The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Tempest has embraced the wealthy life-style with a passion. He also is spending a lot of time at Lord Elton's, who looks favourably on Tempest's courtship of his daughter, Lady Sibyl.
Sybil is described as being cold and unforthcoming, but she does eventually agree to marry him.
Why does she finally say yes?

We meet Lady Elton, Lord Elton's paralysed wife, who has singular and drastic reaction to a song that Lucio, who had previously mesmerized his hearers by his piano playing, sings in a wonderful voice.
Do we learn anymore about Lucio from this occurrence?

We meet Diana Chesney again, and she is miserably treated by Sybil, who as far as I can see has no positive qualities, while Diana comes across as a sympthetic character.
Do you agree with my assessment?

Tempest now has a complete writer's block, which doesn't prevent him from writing a scathing review of Mavis Claire's work. And we still have not met Mavis Claire in person!

Lastly, Tempest takes possession of Willowsmere. We also learn that the events which he narrates happened three years previously.

Please feel free to share any of your thoughts on the characters and events in the book.

Mavis Claire is really getting a buildup! And from the idyllic description of her cottage, as well as Lady Sibyl’s recollection of her as a child, she seems to be being set up as a pre-Fall Eve living in Eden.

I’m not quite so harsh about Lady Sibyl, who at least seems willing to tell Tempest the truth (or part of it) about the terms of their bargain. She believes she has no alternative to being sold by her father, and if she allows herself to be sold to Tempest, she gets to return to Willowsmere. Does Tempest really deserve better?

I wonder if Tempest will see less of Lucio once he’s married, and how that will influence his thinking. As for Lucio, Corelli seems to regard him as an almost poignant figure, yearning to return to heaven but having no path for getting there.

Diana Chesney feels like the only non-allegorical character in the book, and as such she’s rather refreshing.

Tempest doesn't really deserve anything since he's become wealthy.
I didn't like the rudeness Sybil showed to Diana when asked whether she was going out to dinner with her.

Yes, that was snotty, and needlessly mean to a young woman who might be lonely and/or uncertain so far away from home.

Marie Corelli must have enjoyed writing the part where Tempest realizes a woman is a better writer than he is, and he starts spouting typical opinions about woman's place. The idea of a bad review just out of spite hasn't changed a bit. Here on GR, if you look at any book written by a politician or someone who has taken public positions on issues, you will see reviews of 1 star by people who haven't read the book, but attack the writer. Another resemblance to today is that Sybil is an "influencer" - she gets discounted clothes for wearing them in public and praising them.

I'm glad you mentioned that about the clothes, Robin. Just like the "celebrities" who wear designer clothes at award ceremonies.

I was shocked at the literary and publishing world as Corelli described. And shocked to know, that kind of thing still goes on.
Sybil being an "influencer" came as somewhat a surprise to me.
It seems that some things haven't changed much from then to now!

After reading this section, my opinion on Tempest and Lucio is kind of reversed. Tempest really is going down the hill, morally, although he is materially successful. It was shocking beyond words how spiteful he had become, writing a scathing review of a book because it was good and because it was written by a woman! Lucio, on the other hand, improved on me. I liked his gesture towards the poor girl. He seems much more sympathetic to me than Tempest and his aristocratic buddies. And I think I do know "who" Lucio is. :)

Sybil is still an enigma to me. I didn't like that she picked up on Diana. She is resentful of any alliance between her father and Diana, and her rudeness stems from that. Yet, it's no excuse for her to be downright rude to Diana.

Sybil's acceptance of Tempest was not surprising. She was to be "purchased" by the highest bidder. I did like Sybil's outpouring about herself. She wants Geoffery to know what kind of woman she is. I felt a bit of sympathy for her cold though she may be. Her upbringing and her knowledge of how her future will be formed (she'll be nothing but a trophy wife) have made her what she is. A life with her won't be easy for Tempest. In a way, it's a just punishment for who he had become.

Mavis Claire intrigues me. I hope we'll learn more about her in the coming chapters.

So do I, but I hope Mavis isn't a disappointment when we do meet her.

Rosemarie wrote: "So do I, but I hope Mavis isn't a disappointment when we do meet her."

Ah, that is there. I hope so too, Rosemarie.

Tempest is tormented by the fact that he wants his book to be admired and he wants to be loved by his fiancée for his writing/himself alone, and of course neither appears to be the case here. He lies to Lucio about Sybil accepting him for himself alone, to make himself feel better (which of course fails).

Sybil is unkind to Diana, but I felt it came more from her belief that Diana is simply there and waiting for her mother to die so that she can marry Lord Elton, and I don't see that being part of Diana's plan-she says quite frankly that she is unsure about marrying a title at this point (whether her father would force her to do so remains to be seen). Diana wants to be a friend/confidante of Lady Sybil, who is so icily cold that this seems unlikely. I do think that if in fact she and Tempest could move to Willowsmere after their marriage and stay there, they might be happy together, but I can't imagine Tempest agreeing to that once they are married.

Lucio appears to be trying to earn his passage back to heaven-his appreciation of the beggar's blessing suggests this. Whenever he appears to have known someone in the past-Lady Elton, the Prince of Wales among others-I wonder if that is implying that they have also made some sort of bargain with him.

The scene with Lady Elton was harrowing-she changed so quickly-for the the worse.

In this section Tempest seems to reveal a split personality. It is as if he can recognise the goodness and admire the talent and deserved popularity of Mavis Clare yet at the same time he outwardly reviles her. His unjust and false review of her book was just spiteful.

Tempest’s concern for Diana Chesney again doesn’t fit with the callous woman hater that he has become. Maybe there is still some softness in that ever hardening heart but at least she deserves his sympathy after the hurtful put downs by Lady Sybil.

Lady Sybil has at least been honest about her lack of feelings for Tempest (and almost everyone else) but he fails to acknowledge the truth that he wants her for her good looks alone and couldn’t care less about her as a person. All his cooing to her about how her love for him will grow is drivel.

She still seems to have her eyes on the Prince, and all her admissions to Tempest about her attitudes and feelings would make them a good match. So could Tempest’s nightmare begin with a ménage à trois? Maybe the shindig at Willowsmere will turn out to be diabolical for Tempest.

It's obvious that Sybil is attracted to Lucio, but we have no idea how he feels about her, other than the fact that he is helping Tempest get her.
It would be an odd set up, Trev.

Rosemarie wrote: "It's obvious that Sybil is attracted to Lucio, but we have no idea how he feels about her, other than the fact that he is helping Tempest get her.
It would be an odd set up, Trev."

Lucio tells Tempest that he dislikes all women but I am intrigued to know how that manifests itself. Could it be that he is out to humiliate them or is he just satisfied in shunning them? He has also told Tempest that he won’t be around much once he marries Lady Sybil so maybe I am wrong about the triangle.
There is also his fascination with the beetle which we now find out was once an Egyptian princess. It could send your imagination into overdrive as to why he carries such an object around with him.

That beetle creeps me out!

I think that he hates women because of something that happened in the past, in his case probably the very long past. Was it the princess?

Maybe Lucio says he dislikes women because he finds them less corruptible than men? Thinking about the era in which this was written, there was a lot of idealizing women (the angel of the hearth and all that), so Corelli might be playing off of that stereotype.

I found the quote about women. Lucio states:

But do not forget why I hate them! It is because they have all the world's possibilities of good in their hands, and the majority of them deliberately turn these possibilities to evil. Men are influenced entirely by women, though few of them will own it

Aha! It was all the fault of Eve!

Good catch, Rosemarie!

Thanks!

Sybil is very cold but is also definitely a realist. She knows her family needs money, and she will be required to marry wealth. It does seem to be a form of selling her even though it was common practice.

I feel like Lucio’s song was deliberately chosen to punish Lady Elton for what he feels are her misdeeds. I can’t help but think that his fall has to do with temptation of a woman. That’s the only thing that makes sense of his hatred and comments about women.

Tempest boils down to a man wanting/needing love. Love of a beautiful woman, love of status in society, and admiration (a form of love) by his readers.

I do hope we finally find out the exact reason why Lucio hates women so much. And also the mystery behind that creepy beetle.