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Castle Richmond
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Castle Richmond by Anthony Trollope: Buddy Read: Chapters I-VII
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Aug 13, 2017 09:07PM
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Everyman, Diane, Lucia, Lady Clementina, Michael,And so we begin, three volumes (as first published) in three weeks. As the first segment contains a lot of details about title and property, and I'm not especially fluent in these, I actually had to read it more than twice and make notes. I will do a summary of title and property as I do or don't get it in my next comment, but please...set me straight if necessary. :)
I am remembering reasons I can depend on Trollope to keep me engaged. I love the way he peels back and exposes motive. No doubt we will go deeper and deeper into the psychology of his "dramatis personae" as the story unfolds. Second, I love the way Trollope inserts himself (or the narrator/author) into the narrative.
Why do I always picture Trollope coming up with his characters while he is delivering the mail?
Mod
For starters, what I found interesting was Trollope perhaps anticipating the kind of reception he would get- and trying to defend himself against it. But his comments on certain things being in fashion and not are as much applicable today, and not restricted to the literary world alone.
I enjoyed most of this first segment of the book- meeting the characters each of whom were so very real, with various shades- and a little hard to categorise in a way. I liked their stories, the little introductions he gave us to their present and pasts, their trials, and future prospects. Other than our "villains" I think, no one so far is unlikeable and it is only young Lady Clara Desmond who's actions can be seen as black and white (mostly the latter)- the others are far greyer.
But as always Trollope has drawn me intro the story and I'm excited to see what lies ahead for or characters.
Here is my picture of title and property in Cork County, 1846.The barony of Desmond...three homesteads:
The Castle Richmond family:
Sir Thomas Fitzgerald
Okay, right away I have questions. Who were the Richmonds? Is Sir Thomas a baron? If so, why does he live in the barony of Desmond?
Sir Thomas "might have been a baronet"...What do you have to do to be a baronet?
His wife, Lady Fitzgerald
His daughters, Mary and Emmeline
His son, Herbert Fitzgerald
His sister, Miss Letty
The Desmond Court family:
Clara, Countess of Desmond , widow of Patrick once Earl of Desmond , when her son turns 21, she will be penniless
Her daughter, Lady Clara Desmond , 17, stands to inherit nothing
Her son, Patrick, now Earl of Desmond, two years younger than his sister
"The earl of the day was still the head landlord of a baronacy of Desmond" When he turns 21, he will come into considerable property.
The Hap House family member
Owen Fitzgerald , distant cousin of Fitzgeralds, significantly their nearest relation Owen came into property at his uncle's death 1843
Let us not forget that if anything were to happen to the young Herbert, Owen would inherit the family title and house
Lady Clementina, I too was struck by how defensive Trollope is at the beginning of ch1. I see in the biographical notes, he had lived for considerable time in Ireland and the critic commented (paraphrasing here), all the strands of his life (writing career?) took place/began in Ireland. If we interpret this as, Trollope's literary roots (is that going too far?) were Irish, he certainly isn't claiming those roots or that identity, is he? It seems sadly weak that he claims instead, that he wasn't robbed.
Added instead of hitting Reply button:
I certainly went too far with "roots" in my comment about Trollope's Irish literary roots, but I did find the word "strain": "Trollope would come to incorporate an Irish strain in the greater part of his writings."--John McCourt, "Reading Trollope and Joyce on Bloomsday". I posted the link on Background.
Lucia and Lady Clementina,Good question. Who was the audience for Castle Richmond?
That pompous fool of a clerk in a publishing house puts it this way:
“It depends very much on the subject," said the foreman, with a thoughtful and judicious frown—"upon the name, sir, and the subject;—daily life, sir; that's what suits us; daily English life. Now your historical novel, sir, is not worth the paper it's written on."
There's an earlier veiled reference to the fact that the Irish don't buy books. I tend to believe him about who buys books, having worked in a publishing house. But I can't accept that the English only wanted to read about "daily English life".
Mod
I too was struck by how defensive Trollope is at the beginning of ch1. I see in the biographical notes, he had lived for considerable time in Ireland and the critic commented (pa..."
He also met his wife there (though I don't think she was Irish)- perhaps that's why "all the strands".
Mod
Well, in his defence, he does say he was robbed in English inns- but yes, I see your point. His defence of his Irish friends and acquaintances is by comparison with the English rather than on their own merit- though I realise that this was meant to show that there was no difference.
Mod
Patrick will come into property, certainly but I don't think he'll have much of an income from what we're told about how the estate is doing because of the famine.
It's interesting that breeding can be faulted for the problems besetting the two major young characters in this segment. Owen Fitzgerald lives alone and falls prey to bad habits.
“Some greater endeavour [by his Fitzgerald relations] might perhaps have been made to rescue him from evil ways. Very little such endeavour was made at all....Had he fallen among good hands, he might have done very well in the world's fight; but with such a character [fine, high-spirited, clever] and lacking such advantages, it was quite as open to him to do ill."
Lady Clara is also "lacking...advantages. Clara is unprepared to handle a male's attention, and gets herself into trouble with her mother and brother. One can see the absence of breeding as a fault here too. The Countess did not provide a good social upbringing; she did not even keep an eye on her.
“[Her mother] had not the means, nor perhaps the will, to fill the huge old house with parties of her Irish neighbours—for she herself was English to the backbone. Ladies of course made morning calls, and gentlemen too, occasionally; but society at Desmond Court was for some years pretty much confined to this cold formal mode of visiting."
Perhaps the theme of Birth and breeding will drive the plot.
Mod
Owen Fitzgerald lives alone and falls prey to bad habits.
“Some greater e..."
That does seem to play an important role- the right upbringing, or at least guidance so that people know what's expected of them. And both Lady Clara and Owen are without this, despite in the former case, Lady Clara not being an orphan like Owen. Of course, in her case, perhaps it is only now that her mother realises that she is growing up/has grown up.
As far as Owen's more "wild" streak is concerned, he seems to have taken it further because of the rejection by Clara's family too in addition to the absence of right advice
Lucia wrote: "LindaH wrote: "Who was the audience for Castle Richmond?... I'll explore the VictorianWeb for this information, because I am convinced it has some importance.
More on the narrator. This kind of..."
Thanks for the term Omnicient Obtrusive Narrator, Lucia. It definitely fits what Trollope is doing: addressing reader directly, expressing his own views, telling personal stories. I notice that he goes back and forth between first and third person. When he talks about the necessities of the author's craft or how best to show character, though, he is he being obtrusive or something else?
Lady Clementina wrote: "LindaH wrote: "It's interesting that breeding can be faulted for the problems besetting the two major young characters in this segment. Owen Fitzgerald lives alone and falls prey to bad habits.
..."
I feel sympathy for Owen despite that wild streak. Am I right to think that Trollope does too? He does suggest Owen was hurt by being orphaned. Also, he tries to discourage the local gossip. I like him for not seeing the advantage of marriage to the Countess.
Mod
Owen Fitzgerald lives alone and fal..."
As do I- I think with all the characters- other than the father and son blackmailers(their names have slipped my mind) one can feel a connect and a sympathy as people dealing with issues that anyone can face in their lives.
Lady Clementina Your comment makes me realize, I should have phrased my observation differently, as: it's interesting Trollope faults the lack of guidance (from Owen's relations, from Clara's mother) when he introduces these two young people. I am thinking of Mary Thorne right now, and the opposite is true...her character is excellent, and Trollope credits her uncle's guidance.
Clara and Owen seem likable. I am looking forward to seeing how they handle unfolding events and the role upbringing as well as character plays.
And so to ch6, my favorite chapter in this segment. I like it because of its rapid pace and its slow reveal of the facts. Probably these two things go together! We find out in hints what the game is, who the victims are, and how different the Molletts are.The persons running the Kanturk Hotel are all associated with its furnishings...."Those being in addition to two rickety tables, a sideboard where "Tom, the one-eyed waiter, kept knives and forks, and candle-ends, and bits of bread, and dusters." ....a stool at "the bar, from which Fanny O'Dwyer dispensed dandies of punch and goes of brandy to her father's customers from Kanturk”....and "her father's wooden arm-chair."
Still keeping the furnishings in mind, the two customers of note include the younger Mollett "who was taking his ease at full length on Fanny's sofa, and drinking some hot compound" and the older Mollett who seems to use Tom as a coat rack, as "he proceeded to divest himself of his dripping greatcoat. "Here, Tom," said he, "bring your old Cyclops eye to bear this way, will you. Go and hang that up in the kitchen..."
The Molletts are up to something. We are alerted by this brief exchange:
“Well, I've got the usual remittance from the man in Bucklersbury. That was all as right as a trivet.”
“And no more than that? Then I tell you what it is; we must be down on him at once."
"But you forget that I got as much more last month, out of the usual course. Come, Aby, don't you be unreasonable.”
The usual remittance? Down on him? Much more last month? But no answers are forthcoming because Fanny interrupts and then Tom is in hearing distance. Something secretive is afoot!
And so it goes, old Mollett has been supposedly extorting? money for years, now young Mollett wants more. Trollope has been so detailed about other backstories, now he is not filling in anything. We get a notion about the victim in this brief exchange:
Old Moffat bemoans, ..."but hang me if I didn't drop four hundred of Sir Thomas's shiners coolly on the spot. That was the only big haul”
“You see the game's so much our own that there's nothing on hearth for us to fear.”
“I don't know that. If we were all blown, where should we ...."
“Why, she's your own—”
Sir Thomas! If we were blown? She's your own...?
I can't wait to find out more.
Hey. Happy you will be joining us, Judy!
LuciaI paused at that very line you quoted, and others similar, and wondered if there was a term for this. Comment that sets the narrator in the world of the story! I love it.
Lucia wrote: "LindaH wrote: "I feel sympathy for Owen despite that wild streak "Lady Clementina wrote: "As I do- I think with all the characters.."
So do I. I really enjoyed his reply to Miss Letty in ch 2 "Wi..."
Great line!!
Mod
I thought they have some sort of blackmail in mind- let's see if we get further detail in the next segment.
Mod
Lady Clementina wrote: "As I do- I think with all the characters.."
So do I. I really enjoyed his reply to Miss Let..."
It was- I enjoyed that as well.
Mod
Your comment makes me realize, I should have phrased my observation differently, as: it's interesting Trollope faults the lack of guidance (from Owen's relations, from Clara's mot..."
Mary- yes- I hadn't thought of her. I don't remember the part where he speaks of Dr Thorne's guidance. But it does make an interesting comparison.
Lucia,Thanks for pointing out the "two trails" that CR is following: the fictional one with romance and blackmail keeping us in suspense, and the historical one impacting us with the famine and the other moral and social issues of the period. I am looking forward to seeing how these issues will manifest themselves in the characters. I want to read up on the issues you mentioned, with CR as my tether.
From your handy Order of Events, it's easy to see why Trollope saved the famine for the chapter (7) following the Where (1) and the Who (2-6). The long preamble was necessary to his plans.
We will have to watch that Narrator, won't we?
Lucia, I chose CR as the Irish Trollope I wanted to read because it was described as "difficult ". (Yeah, there was romance and blackmail too!) Since you say you "struggled with the first chapters", maybe you know why this novel is described as difficult. I'm not saying that it was a breeze assimilating so much detail; I read the first five chapters twice and took notes so I could moderate a discussion. I'm just saying that, knowing I was going to take notes anyway, I wasn't paying attention to Difficulty. :)
Mod
I chose CR as the Irish Trollope I wanted to read because it was described as "difficult ". (Yeah, there was romance and blackmail too!) Since you say you "struggled with the first chapter..."
I actually had a bit of a mixed reaction to the first segment- I enjoyed the chapters that introduced us to the characters and their stories and dilemmas. The famine chapter felt a little stretched - if he had may be integrated the facts into the story more, it mayn't have felt it was so. But whatever I read, it did draw me into the story.
Mod
I chose CR as the Irish Trollope I wanted to read because it was described as "difficult ". (Yeah, there was romance and blackmail too!) Since you say you "struggled with th..."
Me too- I might have picked it up if I ever decided to read all the Trollopes but otherwise would have probably stuck with the ones that sounded more interesting.
Mod
The barony of Desmond...three homesteads:
The Castle Richmond family:
Sir Thomas Fitzgerald
Okay, right away I have questions. Who ..."
Re the Richmond family- Sir Thomas is probably a baronet, it seems: I assume he would have inherited the baronetcy from his father.
"It was a good, substantial, modern family residence, built not more than thirty years since by the late baronet, with a lawn sloping down to the river, with kitchen gardens and walls for fruit, with ample stables, and a clock over the entrance to the stable yard."
The "might have" reference seems to have been used in a comparative context- he was as a Leicestershire baronet would have been and his house as any English one in appearance.
Trollope would have been familiar with the beautiful houses in early 19c Ireland, one of which may have inspired his mental picture of the large family dwelling he called Castle Richmond. Since the lawn "slopes down to the river", I can guess why he chose the appellation Richmond...an old French word meaning rich or splendid + hill.Lady Clementina! I am happy for the clarification about "might have". The narrator is seems to be suggesting that the homestead plus the concerns therein could easily be representative of "English life". Reminds me of the words of that clerk in the publishing house: Readers only want to read about English life.
