The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

As Tempest starts to live in luxury, he notices that his creative talent has dried up. As he gets his book ready for publishing, he notices that his book is nobler than its writer.
Are there any other changes in Tempest?

Lucio explains how to gain fame and access to society-something called "booming".
Just what exactly is Lucio talking about? Does something similar occur nowadays?

Tempest encounters Lady Sybil Eaton in a box at the theatre and is smitten. Lucio and Tempest dine at the Eatons and we meet another new character, Miss Diana Chesney.
Any first impressions about the new characters?

Another setting is a gambling den, a very exclusive private club. What happens there?
How is Tempest's personality deteriorating as he gets used to his wealth?

Why does Tempest buy Willowsmere, a country estate?

We encounter once more Lucio's cynical view of women and Tempest's totally clueless attitude to women.
Why do you think Lucio is so bitter?

Please comment on anything that you notice or wonder about.

About "booming" - It made me think of today's internet celebrities, memes, tweets, etc. I think it was Andy Warhol that talked about everyone getting "15 minutes of fame". I am sometimes happy to see news about celebrities because I feel like those are stories I don't need to read/listen to. I think I ought to know about politics, science, etc. but I don't need to know about the Kardashians. I remember one year a coworker said she never voted because it was too hard to follow the different candidates and their views. But she knew all the details about Survivor and similar TV shows.

It's disturbing but unfortunately realistic that Tempest doesn't want to help anyone who is in the position he used to have. There are certainly people like that today (even though he knows he got rich through dumb luck.) He has the instinct to forgive the debt of the man who loses to him, maybe more to show off how rich he is than out of charity. But Lucio talks him out of that.

Tempest appears to be totally under the sway of Lucio so far.

Tempest is falling further under the spell of his wealth and power. In order to win Lay Sybill he purchases her childhood home, and speaks later of his wish to "conquer and subdue" her.

Tempest also becomes quite annoyed when people doubt his interest or ability to continue as an author now that he is wealthy, and of course he is showing no further interest in writing in his daily life. As Lucio says in ch. 7 -now you are encased in a pachydermatous covering of gold, which adequately protects you from such influences as might have made you start and writhe, perhaps even roar with indignation, and in the access of fierce torture, stretch out your hand and grasp-quite unconsciously-the winged thing called Fame!

I rather liked the young American woman, Diana Chesney (Diana the huntress? Virgin Goddess?) and look forward to seeing if she buys herself a title or remains independent.

I'm not sure what to make of Lady Sibyl-she is mostly made to sound lovely and pure and her love of her home and admiration for Mavis Clare is in her favour, and yet we also hear that she is not very bright and at times seems cold and haughty.

I do hope we will meet Mavis Clare-is she a Maria Corelli figure?

We might find out in our next section.

Tempest is sinking deeper and deeper into the mire of selfishness. He is now aiming to fulfil all his physical and emotional desires using his newly gained wealth and power. With Lucio as his provider who can stop him?

Booming (or bribing) to gain success seems just as prevalent today as it was then, only today there are probably more influencers around willing to accept the boom/bribe than the select few described by Marie Corelli.

Tempest has set out to use his wealth and fame to win Lady Sybil purely on the strength of her attractiveness. He doesn’t seem to care about her personality or how they might get on as a married couple. Lady Sybil seems more interested in the prince than Tempest. Her coldness towards him hardly affects his pursuit of her especially when he buys her former home just to impress her.

I thought that the author made one or two scathing remarks about Americans when Diana Chesney was introduced, but maybe they were sarcastic comments relating the popular British view. She was an interesting character and hopefully we will read more of her.

Mavis Clare is a mysterious figure. For a brief moment I thought she could become Geoffrey Tempest’s salvation. But we know that he is writing about his past and things get much worse for him, so I am intrigued as to the part she will play in the story.

Trev wrote: "Booming (or bribing) to gain success seems just as prevalent today as it was then, only today there are probably more influencers around willing to accept the boom/bribe than the select few described by Marie Corelli.."

Interesting contrast when at the end of Ch 12 the Earl says I call it damned impertinence...on the part of a newspaper to presume to teach me what I ought to read, or...appreciate. I"m quite capable of forming my own judgement on any book that ever was written...these reviewers who give themselves such airs with a pennorth of ink and a pen, are mostly half-grown half-educated boys who for a couple of guineas a week undertake to tell the public what they think of such and such a book...Editors of responsible journals ought to know better than to employ such young coxcombs just because they can get them cheap...

This not only disparages the review work that Tempest himself used to do, but also casts some doubt on the value of the reviews he has purchased to Boom himself and his novel (and Tempest does express surprise earlier that the Earl had never heard of him as an author, despite all the money he had spent so far to promote himself and his book). Also, a bit earlier, Lady Sybil praises Mavis Claire despite the fact that the reviewers are negative about her, stating that they never read reviews.

Trev wrote: "Booming (or bribing) to gain success seems just as prevalent today as it was then, only today there are probably more influencers around willing to accept the boom/bribe than the select few described by Marie Corelli."

Oh, yes. As a writer and editor, I can confirm that this still happens. Down to the detail described by the publisher where they will make it look like he has sold more books than he actually has. People with money and influence, or who have followers with money and influence, can and do reach the top of the NYT best-sellers list that way (of course I'm not saying all of the top sellers are there artificially, but it happens. A lot).

I also get the idea that Sibyl will be willing to marry Tempest but is more attracted to the Prince (I suppose he is devilishly handsome?).

Is it just me, or was Lucio hinting that Diana Chesney's father and Mavis Clare might also have had some help from "the devil"? Seems pretty much everyone has that we've met so far. Though I would like to see Mavis Clare turn out to be someone who got that far just by her own power.

Like Lori, I was struck in the passages about the publishing industry by how little has changed. A book’s success, and even acceptance, by a publisher is very driven by how easily it can be marketed, with only a few books chosen to receive a heavy focus each season. There are book marketers who will pledge to make your book a best-seller (for the right price, of course), and the various best-seller lists are totally manipulated. I once met a marketer who made books best-sellers by arranging lunchtime seminars at big corporations, but the usual way is to get them into as many book-seller chains and pharmacies as possible, regardless of whether they sell once there. And the book review sections of newspapers, while a dying breed in the USA at least, are still dominated by a small number of taste makers.

Tempest’s attitude about Lady Sibyl is curious and rather clumsily written. He seems very clear-eyed about her faults—not very intelligent, bad-tempered—but that only makes him want all the more to conquer her. Corelli wanted to show us those faults but for the ardent lover to narrate them seems awkward.

Diana Chesney’s way of speaking was strikingly vulgar when set against the British characters. She seems to be portrayed as the bumptious daughter of a self-made man, as opposed to many American heiresses who went to England to find a husband, who came from families of longer and more genteel heritage.

Mavis Clare is a promising character, I look forward to learning more.

Tempest is writing about the events that happened in the past for him, so maybe Lady Sybil's subsequent behaviour is reflected in his attitude.

I've not covered all the chapters in this section yet. From what I've read so far, I feel a curious similarity between this story and that of Oscar Wild's The Picture of Dorian Gray!

Piyangie wrote: "I've not covered all the chapters in this section yet. From what I've read so far, I feel a curious similarity between this story and that of Oscar Wild's The Picture of Dorian Gray!"

Yes, I read Dorian Gray very recently and was going to select it as a Moderator's Choice after we finish the Dumas project, but now I think I will wait on that, because the 2 books are so similar.

Abigail wrote: "Diana Chesney’s way of speaking was strikingly vulgar when set against the British characters. She seems to be portrayed as the bumptious daughter of a self-made man, as opposed to many American heiresses who went to England to find a husband, who came from families of longer and more genteel heritage."

While in general I've not found American heiresses portrayed particularly well in the books of the time, I quite enjoyed Diana Chesney so far-she certainly seems less refined, but she is owning her background quite comfortably and speaking frankly.

I like her too!

I finished this section and found I don't dislike Tempest as I thought I would. I don't like his egotism, nor his callous conduct towards his new acquaintances. Yet, I feel he is acting like any man who would have acted in such a prejudiced and cut-throat society. This doesn't mean that I approve of his sort, only that I can understand why he is behaving in that manner.

Lucio seems to be getting darker and darker with each chapter. I can't make him out yet, but he seems to be symbolic of moral corruption.

Out of the newly introduced characters, I liked Diana Chesney the best. She is so unaffected. I liked her naturality and ease. Surprisingly, I liked Lady Sybil as well. I feel that under the haughty demeanor a sensitive girl lives there. Her haughtiness I believe comes from the conventional Victorian upbringing of the children of aristocratic families. They are "taught" how to behave according to their ranks and status. Lady Sybil's anger at her nurse for not letting her acquaint herself with Mavis Clare says much about her. But as all aristocratic ladies, she "plays" her part that suits her rank.

One of my concerns about Tempest is just how easily he has become just what Lucio wants him to, at least externally. He's losing his sense of self, even though becoming more selfish at the same time.
Does that make sense?

I agree with your comments about the upbringing of young ladies, Piyangie. The "Season" was basically a marriage market where the parents displayed their goods-their daughters!
And Lord Elton had money issues, so he needed Sybil to marry money.

Rosemarie wrote: "One of my concerns about Tempest is just how easily he has become just what Lucio wants him to, at least externally. He's losing his sense of self, even though becoming more selfish at the same tim..."

It does, Rosemarie. Lucio epitomizes moral corruption, and under his power, Tempest looses his sense of "self", meaning that he becomes morally corrupt. The more morally corrupt he is, the more selfish he becomes.

I also was reminded of Dorian Gray while reading this, which has reminded me that I haven't yet read that one. I read three of Wilde's plays last year and would be interested in finally reading Dorian Gray. Along with this novel and Dorian Gray, Dracula was published this decade so this type of tale must be prevelant at this time.

So far, the female characters seem to have better values than the men, although that's a pretty low bar. The men (if actually men) are all self-centered and amoral, like the ubermen I previously referred to. Corelli also comments some on 'the modern women' and I am curious how that concept will affect the events in this tale.

Tempest is gradually being more and more corrupted under Lucio’s influence. He’s not only losing himself but he seems to be losing some of his humanity - especially compassion.

Lady Sybil seems to snub Tempest until she hears he’s buying her beloved childhood home. It’s interesting to see which one of them will use the other to a greater extent.

I, too, like Diana for her outspokenness and seeming comfort in her on skin.

That is a good point, Deborah-Sybil and Tempest are using each other, although Sybil is more aware of it than Tempest.

Rosemarie wrote: "That is a good point, Deborah-Sybil and Tempest are using each other, although Sybil is more aware of it than Tempest."

I read Dorian Gray just a month or so ago, and I thought it would make a great read for us. I was concerned it was too similar to this one, but the other Mods thought it was a good idea. It could be an interesting comparison. I can do it after the Musketeer Project finishes, maybe May.

May would be good, Robin. I've read Dorian Gray twice, but may read it again with the group. Stylistically it's completely different to Sorrows of Satan.