marred by the knowl 
edge that Jinny had diabetes. Roy 
Drover, her doctor, assured Cass there 
was no cause for worry if Jinny followed 
her diet and got plenty of rest. Because 
Bradd Criley seemed to amuse her, Cass 
often invited him to the house. 

Jinny went through her delivery safely, 
but the baby died. For many weeks 
afterward she would see no one but Cass. 
Then she suddenly, for no apparent 
reason, wanted to have a party almost 
every night. Cass tried to be patient 
with her, for he knew that she was still 
reacting from the death of the baby and 
also that the restrictions placed on her 
by her illness were irritating. When his 
friends once again warned him about 
allowing Jinny to see so much of Bradd, 
his patience wore thin; he almost ordered 
Jinny to stop seeing Bradd, and he told 
Bradd to stay away from Jinny. Later 
Bradd apologized to Cass and the three 
were friends once more. After Bradd 
moved to New York, all tension between 
Jinny and Cass seemed to disappear for 
a time. Then Jinny grew restless again 
and began to talk of moving to a larger 
city. Although Cass prized his judgeship 
and hated to give it up, he was still 
willing to do anything for his wife. They 
took another trip to New York, where 
Cass hoped to find a partnership in an 
established law firm. They met Bradd 
during their visit. Although he trusted 
his wife, Cass was relieved when Jinny 
told him that she knew she would not 
really like living in New York and that 
she wanted to go home. They left 
hurriedly, without seeing Bradd again 
before their departure. 

On their first night at home Jinny *old 



121 



Cass that she loved Bradd, that he had 
become her lover while she was in New 
York. When Cass refused to give her 
a divorce until she had had ample time 
to consider her own wishes carefully, 
she went back to New York, to stay 
with Bradd's sister until Cass would 
free her. For Cass, the town, the house, 
his friends, and his work were now 
meaningless. He could think only of 
Jinny. Then he had a telegram trom 
her. Failing to follow her diet, she 
was desperately ill and she wanted Cass. 
He flew to New York that night. He 
found Jinny in a coma, but she awakened 



long enough to ask him to take her 
home. 

After Jinny could be moved, Cass 
took her to a seashore hotel and then 
home. He had forgiven her completely, 
but he warned her that she would have 
to work hard to win back their friends. 
They still had to make their own private 
adjustment. It was not until Bradd 
returned to Grand Republic that Jinny 
was able to see him as the charming 
philanderer that he really was. That 
night she went to Cass' room. He re 
ceived her as if she had never been 
away. 



THE CASTLE 



Type of work: Novel 

Author: Franz Kafka (1883-1924) 

Type of ylot: Philosophical and religious allegory 

Time of 'plot: Any time 

Locale: Indefinite 

First published: 1926 

Princi'pal characters: 
K., a seeker 
FRIEDA, a barmaid 
BARNABAS, a young man 
OLGA, and 
AMALIA, his sisters 
ARTHUK, and 
JEBEMIAH, K.'s assistants 



This unfinished novel has been called 
a modern Pilgrims Progress. K. tries to 
find the grace of God so that he can 
fulfill his life, but his path is beset with 
the confusion of the modern world. K.'s 
straightforward attack on the confusion 
that surrounds the castle and his unre 
lenting desire to solve his problems are 
finally rewarded, but only at the time 
of his death. The unique thing about 
Kafka's allegory is the humor which 
runs through it. The story itself is 
emotionally and intellectually appealing. 

The Story: 

It was late in the evening when K. 
arrived in the town which lay before 



the castle of Count West-west. After 
his long walk through deep snow K. 
wanted to do nothing so much as go to 
sleep. He went to an inn and fell asleep 
by the fire, only to be awakened by a 
man wanting to sec his permit to stay in 
the town. K. explained that he had just 
arrived and that lie had come at the 
count's request to be the new land sur 
veyor. A telephone call to the castle 
established the fact that a land surveyor 
was expected. K. was allowed to rest in 
peace. 

The next morning, although his as 
sistants had not yet arrived, K. decided 
to go to the castle to report for duty. 
He set off through the snowy streets 



THE CASTLE by Franz Kafka. Translated by Edwin and Willa Muir. By permiftsion of the publishers, Alfred 
A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright, 1930, by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 



122 



towards the castle, which as he walked 
seemed farther and farther away. After 
a while he became tired, and he stopped 
in a house for refreshment and directions. 
As he left the house he saw two men 
coming from the castle. He tried to 
speak to them, but they refused to stop. 
As evening came on K. got a ride back 
to the inn in a sledge. 

At the inn he met the two men he had 
seen coming from the castle. They 
introduced themselves as Arthur and 
Jeremiah, and said that they were his 
old assistants. They were not, but K. 
accepted them, because he knew that 
they had come from the castle, and 
therefore must have been sent to help 
him. Because he could not tell the 
two men apart, so alike were they, he 
called them both Arthur. He ordered 
them to have a sledge to take him to the 
castle in the morning. When they re 
fused, K. telephoned the castle. A voice 
told him that he could never come to 
the castle. Shortly afterward a messenger 
named Barnabas arrived with a letter 
from Klamm, a chief at the castle. K. 
was ordered to report to the superin 
tendent of the town. 

K. arranged for a room in the inn. He 
asked Barnabas to let him go for a walk 
with him. Barnabas, a kind young man, 
agreed. He took K. to his home to meet 
his two sisters, Olga and Amalia, and his 
sickly old mother and father. But K. 
was ill at ease; it was Barnabas, not he, 
who had come home. When Olga left 
to get some beer from a nearby inn, K. 
went with her. At the inn it was made 
clear that he would be welcome only in 
the bar. The other rooms were reserved 
for the gentlemen from the castle. 

In the bar K. quickly made friends 
with the barmaid, Frieda, who seemed 
to wish to save him from Olga and her 
family. She hid K. underneath the 
counter. K. did not understand what 
was happening. He learned that Frieda 
had been Klamm's mistress. 

Frieda was determined to stay with 
K. from then on, if K. were willing. K. 



thought he might as well marry her. 
Determined to get through to the castle, 
he thought his chances would improve 
if he married a girl who had been a 
chief's mistress. Arthur and Jeremiah 
came into the room and watched them. 
K. sent the men away, Frieda decided 
to go to the inn where K. was staying. 

K. went to call on the village superin 
tendent, whom he found sick in bed 
with gout. From him K. learned that a 
land surveyor had been needed several 
years before, but that nobody knew why 
K. had now come to fill the unnecessary 
post. When K. showed him Klamm's 
letter, the superintendent said that it 
was of no importance. The superin 
tendent convinced him that his arrival 
in the town was a result of confusion. 
K. decided to remain and find work so 
that he could become an accepted citizen 
of the town. 

By the time K. returned to the inn 
Frieda had made his room comfortable. 
The schoolmaster came to offer K. the job 
of janitor at the school, At Frieda's in 
sistence, K. accepted. That night K., 
Frieda, and the two assistants went to the 
school to live. The next morning the as 
sistants tricked K. into so many argu 
ments with the teachers that K. dismissed 
both of them. After he had done his 
day's work, he slipped away from Frieda 
and went to Barnabas' house, to see if he 
had received a message from the castle. 

Barnabas was not at home. Olga ex 
plained that her family was an outcast 
group because of Amalia's refusal to be 
come the mistress of one of the gende- 
men of the castle. He had written her 
a very crude and obscene letter, which 
Amalia tore up. Afterward the whole 
town had turned against them. K. was 
so interested in this story that he did 
not realize how late he had. stayed. When 
he finally got ready to go, he saw that 
Jeremiah was outside spying on him. 

K, slipped out the back way, but came 
back down the street and asked Jeremiah 
why he was there. The man sullenly 
answered that Frieda had sent him. She 



123 



bad gone back to her old job at the 
tavern and never wanted to see K. again. 
Barnabas came up with the news that 
one of the most important men from the 
castle was waiting at the tavern to see K. 
At the tavern he learned that the 
gentleman had gone to sleep. As he 
stood in the hall, he saw Frieda going 
down another corridor. He ran after 
her to explain why he had stayed away 
so long with Olga, and he asked her to 
come back to him. Just as she seemed 
to relent, Jeremiah came from one of 



the rooms and persuaded Frieda to go 
with him. Frieda left K, forever. 

(At this point the novel in its 
published form ends, and for the rest of 
the story we have only the few state 
ments made by Kafka to his friends in 
conversation. K. was to continue his 
fight to live and work in die town and 
eventually to reach the castle. On his 
deathbed he was to receive a call from 
the castle, a message granting him the 
right to live in the town in peace.) 



THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Horace Walpole (1717-1797) 

Type of 'plot: Gothic romance 

Time of plot: Twelfth century 

Locale: Italy 

First published: 1764 

Principal characters: 

MANFRED, Prince of Otranto 

MATILDA, Manfred's daughter 

CONRAD, Manfred's son 

ISABELLA, Conrad's fiancee 

FATHER JEBOME, a priest 

THEODORE, a young peasant, true heir to Otranto 

Critique: 

This book is one of the earliest and 
most famous of the Gothic novels, a lit 
erary type characterized by supernatural 
occurrences and a mysterious or sinister 
atmosphere. These supernatural occur 
rences do not excite much horror and 
dread in the modern reader, for they are 
patently tricks of the author to create 
interest. The Castle of Otranto is of par 
ticular interest to the student of litera 
ture for its technique and style. 



The Story: 

Manfred, the prince of Otranto, 
planned to marry his fifteen-year-old 
son, Conrad, to Isabella, daughter of the 
Marquis of Vicenza. But on the day of 
the wedding a strange thing happened. 
A servant ran into the hall and informed 
die assembled company that a huge hel 
met had appeared mysteriously in the 
courtyard of the castle. 



When Count Manfred and his guests 
rushed into the courtyard, they found 
Conrad crushed to death beneath a gi 
gantic helmet adorned with waving black 
plumes, Theodore, a young peasant, 
declared the helmet was like that on a 
statue of Prince Alfonso the Good which 
stood in the chapel. Another spectator 
shouted that the helmet was missing from 
the statue. Prince Manfred imprisoned 
the young peasant as a magician and 
charged him with the murder of the heir 
to Otranto. 

That evening Manfred sent for Isa 
bella, tie informed her that he intended 
to divorce his wife so that he himself 
might marry Isabella and have another 
male heir. Frightened, Isabella ran away 
and lost herself in the passages beneath 
the castle. Hi ere she encountered Theo 
dore, who helped her to escape through 
an underground passage into a nearby 



124 



church. Manfred, seaching for the girl, 
accused the young man of aiding her. As 
he was threatening Theodore, servants 
rushed up to tell the prince of a giant 
sleeping in the great hall of the castle. 
When Manfred returned to the hall, the 
giant had disappeared. 

The following morning Father Jerome 
came to inform Manfred and his wife 
that Isabella had taken sanctuary at the 
altar of his church. Sending his wife 
away, Manfred called upon the priest to 
aid him in divorcing his wife and marry 
ing Isabella. Father Jerome refused, 
warning Manfred that heaven would 
have revenge on him for harboring such 
thoughts. The priest unthinkingly sug 
gested Isabella might be in love with the 
handsome young peasant who had aided 
in her escape. 

Manfred, enraged at the possibility, 
confronted Theodore. Although the 
young man did not deny having aided 
the princess, he claimed never to have 
seen her before. The frustrated Manfred 
ordered him to the courtyard to be exe 
cuted, and Father Jerome was called to 
give absolution to the condemned man. 
But when the collar of the lad was loos 
ened, the priest discovered a birthmark 
which proved the young peasant was 
Father Jerome's son, born before the 
priest had entered the Church. Manfred 
offered to stay the execution if the priest 
would deliver Isabella to him. At that 
moment a trumpet sounded at the gates 
of the castle. 

The trumpet signaled the arrival of 
a herald from the Knight of the Gigantic 
Sabre, champion of Isabella's father, the 
rightful heir to Otranto. Greeting Man 
fred as a usurper, the herald demanded 
the immediate release of Isabella and 
the abdication of Manfred, or else the 
satisfaction of mortal combat. Manfred 
invited the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre 
to the castle, hoping through him to get 
permission to marry Isabella and keep 
the throne. The knight entered the castle 
with five hundred men at arms and a hun 
dred more carrying one gigantic sword. 



After a feast, during which the strange 
knight kept silence and raised his visor 
only to pass food into his mouth, Manfred 
broached the question of marrying Isa 
bella, telling the knight he wished to 
marry again to insure himself an heir. 
Before he had finished, Father Jerome 
arrived with the news of Isabella's disap 
pearance from the church. After every 
one had gone to find Isabella, Matilda 
assisted Theodore to escape from the 
castle. 

In the forest Theodore met Isabella 
and promised to protect her. Shortly 
thereafter they met the Knight of the 
Gigantic Sabre. Fearing the knight meant 
harm to Isabella, the young man over 
came him in combat. Thinking himself 
about to die, the knight revealed to Isa 
bella that he was her father in disguise. 

They all returned to the castle. There 
Isabella's father confided to her that he 
had discovered the gigantic sword in the 
Holy Land. It was a miraculous weapon, 
for on the blade it was written that only 
the blood of Manfred could atone for the 
wrongs committed on the family of the 
true ruler of Otranto. Manfred returned 
to the castle, where he found Theodore 
dressed in armor. It seemed to Manfred 
that the young man resembled the prince 
whose throne Manfred had usurped. 

Manfred still hoped to wed Isabella, 
and he craftily won her father's consent 
by betrothing that nobleman to Matilda. 
At that point a nearby statue dripped 
blood from its nose, an omen that dis 
aster would follow those proposed mar 
riages. 

Manfred saw only two courses open to 
him. One was to surrender all claims 
to Otranto; the other was to go ahead 
with his plan to marry Isabella. In either 
case it appeared that fate was against his 
success. Nor did a second appearance 
of the giant in the castle ease the anxiety 
he felt. When news of the giant came 
to Isabella's father, he decided not to 
court disaster for himself by marrying 
Matilda or by permitting Manfred te 
marry his daughter. His resolution was 



125 



increased when a skeleton in the rags of 
a hermit called upon him to renounce 
Matilda. 

Hours later Manfred was told that 
Theodore was in the chapel with a 
woman. Jealous, he went to the chapel 
and stabhed the woman, who was his own 
daughter Matilda. Over the body of 
Matilda, Theodore announced that he 
was the true ruler of Otranto. Suddenly 
there appeared the giant form of the 
dead Prince Alfonso, who proclaimed 



Theodore to be the true heir. Then he 
ascended to heaven where he was re 
ceived by St. Nicholas. 

The truth was now made known. 
Theodore was the son of Father Jerome, 
then prince of Falconara, and Alfonso's 
daughter. Manfred confessed his usurpa 
tion and he and his wife entered neigh 
boring convents. Theodore married Isa 
bella and ruled as die new prince of 
Otranto. 



CASTLE RACKRENT 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849) 

Type of plot: Social criticism 

Time of plot: Eighteenth century 

Locale: Ireland 

first published: 1800 

Principal characters: 

HONEST THAJDY QUIRK, die narrator 

SIR KIT RACKRENT, owner of Castle Rackrent 

SIR CONDY RACKRENT, Sir Kit's heir 

ISABELLA, Condy's wife 

JUDY McQuiRK, Thady's niece 

JASON, Thady 's son 

Critique: 

Partly imaginative and partly critical, 
the story of Castle Rackrent is related 
with all the native candor of an Irish 
family servant, Thady Quirk. The story 
is bare of any stylistic embellishments 
and comes out as a straightforward nar 
rative of events, colored only by the au 
thentic Irish wit and language of the 
narrator. A footnoted copy would enable 
a modern reader to enjoy some of the 
hidden references in Thady's language. 



The Story: 

After the death of his fine and gener 
ous master, Sir Patrick O'Shaughlin, 
Honest Thady Quirk found himself 
working at Castle Rackrent for the heir, 
Sir Murtagh, a penny-pinching owner 
with a vicious temper. Lady Murtagh, 
too, was more interested in money than 
in the happiness of her tenants, and after 
Sir Murtagh died in a fit of temper she 
stripped Castle Rackrent of its treasures 



and went to live in London. The estate 
passed to her husband's younger brother, 
Sir Kit Rackrent, a wild, carefree man. 
Finding the estate in debt and heavily 
mortgaged, Sir Kit went to England to 
marry a rich wife who would repair the 
estate and bring a dowry for his support, 
At last he came back with the wealthy 
wife, a Jewess he had married while 
staying in Bath. To Honest Thady it 
was soon apparent that there was no love 
between the honeymooncrs. One .serious 
difficulty arose over the presence of pig 
meat on the dinner table, Lady Kit 
had insisted that no such meat be served, 
but Sir Kit defied her orders. When the 
meat appeared on the table, Lady Kit 
retired to her room and her husband 
locked her in. She remained a prisoner 
for seven years. When she became very 
ill and seemed to be dying, Sir Kit tried 
to influence her to leave her jewels to 
him, but she refused. It was assumed she 



126 



would die shortly, and all eligible ladies 
in the neighborhood were endeavoring 
to become the next wife of Kit Rackrent. 
3o much controversy arose over his pos 
sible choice that Sir Kit was finally chal 
lenged and killed in a duel. Miraculously 
recovering from her illness Lady Kit went 
to London. The next heir was Sir Condy 
Rackrent, a distant cousin of Sir Kit. 

Sir Condy Rackrent was a spendthrift, 
but a good-natured master. Although 
the estate was more deeply in debt than 
ever, the new master made no attempt to 
relieve the impoverished condition of his 
holdings. On the neighboring estate lived 
a family with whom Sir Condy soon 
began a steadfast friendship. The young 
est daughter, Isabella, took a fancy to 
Sir Condy, but her father would not 
hear of a match between his family and 
the owner of Castle Rackrent. Sir Condy 
really loved Judy, the grandniece of 
Honest Thady. One day in Thady's 
presence Sir Condy tossed a coin to de 
termine which girl he would marry. Judy 
lost, and in a short while Sir Condy 
eloped with Isabella. 

It had been expected that Isabella 
could bring some money to the estate, 
but when she married Sir Condy she was 
disinherited by her father. While the 
newlyweds lived in careless luxury, the 
house and grounds fell into neglect, and 
the servants and the tenants wrung their 
hands in distress. At last Sir Condy, 
learning of a vacancy in the coming elec 
tions, decided to stand for Parliament. 
He won the election, but too late to 
save himself from his creditors. 

Honest Thady's son, Jason, a legal 
administrator, helped a neighbor to buy 
up all of Sir Condy's debts. With so 
much power in his hands Jason even 
scorned his own father. When Lady 
Condy learned that her husband's debtors 
were closing in on him, she complied 
with the demands of her family and re 
turned to her father's house. True to his 
good-natured generosity, Sir Condy wrote 



a will for his wife in which he willed 
her his land and five hundred pounds 
a year after his death. When Jason de 
manded payment for the Rackrent debts, 
Sir Condy said he had no way of pay 
ing, explaining that he had given an 
income of five hundred a year to Lady 
Condy, Jason insisted Sir Condy sell 
Castle Rackrent and all the estates to 
satisfy his creditors. With no other re 
course, Sir Condy agreed. The five 
hundred a year was still guaranteed for 
Isabella. Thady was grief-stricken that 
his son had maneuvered this piece of 
villainy against Sir Condy. Jason now 
would have nothing to do with Honest 
Thady. 

On her way back to her father's house, 
Lady Condy s carriage was upset and 
she was nearly killed. Assuming she 
would surely die, Jason hurried to Sir 
Condy with a proposal that Sir Condy 
sell him Lady Condy's yearly income. 
Sir Condy, needing the cash, complied 
with Jason's proposal. 

Judy McQuirk had been married and 
her husband had died. She paid a call 
on Sir Condy, who was staying at Thady's 
lodge. The old servant felt certain that 
now Judy would become Lady Rackrent, 
but Judy told her uncle that there was 
no point to being a lady without a castle 
to accompany the title. She hinted she 
might do better to marry Jason, who at 
least held the lands. Thady tried to 
dissuade her from such a thought, but 
Judy was bent on fortune hunting. 

Sir Condy had been indulging in such 
excesses of food and drink that he suf 
fered from gout. One night at a drinking 
party he drank a large draught too quickly 
and died a few days later. After Sit 
Condy's death Jason and Lady Condy, 
who had now recovered, went to court 
over the title of the estate. Some said 
Jason would get the land and others said 
Lady Condy would win, Thady could 
only guess how the suit would come out. 



127 



CASUALS OF THE 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: William McFee (1881- ) 

Type of plot: Domestic realism 

Time of plot: Early twentieth century 

Locale: England 

First published: 1916 

Principal characters: 

BERT GOODERICH, a machinist 
MARY, his wife 
YOUNG BERT, his son 
HANNIBAL, another son 
MINNIE, Mary's daughter 
BRISCOE, a ship's captain 
NELLTE, Hannibal's wife 

Critique: 

Casuals of the Sea is a family study, 
the story of daree children who did what 
they wanted to do. William McFee is 
especially well qualified to write of the 
the sea, and those portions of die novel 
which take place aboard the Caryatid 
are particularly vivid. 



Minnie was difficult. She was thin 
and reserved, and her mother, feeling 
powerless to mold her, finally let her go 
her own way. Minnie became engaged 
to a coal clerk, but broke the engage 
ment publicly when her fianc asked her 
if she smoked. 

Minnie worked at a shop where she 
retouched photographs. C)ne day an 
American firm took over the place and 
introduced machines. Let out tor a time, 
she refused to go back on the usual 
terms. Mary begged her to take back the 
coal clerk, but Minnie was adamant. 

Next to the Gooderich family lived an 
American woman, Mrs. Gaynor, and her 
small son Hiram. Mrs. Gaynor wrote 
an odd letter of reference for Minnie 
which stated that the girl was proud* 
stubborn, and conceited. She sent the 
girl with the letter to Mrs. Wilfley, who 
was having a party when Minnie arrived 
at the door. Despite her assurance, the 
girl was afraid to go in, but middle-aged 
Anthony Gilfillan helped her to overcome 
her shyness. Minnie attended the party, 
listened to Spanish music, and ate cucum 
ber sandwiches. She kept close to An 
thony. 

After the company had left, Mrs. 
Wilfley engaged Minnie as her secretary. 
When Bert Gooderich fell off a bridge 
one night and was drowned, Mrs. Wil- 

CASUALS OF THE SEA by William McFee. By permisaion of the author and the publisher*, Random Howie, 
lac. 



The Story: 

Mary fell in love with the baker's 
boy. When he deserted her, she went 
home, with country-bred fortitude, to 
bear her child. After Minnie was born, 
Mary received a proposal from Bert 
Gooderich, a stolid machinist. Bert of 
fered nothing in the way of romance, 
but Mary accepted him thankfully. They 
settled in suburban London. In time 
Bert Junior was born, and later Han 
nibal, 

Young Bert early showed a talent for 
fighting. He was big and strong and 
led the graders against the boarder pupils 
and the parochial boys. Noting his care 
fully-planned skirmishes, the school in 
spector, an old army man, resolved to 
keep the boy in mind. His resolution 
was strengthened when Bert blurted out 
in school that he hoped to be a soldier. 
A few years later the inspector en 
couraged die boy to enlist. But young 
Bert's career in the army was short. He 
was killed at Pretoria. 



128 



fley promptly arranged a benefit for the 
family, a musicale which grossed seventy- 
four pounds. Mrs. Wilfley's fee was 
sixty-seven pounds; the bereaved family 
got seven. Minnie was bitter on the sub 
ject. 

One day Anthony Gilfillan sent a tele 
gram to Minnie and asked her to meet 
him at his office. He offered her a way 
to escape from the life she hated. They 
went away to the continent. 

Five years later Minnie, now known 
as Mabel, was staying in a little hotel 
in Rouen. The mistress of Captain Bris 
coe, she was respected and even envied 
by the world of occasional light ladies 
in Rouen. But Minnie was apprehensive; 
the ship captain had been gone three 
weeks, and he had promised to be back 
in one. When Captain Briscoe finally 
did return, he came only to say goodbye, 
explaining that he no longer dared to 
keep her because his first mate was from 
his home town. They parted without a 
scene. Minnie went into dressmaking 
in London. Soon, however, her smitten 
captain sought her out and offered to 
marry her. A little amused at the idea, 
she consented. 

Hannibal had grown into a big lout 
of eighteen, troublesome to his mother, 
who often had to get him out of foolish 
scrapes. He had lost his factory job. One 
day Mrs. Gaynor and Hiram came to 
call, Hiram in his merchant marine uni 
form. Hannibal, inarticulate and bun 
gling, was attracted by the idea of going 
to sea and even went so far as to visit 
Hiram's ship. Later he heard that the 
S. S. Caryatid needed a mess boy, and 
so he signed on. 

On shore, meanwhile, Minnie had 
asked her mother to come and live with 
her during Captain Briscoe's long ab 
sences. Satisfied with this arrangement, 
Briscoe joined his ship at Swansea, the 
S. S. Caryatid. 

In port Hannibal was spreading his 
wings. Quite by chance he met Nellie, 
a plump, merry girl who had come to 
town to work for her uncle, a tavern 



keeper. Never understanding quite 
it happened, Hannibal became an en 
gaged man before his ship sailed. He 
adapted himself easily to life at sea. In 
time he grew tired of his job in the mess 
room, and at Panama he became a trim 
mer. Wheeling coal was hard work, but 
after a while Hannibal felt proud of his 
physical prowess. 

In Japan he met Hiram, and they went 
ashore together. Soon after the ship 
pulled out on the long trip home, Han 
nibal was stricken with fever. 

Captain Briscoe wanted to look after 
his young brother-in-law but he had 
other matters to worry him. He had 
picked up an English paper in port and 
had learned that Minnie was in jail, 
arrested for taking part in a suffragette 
demonstration. To add to his confusion, 
Minnie's letters were short and disap 
pointing. Then near the Dutch East 
Indies the ship piled up on a coral reef 
and was refloated only after long delay. 
The ship barely reached England in time 
for Christmas. 

Captain Briscoe met Hannibal on the 
dock and persuaded him to go to the 
hotel where Minnie was waiting. Re 
luctant to go because of Nellie, Hannibal 
found both his mother and Minnie at the 
hotel. During her husband's absence 
Minnie had earned fat fees by writing 
advertisements for a cough syrup. She 
and her mother urged Hannibal to stay 
with them, but he refused. 

At Swansea he learned that Nellie, 
now the licensee of the tavern, still 
wished to marry him. So Hannibal 
settled down in the pub, secure and 
well-loved by a capable wife. 

His cough kept bothering him. Finally,, 
after trying a patent cough syrup to no 
avail, Nellie called the doctor. Hannibal 
had lobar pneumonia. The coal dust had 
settled in his lungs and the cough syrup, 
which Nellie had bought after seeing 
an ad written by Minnie, had neark 
killed him. Hannibal rallied a little 
but he died within a few days. Deatfe 
seemed as casual as life had always been 



129 



CAWDOR 

Type of work: Poem 

Author: Robinson Jeffers (1887- ) 

Type of ylot: Psychological realism 

Time of plot: 1900 

Locale: Carmel Coast Range, California 

First published: 1928 

Principal characters: 

CAWDOR, a farmer 

HOOD CAWDOR, his son 

GEORGE CAWDOR, another son 

MICHAL CAWDOR, a daughter 

MARTIAL, a neighbor 

FERA, Martial's daughter 

CONCHA ROSAS, Cawdor's Indian servant 

Critique: 

The tragedy of Cawdor is that all the 
characters lived inwardly for themselves, 
not outwardly or creatively. Out of this 
picture of violence and self-inflicted suf 
fering, Jeffers shows us Cawdor arriving 
at a greater understanding of the mystery 
of life and death. Man must look to him 
self for the strength to exist and for 
forbearance until death brings release. 
This poem is in keeping with the violent 
writing of its author, a further demon 
stration of his pessimistic philosophy of 
life. 



The, Story: 

In 1899 a terrible fire devastated 
many of the farms along the Carmel 
coast, but Cawdor's farm was untouched. 
Early one morning he saw two figures 
approaching his house, a young girl 
leading a blind old man. They were the 
Martials, who held the land bordering 
his, and with whom Cawdor had an 
old feud. Martial had been blinded by 
the fire, his farm destroyed. His daugh 
ter Fera had only Cawdor to turn to for 
relief. 

Cawdor took them in and sent his 
servant, Concha Rosas, to live in a hut. 
When the old man was well enough to 
walk around, Cawdor spoke of sending 
the two away unless Fera would marry 
him. She agreed. 



Hood Cawdor had left home after a 
fight with his father. On the night of 
the wedding he dreamed that the old 
man had died, and he decided to return 
to the farm to see if all were well. When 
he reached a hill overlooking the farm, 
he camped and lit a fire. His sister 
Michal saw him and went to tell him 
of their father's marriage. Cawdor re 
ceived his son in a friendly manner. For 
a wedding present, Hood gave Fera a 
lion skin. 

Fera found in Hood the same quality 
of hardness which had drawn her at first 
to Cawdor. She openly confessed to 
Hood that although she had loved his 
father when she married him, she no 
longer cared for him. She was jealous, 
too, of Concha Rosas, who had been 
Cawdor's mistress before he married Fera, 
and whom he again seemed to prefer 
to his wife. Disturbed by Fera's advances, 
Hood resolved to leave. But after a 
prowling lion killed one of the farm dogs, 
he decided to stay until he had killed 
the animal. A terrible storm arose which 
prevented his hunting for several days. 

Fera's father was dying. On the pre 
text that Martial wished to talk to I lood, 
Fera called him into the sick room. 
Openly, before her unconscious father, 
she confessed her passion. That night 
Fera asked Concha to watch with her 



CAWDOR by Robinson Jeffers. By permission of the author and the publishers, Random Houac, Inc. Copy 
right, 1928, by Robinson Jeffers. 



130 



by the old man's bedside. Toward morn 
ing Martial died. 

But instead of summoning her hus 
band, Fera went to Hood's room, where 
Cawdor found them. Fera tried to lull 
his suspicions by declaring that she had 
tried to awaken him but could not, and 
so she had gone to rouse Hood. 

The next morning the men dug a 
grave for the old man. Fera who had 
been watching them, called Hood into 
the wood to help her pick laurels for 
the grave. Again she begged for his love. 
Suddenly he drew his knife and stabbed 
himself deep in the thigh. Once more 
he had been able to resist her. The 
funeral service for her father was short 
but painful. Afterward Fera found her 
way home alone. 

Desperate now, she covered herself 
with the lion skin Hood had given her 
and hid in the bushes. Hood shot at 
her, his bullet entering her shoulder. 
He carried Fera to her room, where 
Cawdor attempted to set the bones which 
had been fractured. Fera begged him to 
stop torturing her. Then, as if it were 
wrenched out of her because of the pain, 
she said that Hood had seduced her by 
force. Her lie was a last resort to prevent 
Hood's leaving. But Hood had already 
left the farm and was camped once 
more on the top of the hill. There the 
infuriated father found him. In the fight 
that followed Hood was pushed off the 
cliff, his body falling upon the rocks be 
low. Cawdor met Michal on his way 
down the cliff and told her that Hood 
had fled. Meanwhile Fera sent Concha 
from the room to get some water. Quickly 
she unfastened the strap around her arm, 
and slung it over the head of the bed 
and around her own neck. When Concha 



returned, Fera was almost dead. Fo* 
many days she lay in bed, slowly recover 
ing. Neither George nor Michal would 
visit her. They hated her for what they 
knew must have been false charges 
against Hood. 

Cawdor was haunted by his secret 
sin. Fera tried to destroy him with her 
own death wish. She told him the truth 
about Hood; how, rather than betray his 
father, he had stabbed himself with his 
knife. Cawdor's grief was uncontrollable. 
When Fera taunted him, demanding that 
he kill her, his fingers fastened around 
her throat. But when she began to 
struggle, he released her and ran into 
Hood's old room. There he thought he 
saw Hood lying on the bed, and for a 
moment he imagined all that had passed 
had been a dream. 

He was aroused when Fera came to 
tell him that every one knew he had 
killed Hood, that soon the authorities 
were bound to hear of his crime. Again 
she urged him to seek the peace that 
death would bring. They were walking 
near her father's grave, with George and 
Michal nearby. Cawdor suddenly de 
clared to them that their suspicions were 
correct, that he had killed Hood, and 
that they were to send for the authorities. 
Then he reached down and picked up a 
flint. Without warning, he thrust it into 
his eyes. Then, patiently, he asked them 
to lead him back to the house, to wail 
for whatever fate his deed would merit 
Fera followed him weeping. Once again 
she felt that she had failed. She had 
tried to get Cawdor to kill her and then 
himself; instead, he had shown the 
courage to face his crime and pay for it as 
humanity saw fit. 



THE CENCI 



Type of work: Dramatic poem 

Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) 

Type of plot: Romantic tragedy 

Time of plot: 1599 

Locale: Rome and the Apennines 

First published: 1819 



131 



Principal characters: 

COXINT CENCI, a Roman nobleman 

BEATRICE, his daughter 

BERNARJX), his son 

GIACOMO, his son 

LUCRJETIA, his wife and stepmother to his children 

COUNT ORSINO, a priest once loved hy Beatrice 

OLIMPIO and MARZIO, assassins of Cenci 

SAVEIXA, a papal legate who discovers the murder of Cenci 



Critique: 

This play, in spite of eloquent and 
moving passages, has not been successful 
on the stage. It is at best a play for 
reading, as the author's purpose was to 
present dramatically the events of a typi 
cal late Renaissance tragedy, 

The Story: 

Count Cenci was a cruel and brutal 
man whose greatest delight was to make 
people suffer. He had sent two of his 
sons to Salamanca in hopes that they 
would starve. His daughter, Beatrice, 
had been in love with Count Orsino, who 
had entered the priesthood. She was 
wretched because she did not know 
where to turn for solace. Her father was 
worse than cruel to her and her lover 
had become a priest. Orsino promised to 
present to the Pope a petition in which 
Beatrice begged relief from the constant 
punishment she and the rest of her fam 
ily were suffering from her father. Bea 
trice told Orsino of a banquet her father 
was giving that night in celebration of 
some news from Salamanca and said 
that she would give him the petition at 
that time. When she left him, Orsino 
contemplated his own problem and re 
solved not to show the Pope her petition, 
lest she be married by the Pope's order 
and Orsino be left without a chance of 
winning her outside wedlock. He resolved 
also not to ask for special permission to 
marry lest he lose his own large income 
from the Church. 

At the banquet that night, Cenci an 
nounced the purpose of his celebration; 
his two sons had been killed by accident 
in Salamanca. Since they had been given 
to disobedience and rebellion, Cenci felt 



that this punishment was well deserved, 
At first the guests could not believe their 
ears, Beatrice boldly begged that the 
guests protect her, her stepmother, and 
her remaining two brothers from further 
cruelties at the hands of her father. 
Cenci, telling them she was insane, asked 
the guests to leave. Then he turned on 
his daughter, threatened her with a new 
cruelty, and ordered her and his wife 
to accompany him to his castle in the 
Apennines on the following Monday, 

At the Cenci palace, Beatrice dis 
closed to her stepmother that Cenci had 
committed a crime against her which she 
dared not name. Orsino came to the 
women and proposed a plan for the as 
sassination of Cenci. At the bridge on 
the way to the Apennines he would sta 
tion two desperate killers who would be 
glad to murder Cenci. As the women left 
the apartment, Giacomo entered to an 
nounce that he had lent his father his 
wife's dowry and had never been able 
to recover it. In fact, Cenci had accused 
him of spending the money in a riotous 
night, and had suggested to Giacomo's 
wife that her husband was a secret wast 
rel. Orsino assured Giacomo that the 
money would never be restored and ex 
plained to him that the murder o Cenci 
had been planned. 

Later Orsino came to report to Gia 
como that his father bad escaped from 
the plot and was safe within his castle in 
the Apennines. Giacomo now resolved 
to kill his father by his own hand, but 
Orsino, restraining him, said that he 
knew two men whom Cenci had 
wronged and who would be willing to 
rid the earth of their persecutor. At the 



132 



Apennine castle, Cenci raged against the 
insolence of his daughter and confessed 
to Lucretia that he had tried to corrupt 
the soul of Beatrice, While he was sleep 
ing, the two murderers, Olimpio and 
Marzio, appeared. Lucretia said she had 
put a sleeping potion in Cenci's drink 
so that he would be sure to sleep soundly. 
But the two men were hesitant. Olimpio 
reported that he could not kill an old 
man in his sleep. Marzio thought he 
heard the ghost of his own dead father 
speaking through the lips of the sleep 
ing Cenci. Beatrice snatched a dagger 
from them and cried out that she herself 
would kill the fiend. Shamed into ac 
tion, the assassins strangled Cenci and 
threw his body over the balustrade into 
the garden. 

The Papal Legate, Savella, arrived 
with a warrant for the immediate execu 
tion of Cenci for his crimes. When 
Savella and his followers discovered that 
Cenci was already dead, they began an 
investigation. The guards seized Marzio 
on whose person they found Orsino's 



note introducing the two murderers. Lu 
cretia and Beatrice denied knowledge of 
the handwriting, but Savella arrested 
them and said that they must appear 
before the court in Rome. Giacomo, 
tricked by Orsino, fell into the hands of 
the Roman police. Orsino escaped in 
disguise. 

Conflicting testimony at the trial 
turned against the Cenci family. Bea 
trice appealed to Marzio to save the inno 
cent prisoners from death, but the assas 
sin died on the rack without changing his 
testimony. Consigned to cells to await 
the Pope's final decision, the Cenci fam 
ily lived on in misery. Beatrice tried to 
comfort her stepmother in vain. The 
Pope decreed that the prisoners must die. 
Beatrice at first was delirious with despair. 
Then the young and innocent Bernardo 
went to beg clemency from the Pope, but 
later returned filled with grief that his 
petition had been useless. When the 
guards came to take them away, Beatrice 
and her stepmother went out to their 
execution with noble resignation. 



CHARLES O'MALLEY 

Type of work: Novel 

Author: Charles Lever (1806-1872) 

Typ e of plot: Picaresque romance 

Time of plot: 1808-1812 

Locale: Ireland and Europe 

First published: 1841 

Principal characters: 

CHARLES O'MALTJEY, an Irish dragoon 
GODFREY O'MALLEY, his uncle 
WILLIAM CONSIDINE, a family friend 
CAPTAIN HAMMERSLEY, O'Malley's rival 
GENERAL DASHWOOD 
LUCY DASHWOOD, his daughter 

Critique: 

Charles O'Malley, the Irish Dragoon 
is a light novel in the Irish romantic 
style. It has little plot and slight struc 
ture. The value of the book lies in its 
great fund of stories and anecdotes of 
Irish prowess and cunning and in a 
highly romanticized picture of the Napo 
leonic wars. To the Irish dragoon, war 
is a gay and adventurous affair much like 



a combination fox hunt and banquet. 
The novel ranks high among works 
written simply to delight the reader. 

The Story: 

At seventeen Charles O'Malley wa? 
tall and broad-shouldered, deadly with a 
gun and sure in the saddle. He possessed 
in abundance the qualities of generosity 



133 



and honor expected of Godfrey O'Mal- 
ley's nephew. Godfrey, of O'Malley 
Castle, Galway, was still a good man on 
a horse and quick to pass the bottle. In 
his ruined old castle hard hy the river 
Shannon, he held the staunch affections 
of his tenants. 

Old Godfrey was standing for election 
to the Irish Parliament. Unable to leave 
home during the election campaign, he 
sent Charles to the home of a distant 
cousin named Blake to ask his support in 
the coming election. But Blake belonged 
to the opposition, and although Charles 
did his best to win help for his uncle, he 
hardly knew how to handle the situation. 

Part of the trouble was Lucy Dash- 
wood. She and her father were visiting 
Blake while the general tried to buy 
some good Galway property. Charles 
was jealous of the general's aide, Captain 
Hammersley, who was attentive to Lucy. 
At a fox hunt Charles led the way at 
first, but Hammersley kept up with him. 
Charles' horse fell backward in jumping 
a wall. With cool daring Charles kept 
on and took a ditch bordered by a stone 
rampart. Hammersley, not to be out 
done, took the ditch too, but fell heavily. 
Charles was first at the kill, but both he 
and Hammersley had to spend several 
days in bed. 

One night at dinner one of the guests 
spoke insultingly of Godfrey O'Malley, 
and Charles threw a wine glass in his 
face. Billy Considine, who had been in 
more duels than any other Irishman in 
Galway, arranged the affair as Charles' 
second. Charles left his man for dead 
on the field. Luckily the man recovered, 
and Charles escaped serious consequences 
for his rashness. 

Charles went to Dublin to study law. 
There chance led him to share rooms 
with Frank Webber. College life became 
for Charles a series of dinners, brawls and 
escapades, all under the leadership of 
Frank. 

While in Dublin, Charles saw Lucy 
again, but she was distant to him. Ham- 
uersley was now a favored suitor. Charles 



became increasingly attracted to military 
life, the more so since he seemed un 
fitted for study. Perhaps Lucy would 
approve his suit if he became a dashing 
dragoon. Godfrey arranged for a com 
mission through General Dashwood, and 
Charles became an ensign. 

His first duty was in Portugal. Napo 
leon had invaded the peninsula, and 
England was sending aid to her Portu 
guese and Spanish allies. In Lisbon 
Charles' superb horsemanship saved 
Donna Inez from injury. His friendship 
with Donna Inez was progressing satis 
factorily when he learned that Inez was 
an intimate of Lucy Dashwood. 

A his own request Charles was sent 
to the front. There he soon distinguished 
himself by bravery in battle and was pro 
moted to a lieutenancy. 

Lucy had given him letters for Ham 
mersley. When Charles delivered them, 
Hammersley turned pale and insulted 
him. Only the good offices of Captain 
Powers prevented a duel. 

Charles saw action at Talavera and 
Ciudad Roderigo. In one engagement he 
sneaked under cover of darkness to the 
French trenches, and by moving the en 
gineers' measuring tape he caused the 
French to dig their trenches right under 
the British guns, Wherever Charles 
went, his man Michael Free looked out 
for his master, polished his buttons, stole 
food for him, and made love to all the 
girls. 

After Charles received his captaincy, 
news came from home that the O'Malley 
estates were in a bad way. The rents 
were falling off, mortgages were coming 
due, and Godfrey's gout had crippled 
him. Charles went home on leave, arriv 
ing in Galway shortly after his uncle's 
death. There was little money for the 
many debts, and the estate would require 
close management. Because a last letter 
from his uncle had asked him to stay in 
Galway, Charles decided to sell his com 
mission and retire to civil life. 

Billy Considine, who acted as his ad 
viser, told him a distressing story. Gen- 



134 



eral Dashwood had sent an agent to 
Galway to buy property. Thinking of 
Dashwood as an English interloper, God 
frey had written him a harsh letter of 
warning to stay out of Ireland. In spite 
of his gout, Godfrey had offered to go 
to England to do battle with the general, 
Billy himself had sent a direct challenge 
to Dashwood. The general had answered 
in mild tone, and the two hot-headed 
Irishmen felt their honor had been vin 
dicated. But Charles heard the story 
with a heavy heart. Lucy seemed lost to 
him forever. For two years Charles led 
a secluded life, scarcely quitting his farm. 

Charles and Michael, his servant, were 
in Dublin on the day news came of 
Napoleon's return from Elba, and Charles 
decided to go back into the army. He 
and Michael went to London. There 
he was appointed to his old rank on the 
general staff. 

Charles arrived in Brussels just before 
Waterloo. The Belgian city was crowded. 
General Dashwood and Lucy were there, 
as were Donna Inez and her father. 
Charles was safe in one quarter, how 
ever, for Captain Powers and Inez were 
to be married. One day in a park Lucy 
sat down alone to await her father. 
Hammersley came to her and asked 



hoarsely if he could evei hope for her 
hand. Although not meaning to eaves 
drop, Charles heard Lucy dismiss Ham 
mersley. Charles saw Lucy again at the 
ball, but she seemed as distant and cool as 
ever, 

Charles became a special courier, and 
in the discharge of his duties he was 
captured by the French and thrown into 
prison. To his amazement his cellmate 
was General Dashwood, condemned to 
die for having used spies against the 
French. St. Croix, a French officer whom 
Charles had befriended in Spain, offered 
to help him escape. Unselfishly Charles 
let General Dashwood go in his place. 
Napoleon himself summoned Charles to 
an audience, and throughout the battle 
of Waterloo he saw the action from the 
French lines. He was watching his 
chances, however, and when the French 
troops were scattered he made his way 
back to the English lines. 

After Charles' heroic action in saving 
her father from execution, Lucy could 
not longer refuse him. Charles and Lucy 
went back to Galway to stay, and the 
Irish tenantry bared their heads in wel 
come to the new mistress of O'Malley 
Castle. 



THE CHARTERHOUSE OF PARMA 

Type of -work: Novel 

Author: Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle, 1783-1842) 

Type of plot: Historical romance 

Time of plot: Early nineteenth century 

Locale: Italy 

First published: 1839 

Principal characters: 

FABRIZIO PEL DONGO, a young adventurer 

GTNA PIETRANERA, his aunt 

COUNT MOSCA, Gina's lover 

MARIETTA, an actress 

CLELIA CONTT, Fabrizio's mistress 

Critique: 

The Charterhouse of Parma is one of 
the earlier examples of French romantic 
prose. The scene is the principality of 



ventures, light-hearted and tragic, from 
Waterloo to Bologna. The story, a his 
torical romance, contains also the ele- 



Parma in Italy, and the long, involved ments of social comedy and more serious 
plot takes the reader through many ad- reflections on the futility of life. The 



135 



novel has a sustained dramatic interest 
which contributes much to its recogni 
tion as a classic of French romanticism. 

The Story: 

Early in the nineteenth century Fa 
brizio, son of the Marchese del Dongo, 
grew up at his father's magnificent villa 
at Grianta on Lake Como. His father 
was a miserly fanatic who hated Napo 
leon and the French, his mother a long- 
suffering creature cowed by her domi 
neering husband. In his boyhood Fabri 
zio was happiest when he could leave 
Grianta and go to visit his mother's 
widowed sister, Gina Pietranera, at her 
home in Milan. Gina looked upon her 
handsome nephew very much as a son. 

When he was nearly seventeen, Fabri- 
zio determined to join Napoleon. Both 
his aunt and his mother were shocked 
but the boy stood firm. Fabrizio's father 
was too stingy to allow his womenfolk 
to give Fabrizio any money for his jour 
ney, but Gina sewed some small dia 
monds in his coat. Under a false pass 
port Fabrizio made his way to Paris as 
a seller of astrological instruments. 

Following one of Napoleon's battalions 
out of Paris, Fabrizio was arrested and 
thrown into jail as a spy. His enthusias 
tic admiration for the emperor and his 
bad French were against him. Released 
from jail by the kind-hearted wife of the 
turnkey, F'abrizio pressed on, anxious to 
get into the fighting. Mounted on a 
horse he bought from a good-natured 
camp follower, he rode by accident into 
a group of hussars around Marshall Ney 
at the battle of Waterloo. When a gen 
eral's horse was shot, the hussars lifted 
Fabrizio from the saddle and the general 
commandeered his mount. Afoot, Fabri 
zio fell in with a band of French infantry 
men and in the retreat from Waterloo 
killed a Prussian officer. Happy at being 
a real soldier, he threw down his gun 
and ran away. 

Meanwhile, at home, Gina had suc 
cumbed to the pleadings of Count Mosca, 
prime minister o Parma, They made a 



happy arrangement. Old Duke San- 
severina wanted a diplomatic post very 
badly. In return for Mosca's favor in 
giving him the post, he agreed to marry 
Gina and set her up as the Duchess of 
Sanseverina. Then the duke left the 
country for good, and Mosca became 
Gina's accepted lover. It was a good 
thing for Fabrizio that his aunt had some 
influence. When he returned to Grianta, 
the gendarmes came to arrest him on a 
false passport charge. He was taken to 
Milan in his aunt's carriage. On the way 
the party passed an older man and his 
younger daughter, also arrested but con 
demned to walk. Graciously Gina and 
Fabrizio took General Conti and his 
daughter Clelia into the carriage with 
them. At Milan Fabrizio's difficulties 
were easily settled. 

Gina was growing very fond of Fabri 
zio, who was a handsome youth, and 
she took him with her to Parma to ad 
vance his fortune. There, upon the 
advice of Mosca, it was decided to send 
the young man to Naples to study for 
three years at the theological seminary. 
When he came back, he would be given 
an appointment at court, 

At the end of his studies Fabrizio was 
a suave, worldly young monsignor, not 
yet committed to a life of piety in spite 
of his appointment as alternate for the 
archbishop. At the theater one night the 
young cleric saw a graceful young actress 
named Marietta Valsera. His attention 
soon aroused the anger of a rascal called 
Giletti, Marietta's protector, 

Fearing the consequences of this in 
discretion, Mosca sent Fabrizio to the 
country for a while to supervise some 
archeologica