I thought of the plagues of Egypt too! The allusion must be deliberate, because Farrell makes a point of mentioning lice, boils, and locusts (well, cockchafers) in the same section where the first of two babies born on the same day dies. The plagues make sense thematically, because they were God’s message to Pharaoh to stop committing the evil act of enslaving people—just as the more enlightened English colonizers (Louise and the Collector) are discovering that perhaps the people of India do not appreciate their “civilizing” mission.
Another tangent: Fleury’s and Harry’s consternation at Lucy’s pubic hair might be an allusion to the rumor that Ruskin’s marriage had to be annulled, unconsummated, because he was so disturbed by the sight of his wife’s pubic hair on their wedding night. After a lifetime of looking pure white marble statues of women, Ruskin may not have been equipped to handle a flesh-and-blood woman.
I hope it’s ok to share a link to a piece I wrote that discusses the Ruskin story and also shares a portrait of him, painted by the man who wound up marrying Ruskin’s rejected wife:
Oh brilliant! Of course, all those marble statues left them totally unprepared for body hair! And their consternation mirrors the discovery that India isn't at all like it appears in their adventure books. Thanks for sharing!
His novel Kim is so very complex and compelling. Leave aside what Kipling was for a moment, a staunch imperialist and believer in the idea of empire. I wonder if the novel reveals layers inside him he was not aware of. And the fact that Kim is the son of poor Irish, not English parents is interesting. Kim is a classic insider / outsider, observing India and the great game as both Indian and non Indian. Its a novel that may be the mother of stories of divided identity and the nuances and complexities of that, which can be seen as a theme through novels of modern diasporas too.
The Sherwood mythology is so interesting too. I think England has two great mythologies - Arthur, and Sherwood.
I've had a thought about Robin Hood (sorry for slight tangent) - he's considered a rebel but I think he may be an echo of conservatism and the Restoration. And it feeds into the earlier Arthurian mythology too. The King is absent in the land on the crusade, and a tyrant arises (the Sheriff of Nottingham) in his absence. Robin Hood is the loyal yeoman Englishman who rebels against that tyrant until order can be restored under the righteous rule of King Richard. He rebels against unjust law, but is a loyalist to the law of the just and righteous King who is absent.
The pubic hair reference reminds me of something I read, that John Ruskin was so shocked and horrified on his wedding night to see that his wife had pubic hair, that he refused to consummate his marriage, believing her to be deformed. They idealised women so much in Victorian times, the actual reality could cause a breakdown in some men.
The richness of allusions that you identify really are fascinating. What a multifarious novel, what a brilliant and unique novel
Wonderful. See Mari's comment here, and link, on Ruskin. Great that you both noticed that! And yes, Robin Hood is one of our great myths. It comes up a lot in our Cromwell reading, since Henry VIII was so fond of dressing up as Robin Hood.
It’s the whole tradition of the English, specifically, loving to see themselves as the plucky and loveable underdogs even at the height of their imperial power. Fintan O’Toole is scathingly wonderful on this in Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain.
Oh, and I forgot to comment on Miriam’s being fed up with womanhood. You and an entire century full of women, Miriam. The expectations these weinen have to live under while constantly being seen as do much less is just tiresome, and very well done by Farrell.
Yes! These poor women! All the women who were not allowed to pursue intellectual interests or allowed to do anything remotely stimulating is so unjust. He does such a great job showing this.
Another one of your insightful posts Simon; I was never even once felt disappointed after reading your weekly guides in all these 3 years. First, I thank you for your diligent efforts. And I thank you again for introducing me to works such as this which I otherwise might have overlooked. What a delightful gem it is! Tragedy and comedy, sorrow and humour going hand in hand, just life itself. The cleaning of Lucy’s body from black bugs with Bible covers was one of the many laugh-out-loud scenes :)) I’m in awe of this book’s sense of humour :))
There's something of Kakfa about all of this, and I don't just mean the bugs! The mix of humour and horror, and the helplessness of it all. Thank you for being a stalwart supporter of the slow reads, Askim!
I was laughing out loud in the bus! Perfect scene, such a hilarious crescendo culminating in the horror of Padre when he sees that they are scraping the bugs with Bible covers! 😂I love how seriously Harry and Fleury take their task, and the pubic hair moment is gold!
And The Collector’s children are still wearing velvet! Those poor things. I am enjoying the humour and sense of ridiculous in this book so much. I wasn’t quite prepared for it being so amusing but it’s a delight. I laughed out loud last night at Harry and ‘Dobbin’ scraping the bugs off Lucy and then their reaction when the others came into the room - how are they going to get Lucy’s clothes back on?! I shall be very sad when we reach the end of this book.
Simon, thank you for the post as usual. I’ll be following up on the links over the week, but I think I have to finish the novel first. It’s great to believe the relief will ever show up.
“Harry and Fleury shave her bug body with a bible’s binding” - I applaud your daring alliteration!
I love how Fleury has been on the brink of concieving of both evolution and the moving picture at inopportune moments ("which would have made him quite famous") only to lose the thread. Maybe there are even more of these comic moments I've missed! (besides the Fleury Cavalry Eliminator which was never destined to make him famous.)
Thank you Simon and all for the weekly posts and comments. Without them I would miss much of the depth and insights of this book. I am enjoying this book so much more than I expected. It is delightful and horrifying.
Oh, the bugs! What a horrible, disgusting, hilarious scene!! So vividly written that one can entirely picture the whole thing! Farrell’s writing has, for me, the same cinematic quality as Tolstoy’s. He (thankfully) leaves much unsaid but chooses the moments to narrow that descriptive focus to such good effect.
It also seems like the humorous bits are becoming larger as the situation grows grimmer and there’s less to laugh about - there’s a farcical, almost slapstick quality about this scene that is so effective at breaking the tension we’ve been feeling. So brilliant.
Insects that attach to bodily parts creep me out. So naturally I was more interested in the personification of pain that the Controller experienced as he descended into delirium and found a tangent that might relate.
I had never before heard of erysipelas, and in the same week that word appeared in two of my readings of that week: The siege of Krishnapur and Aura (by Carlos Fuentes)! 😳
‘“Yes, yes, to be sure, don’t worry about it,” as poor Mr Bradley, looking up into that last, glaring, free-thinking, diabolical, ginger sunset of the Magistrate’s whiskers, commended his soul to God. “Don’t worry. They’ll certainly let you in after this performance,” the Magistrate had said ironically as Mr Bradley made one or two more last-minute arrangements with Saint Peter for the opening of the celestial gates. Ah, what a terrible man he was, the Magistrate!”’ (p 258)
Another aspect that I found interesting was that Lucy has gone from an outcast to someone whose invitations “ were not open to negotiation, and none of her favourites had thought it wise to refuse.” Suddenly she was a coveted hostess. I suspect that most of her favourites are men.
I absolutely loved this book, couldn’t read it slowly, but now I’m enjoying a slow revisit of the book in the weekly posts. Simon, thanks so much for choosing this brilliant book and for all your discussions.
Simon – thank you so much for all of your notes. I feel you’ve given us so much to think about and have made me reflect not only on this novel but on the nature of civilization and progress and colonialism and alienation. I really appreciate all the work you’ve done to provide us this context.
Thanks Simon for these posts. I am re listening to Chapter 23 now. I totally missed the collector getting cross with the ladies. I must have wandered off on my own tangent!
I thought of the plagues of Egypt too! The allusion must be deliberate, because Farrell makes a point of mentioning lice, boils, and locusts (well, cockchafers) in the same section where the first of two babies born on the same day dies. The plagues make sense thematically, because they were God’s message to Pharaoh to stop committing the evil act of enslaving people—just as the more enlightened English colonizers (Louise and the Collector) are discovering that perhaps the people of India do not appreciate their “civilizing” mission.
Another tangent: Fleury’s and Harry’s consternation at Lucy’s pubic hair might be an allusion to the rumor that Ruskin’s marriage had to be annulled, unconsummated, because he was so disturbed by the sight of his wife’s pubic hair on their wedding night. After a lifetime of looking pure white marble statues of women, Ruskin may not have been equipped to handle a flesh-and-blood woman.
I hope it’s ok to share a link to a piece I wrote that discusses the Ruskin story and also shares a portrait of him, painted by the man who wound up marrying Ruskin’s rejected wife:
https://open.substack.com/pub/marischindele/p/art-i-liked-at-the-ashmolean?r=7fpv6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Oh brilliant! Of course, all those marble statues left them totally unprepared for body hair! And their consternation mirrors the discovery that India isn't at all like it appears in their adventure books. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely loved your post, Mari!!!! What a bonus!!!!
Oh thank you so much!
Yes, fantastic post! I thought of Ruskin, too, and of Randolph Henry and Ellen Ash in Byatt’s Possession.
Another wonderful reading, Simon, thank you.
I find Kipling to be so fascinating.
His novel Kim is so very complex and compelling. Leave aside what Kipling was for a moment, a staunch imperialist and believer in the idea of empire. I wonder if the novel reveals layers inside him he was not aware of. And the fact that Kim is the son of poor Irish, not English parents is interesting. Kim is a classic insider / outsider, observing India and the great game as both Indian and non Indian. Its a novel that may be the mother of stories of divided identity and the nuances and complexities of that, which can be seen as a theme through novels of modern diasporas too.
The Sherwood mythology is so interesting too. I think England has two great mythologies - Arthur, and Sherwood.
I've had a thought about Robin Hood (sorry for slight tangent) - he's considered a rebel but I think he may be an echo of conservatism and the Restoration. And it feeds into the earlier Arthurian mythology too. The King is absent in the land on the crusade, and a tyrant arises (the Sheriff of Nottingham) in his absence. Robin Hood is the loyal yeoman Englishman who rebels against that tyrant until order can be restored under the righteous rule of King Richard. He rebels against unjust law, but is a loyalist to the law of the just and righteous King who is absent.
The pubic hair reference reminds me of something I read, that John Ruskin was so shocked and horrified on his wedding night to see that his wife had pubic hair, that he refused to consummate his marriage, believing her to be deformed. They idealised women so much in Victorian times, the actual reality could cause a breakdown in some men.
The richness of allusions that you identify really are fascinating. What a multifarious novel, what a brilliant and unique novel
Wonderful. See Mari's comment here, and link, on Ruskin. Great that you both noticed that! And yes, Robin Hood is one of our great myths. It comes up a lot in our Cromwell reading, since Henry VIII was so fond of dressing up as Robin Hood.
It’s the whole tradition of the English, specifically, loving to see themselves as the plucky and loveable underdogs even at the height of their imperial power. Fintan O’Toole is scathingly wonderful on this in Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain.
Oh, and I forgot to comment on Miriam’s being fed up with womanhood. You and an entire century full of women, Miriam. The expectations these weinen have to live under while constantly being seen as do much less is just tiresome, and very well done by Farrell.
Yes! These poor women! All the women who were not allowed to pursue intellectual interests or allowed to do anything remotely stimulating is so unjust. He does such a great job showing this.
Women, not weinen. It was too late last night
Another one of your insightful posts Simon; I was never even once felt disappointed after reading your weekly guides in all these 3 years. First, I thank you for your diligent efforts. And I thank you again for introducing me to works such as this which I otherwise might have overlooked. What a delightful gem it is! Tragedy and comedy, sorrow and humour going hand in hand, just life itself. The cleaning of Lucy’s body from black bugs with Bible covers was one of the many laugh-out-loud scenes :)) I’m in awe of this book’s sense of humour :))
There's something of Kakfa about all of this, and I don't just mean the bugs! The mix of humour and horror, and the helplessness of it all. Thank you for being a stalwart supporter of the slow reads, Askim!
I completely cracked up over this scene!! -- had to explain to my husband what I was laughing at! A welcome moment of humour!
I was laughing out loud in the bus! Perfect scene, such a hilarious crescendo culminating in the horror of Padre when he sees that they are scraping the bugs with Bible covers! 😂I love how seriously Harry and Fleury take their task, and the pubic hair moment is gold!
And The Collector’s children are still wearing velvet! Those poor things. I am enjoying the humour and sense of ridiculous in this book so much. I wasn’t quite prepared for it being so amusing but it’s a delight. I laughed out loud last night at Harry and ‘Dobbin’ scraping the bugs off Lucy and then their reaction when the others came into the room - how are they going to get Lucy’s clothes back on?! I shall be very sad when we reach the end of this book.
Simon, thank you for the post as usual. I’ll be following up on the links over the week, but I think I have to finish the novel first. It’s great to believe the relief will ever show up.
“Harry and Fleury shave her bug body with a bible’s binding” - I applaud your daring alliteration!
I couldn't resist.
I love how Fleury has been on the brink of concieving of both evolution and the moving picture at inopportune moments ("which would have made him quite famous") only to lose the thread. Maybe there are even more of these comic moments I've missed! (besides the Fleury Cavalry Eliminator which was never destined to make him famous.)
Thank you Simon and all for the weekly posts and comments. Without them I would miss much of the depth and insights of this book. I am enjoying this book so much more than I expected. It is delightful and horrifying.
Oh, the bugs! What a horrible, disgusting, hilarious scene!! So vividly written that one can entirely picture the whole thing! Farrell’s writing has, for me, the same cinematic quality as Tolstoy’s. He (thankfully) leaves much unsaid but chooses the moments to narrow that descriptive focus to such good effect.
It also seems like the humorous bits are becoming larger as the situation grows grimmer and there’s less to laugh about - there’s a farcical, almost slapstick quality about this scene that is so effective at breaking the tension we’ve been feeling. So brilliant.
Insects that attach to bodily parts creep me out. So naturally I was more interested in the personification of pain that the Controller experienced as he descended into delirium and found a tangent that might relate.
https://chillchief.com/how-to-build-emotional-wellness/
Also, needed to delve into erysipelas. As for me, I appreciate Dr. Mc Nab and his dealing with illness and people.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/erysipelas-st-anthonys-fire-1068816
Wow, what are the chances?!
I had never before heard of erysipelas, and in the same week that word appeared in two of my readings of that week: The siege of Krishnapur and Aura (by Carlos Fuentes)! 😳
Poor, Mr Bradley indeed:
‘“Yes, yes, to be sure, don’t worry about it,” as poor Mr Bradley, looking up into that last, glaring, free-thinking, diabolical, ginger sunset of the Magistrate’s whiskers, commended his soul to God. “Don’t worry. They’ll certainly let you in after this performance,” the Magistrate had said ironically as Mr Bradley made one or two more last-minute arrangements with Saint Peter for the opening of the celestial gates. Ah, what a terrible man he was, the Magistrate!”’ (p 258)
Another aspect that I found interesting was that Lucy has gone from an outcast to someone whose invitations “ were not open to negotiation, and none of her favourites had thought it wise to refuse.” Suddenly she was a coveted hostess. I suspect that most of her favourites are men.
She certainly doesn't seem to care for the women, with those barbed thoughts of hers.
And the women have been less than welcoming to her after her “fall from grace“. Only Miriam and Louise seem to be of a more forgiving bent.
I absolutely loved this book, couldn’t read it slowly, but now I’m enjoying a slow revisit of the book in the weekly posts. Simon, thanks so much for choosing this brilliant book and for all your discussions.
Thanks, Simon! Poor Lucy and the bugs and the two men! Funny but such a terrible image!
Simon – thank you so much for all of your notes. I feel you’ve given us so much to think about and have made me reflect not only on this novel but on the nature of civilization and progress and colonialism and alienation. I really appreciate all the work you’ve done to provide us this context.
Thank you!
Thanks Simon for these posts. I am re listening to Chapter 23 now. I totally missed the collector getting cross with the ladies. I must have wandered off on my own tangent!