There were so many little touches to love about this chapter (I laughed out loud at Harry and Fleury’s ogling Lucy’s neck and arms so much that they were incapable of killing a mosquito, for example). But for me the very finest moment came at the end of chapter 9, when Lucy, thanks to a letter from Louise, makes it to safety in the nick of time.
Until this week’s reading, we had only seen Louise from Fleury’s and Harry’s perspectives, and so she came off as an empty-headed beauty and exemplar of pure womanhood. In Fleury’s eyes, she isn’t even human but resembles Chloë the lapdog—ornamental, meant for others’ amusement, and ominously subject to being disposed of once she ceases to amuse.
How wonderful to discover that Louise in fact is 1. Kind and practical. She takes care of all those children who (hilariously) are driven to tears by the Padre’s wretched sermons. 2. Not at all uptight. Her brother may wish to shield her from “contamination,” but Louise obviously thinks this is stupid and that in fact Lucy was more sinned against than sinning. Louise’s letter, promising friendship to Lucy, is a model of true Christian behavior—if only the high-minded and judgmental men would learn from her example!
Lucy, factory-loving Miriam, and not-a-Spaniel Louise are all such great characters, defying their depictions by the male gaze. It reminds me of a very recent discussion over on Wolf Crawl about how Mantel creates rich female characters despite the narrow POV of Thomas Cromwell. We often see what our male protagonists cannot.
Lucy with her “large amount of luggage” does not appear to be on the brink of doing herself in. Apparently, all she really needed was a gesture of friendship from one of the women.
(I just want to say that I love Vokins. In this chapter, JG Farrell shows the similar status of the Indians and the British working class in the colonisers' impoverished imagination)
-- There is much to be said about this, and dare I say, I wonder if something of this attitude persists today.
Simon your commentary is so rich as always. Your comments on how indigo cultivation was transmitted across the empire, how the empire was a structure for something that may be called 'globalisation' reminded me of how when I visited Kenya, where my great grandfather arrived to build the railways in the 1930s from India. They needed carpenters, and that skill threw them to another continent, all within the structure of the empire. Thus a diaspora was created in east Africa (which subsequently produced a British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak). History is a great churning and scattering and transmission. And it is full of many ironies, both dark and light.
Reading this too, I was reminded of VS Naipaul, whose ancestors were transmitted along the empire structure to the Caribbean, to work in the sugar plantations. I wonder what Naipaul thought of Farrells's novels, if he thought of them at all. Naipaul is very much interested in the aftermath of imperialism, the dislocations and disruptions and the psychological exploration, Farrell has a really vast vision which is rooted in close detail and dark humour centred around the circumstances of the colonial class. Farrell observes the decline from the perspective of the imperial caste, in Singapore Sling & Krishnapur & Troubles, Naipaul observes the psychological terrain of the aftermath of empire in his Trinidad novels, The Mimic Men, A Bend in the River and others.
I also laughed out loud at points. Farrell's wit is a delight. The themes so deep and serious, the events so dark, but it has these moments of comedy. This is what distinguishes Farrell, makes his brew unique.
I've been thinking about the Collector talking about mass produced objects and saying that working-class people would become more "sensitive to Beauty" if we were more exposed to it. I wonder what he would think of the amount of prints and reproductions you can now buy online or 3d print for only a few pounds! His view of working-class people's lack of art and beautiful objects and so on being seemingly more about their taste than their affordability & access... working class English people seem about as foreign to him as the native population in India. But also, it's not an argument you hear when people talk about fast fashion and ultra-cheap things from China, and of course there are plenty of ethical problems there... but I think the Collector does have a point in a twisted way, after all, it's bread *and* roses.
I hope that made sense, I didn't sleep well last night and I ended up rewriting that three times haha.
Loved that Louise is nothing like Fleury has been building her in his head, and enjoyed the boys' (because they do seem like boys) incompetence at trying to rescue Lucy Hughes... while Louise does it in one letter.
I'm also really enjoying all your notes and things to look into! I'm a bit shocked at the amount of labour that went into keeping the British cool(er) in India... the fan operators, the person cooling the drinks, importing ice, and so on
There were so many little details adding to these chapters, but I just had to look up the burtunga ants. This link explained it well so I hope it works
I can’t imagine trying to attach those little squirming buggers - what a zagged suture line it must have been. Looking forward to how the contention between the 2 doctors progresses.
I was struck by the same moments of humour that you were, Simon, particularly the children agreeing with the padre that they would not like it (i.e., to be sacrified)(!) in the least. Oh my...!
Thanks for explaining the (oblique) reference to Matthew Arnold. The course I took on Victorian literature at university was one of my favourites (we had a great prof!). I seem to remember doing a paper analyzing "Empodocles on Etna," and I was tickled when the Bangles, one of my favourite girl bands from that era, recorded a song called "Dover Beach," apparently inspired by Arnold's poem. :) It's the last track on the album, and I just love the way it fades out....
Me, too! I first heard the story of the New England ice cut from lakes and shipped to India on 99% Invisible many years ago, and it’s stuck with me ever since. https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/frozen-assets/
I am lagging a little behind and have to catch up. What a book though - the description of the soldiers in shock was very moving.
((The World is a Bridge, pass over it, but build no houses upon it. He who hopes for a day, may hope for eternity; but the World endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer, for the rest is unseen.))
-- these lines of scripture in the context of Empire too, the hubris of many empires that considered themselves eternal. To commemorate a victory of an earlier empire. Empire upon empire rising and falling. Farrell painted the detail and you picked it out with perfect acuity too. Its wonderful
Thank you! Despite Farrell's many descriptions of relative layout in these chapters — the melon field on the far side of the river, and the rise above it with the banqueting hall, the abandoned parade ground, e.g. — I'm finding it hard to construct a mental map. How are the bungalows positioned relative to the Residency (granted, we do get a description of a semi-circle at the very end of Part I); what exactly constitutes the cantonment? Which things are within the "mud walls?"
Thanks Simon. I keep trying to think of a film set in someplace like this--maybe Jewel In the Crown? --I am not sure if I can still stream this, I will try and find it here in the US.
Thank you, Simon. I’ve learned so much from your footnotes, and they’ve greatly deepened the reading experience. This is definitely a book you can lose yourself in.
Fascinating, I’m enjoying the book and loving the footnotes & background info. The history hit link didn’t seem to work (but might be me!). I love Fleury’s character- he’s annoying but so real.
One of the most striking scenes in these chapters for me was the dinner in the collector’s room where the cantonment is burning and yet nobody is taking about the impending danger! Talk about disembodied — so much so that he was started by the buttercup sky as it reminded him of what was at his door. Kooky
Yes definitely. That scene, presented like a set piece in a play, is very striking. And I laughed out loud when, right when the atmosphere was super tense, the Magistrate chose to say, “hmm, wonder what the Apostles found to talk about during the Last Supper.” 🤣
Thank you once more for your great job, Simon, I’ve enjoyed this week’s footnotes and tangents as much as the novel itself! I was specially fascinated by the vetiver cooling properties, I might try to explore that, in practice, during the summer! 🥵😊
There were so many little touches to love about this chapter (I laughed out loud at Harry and Fleury’s ogling Lucy’s neck and arms so much that they were incapable of killing a mosquito, for example). But for me the very finest moment came at the end of chapter 9, when Lucy, thanks to a letter from Louise, makes it to safety in the nick of time.
Until this week’s reading, we had only seen Louise from Fleury’s and Harry’s perspectives, and so she came off as an empty-headed beauty and exemplar of pure womanhood. In Fleury’s eyes, she isn’t even human but resembles Chloë the lapdog—ornamental, meant for others’ amusement, and ominously subject to being disposed of once she ceases to amuse.
How wonderful to discover that Louise in fact is 1. Kind and practical. She takes care of all those children who (hilariously) are driven to tears by the Padre’s wretched sermons. 2. Not at all uptight. Her brother may wish to shield her from “contamination,” but Louise obviously thinks this is stupid and that in fact Lucy was more sinned against than sinning. Louise’s letter, promising friendship to Lucy, is a model of true Christian behavior—if only the high-minded and judgmental men would learn from her example!
Lucy, factory-loving Miriam, and not-a-Spaniel Louise are all such great characters, defying their depictions by the male gaze. It reminds me of a very recent discussion over on Wolf Crawl about how Mantel creates rich female characters despite the narrow POV of Thomas Cromwell. We often see what our male protagonists cannot.
Lucy with her “large amount of luggage” does not appear to be on the brink of doing herself in. Apparently, all she really needed was a gesture of friendship from one of the women.
(I just want to say that I love Vokins. In this chapter, JG Farrell shows the similar status of the Indians and the British working class in the colonisers' impoverished imagination)
-- There is much to be said about this, and dare I say, I wonder if something of this attitude persists today.
Simon your commentary is so rich as always. Your comments on how indigo cultivation was transmitted across the empire, how the empire was a structure for something that may be called 'globalisation' reminded me of how when I visited Kenya, where my great grandfather arrived to build the railways in the 1930s from India. They needed carpenters, and that skill threw them to another continent, all within the structure of the empire. Thus a diaspora was created in east Africa (which subsequently produced a British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak). History is a great churning and scattering and transmission. And it is full of many ironies, both dark and light.
Reading this too, I was reminded of VS Naipaul, whose ancestors were transmitted along the empire structure to the Caribbean, to work in the sugar plantations. I wonder what Naipaul thought of Farrells's novels, if he thought of them at all. Naipaul is very much interested in the aftermath of imperialism, the dislocations and disruptions and the psychological exploration, Farrell has a really vast vision which is rooted in close detail and dark humour centred around the circumstances of the colonial class. Farrell observes the decline from the perspective of the imperial caste, in Singapore Sling & Krishnapur & Troubles, Naipaul observes the psychological terrain of the aftermath of empire in his Trinidad novels, The Mimic Men, A Bend in the River and others.
I also laughed out loud at points. Farrell's wit is a delight. The themes so deep and serious, the events so dark, but it has these moments of comedy. This is what distinguishes Farrell, makes his brew unique.
Hey, everyone! I’m so happy to see so many old friends from W&P24 turning up here! ❤️
I appreciate the Farrell’s structure; the way he uses humor and absurdities to break the tension, which is growing ever stronger.
I've been thinking about the Collector talking about mass produced objects and saying that working-class people would become more "sensitive to Beauty" if we were more exposed to it. I wonder what he would think of the amount of prints and reproductions you can now buy online or 3d print for only a few pounds! His view of working-class people's lack of art and beautiful objects and so on being seemingly more about their taste than their affordability & access... working class English people seem about as foreign to him as the native population in India. But also, it's not an argument you hear when people talk about fast fashion and ultra-cheap things from China, and of course there are plenty of ethical problems there... but I think the Collector does have a point in a twisted way, after all, it's bread *and* roses.
I hope that made sense, I didn't sleep well last night and I ended up rewriting that three times haha.
Loved that Louise is nothing like Fleury has been building her in his head, and enjoyed the boys' (because they do seem like boys) incompetence at trying to rescue Lucy Hughes... while Louise does it in one letter.
I'm also really enjoying all your notes and things to look into! I'm a bit shocked at the amount of labour that went into keeping the British cool(er) in India... the fan operators, the person cooling the drinks, importing ice, and so on
There were so many little details adding to these chapters, but I just had to look up the burtunga ants. This link explained it well so I hope it works
https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/ants-as-natural-sutures-ancient-practice-and-survival-technique
Thanks Claudia! I was going to mention burtunga ants but ran out of time. Fascinating!
I can’t imagine trying to attach those little squirming buggers - what a zagged suture line it must have been. Looking forward to how the contention between the 2 doctors progresses.
Fascinating!
Thanks for the link. Fascinating.
I was struck by the same moments of humour that you were, Simon, particularly the children agreeing with the padre that they would not like it (i.e., to be sacrified)(!) in the least. Oh my...!
Thanks for explaining the (oblique) reference to Matthew Arnold. The course I took on Victorian literature at university was one of my favourites (we had a great prof!). I seem to remember doing a paper analyzing "Empodocles on Etna," and I was tickled when the Bangles, one of my favourite girl bands from that era, recorded a song called "Dover Beach," apparently inspired by Arnold's poem. :) It's the last track on the album, and I just love the way it fades out....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g2SgjAeUEI
Loved all the tangents, Simon, thank you!
Me, too! I first heard the story of the New England ice cut from lakes and shipped to India on 99% Invisible many years ago, and it’s stuck with me ever since. https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/frozen-assets/
I am lagging a little behind and have to catch up. What a book though - the description of the soldiers in shock was very moving.
((The World is a Bridge, pass over it, but build no houses upon it. He who hopes for a day, may hope for eternity; but the World endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer, for the rest is unseen.))
-- these lines of scripture in the context of Empire too, the hubris of many empires that considered themselves eternal. To commemorate a victory of an earlier empire. Empire upon empire rising and falling. Farrell painted the detail and you picked it out with perfect acuity too. Its wonderful
Thank you Simon for bringing the pages alive.
I wish I could see a similar cantonment and buildings in photos or videos. Any suggestions?
I'll try to share more photos of Residencies and cantonments in future posts. I keep forgetting to do so!
Thank you! Despite Farrell's many descriptions of relative layout in these chapters — the melon field on the far side of the river, and the rise above it with the banqueting hall, the abandoned parade ground, e.g. — I'm finding it hard to construct a mental map. How are the bungalows positioned relative to the Residency (granted, we do get a description of a semi-circle at the very end of Part I); what exactly constitutes the cantonment? Which things are within the "mud walls?"
There are some maps of the Lucknow siege which may or may not be useful: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Lucknow_Intrenched_Position_of_the_British_garrison_map_1911.jpg
Yes, I wouldn’t mind a map either. I‘m confused by the melon field on the far banking the river - wouldn’t the river be a considerable obstacle?
Thanks Simon. I keep trying to think of a film set in someplace like this--maybe Jewel In the Crown? --I am not sure if I can still stream this, I will try and find it here in the US.
It's available to stream on PBS.
I loved that series, The Jewel in the Crown! 👑
Thank you, Simon. I’ve learned so much from your footnotes, and they’ve greatly deepened the reading experience. This is definitely a book you can lose yourself in.
Fascinating, I’m enjoying the book and loving the footnotes & background info. The history hit link didn’t seem to work (but might be me!). I love Fleury’s character- he’s annoying but so real.
Ooops. Updated, thanks! Here is it as well: https://www.historyhit.com/how-did-imperialism-permeate-boys-adventure-fiction-in-the-victorian-era
One of the most striking scenes in these chapters for me was the dinner in the collector’s room where the cantonment is burning and yet nobody is taking about the impending danger! Talk about disembodied — so much so that he was started by the buttercup sky as it reminded him of what was at his door. Kooky
Yes definitely. That scene, presented like a set piece in a play, is very striking. And I laughed out loud when, right when the atmosphere was super tense, the Magistrate chose to say, “hmm, wonder what the Apostles found to talk about during the Last Supper.” 🤣
Totally!
Wait I forgot who Vokins is
The Collector's manservant. He has only been introduced in this chapter.
This section seems to have a sharper comic edge than those we've read so far! Have I perhaps been partially deaf to it up til now?
It's definitely been funny from the start, but perhaps it has been building.
Thank you once more for your great job, Simon, I’ve enjoyed this week’s footnotes and tangents as much as the novel itself! I was specially fascinated by the vetiver cooling properties, I might try to explore that, in practice, during the summer! 🥵😊