The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

The Heroine, Or, Adventures of a Fair Romance Reader Week 3: Chapters XXV - XXIV

Wow, Cherry sure has had her share of adventures this week.

1) When arriving at Lady Gwyn's mansion what do you think she expected her reception would be? Do you think she ever considered there would be some resistance to someone handing over all their property to her?

2) Why do you think was going on in Lady Gwyn's mind when Cherry announced that was the rightful heiress of everything that Lady Gwyn possessed?

3) At one point Cherry is convinced she is going to be murdered and yet, readily accepts a draught offer to her by Lady Gwyn. Did she not stop to think being poisoned was a way to be murdered?

4) Do you believe the captive woman is Cherry's mother? How, do you think, it will affect the story if she is? Or, if she is not?

5) What did you think of the procession and crowning of Cherry at the ball? Why do you think Lady Gwyn decided to this course of action?

6) Do you think Lady Gwyn's reaction to the broken vase was reasonable? Or was there some other reason for her being beside herself?

7) Cherry has an interesting plan to take possession of Monkton, arranging credit to make it livable, furnishing it, and hiring servants. How do you see this working out?

I hope your flood situation is getting managed, Gem!

This section ran off the rails pretty badly, I felt. The whole scene with the midnight trip to the “mother’s” cell and the over-the-top ball were totally crazy, as was allowing Cherry to appear in her makeshift costume. I am assuming that Stuart set all this up and offered Lady Gwyn money to take in Cherry for the time being, to keep her safe while he hunts for her father. But even so it went to ridiculous lengths. And the “narrative” of her supposed parents’ history was bizarre and baffling (though the epigraphs had me laughing myself silly).

Stuart certainly seems better able than anyone else to manage Cherry, but it’s hard to believe he retains any respect for her, regardless of his protestations. And her way of playing along with his manipulation makes me wonder how much she really believes her own nonsense.

If Cherry’s plan about furnishing and inhabiting Monkton Castle works out as envisioned, her poor father will emerge from the madhouse only to find himself in the poorhouse. Unless it’s Stuart who will foot the bill, and who knows how much money he has.

And no, I don’t believe the woman is Cherry’s mother; she’s another person hired by Stuart to keep Cherry entertained. Cherry’s mother was Mrs. Wilkinson and she’s dead, isn’t she?

I wonder what Stuart and Lady Gwyn's long game is. Seems like a lot of work to appease a deluded teenager. This section was a bit hard to read. I have a hard time being around people who are embarrassing themselves.

It was definitely cringey in several places? Maybe I’m an innocent but my assumption has been that Stuart wanted to protect his lady love while her father was hors de combat and thought she was too vulnerable in the company she was keeping in London. Lady Gwyn seemed at least respectable so he paid her to keep Cherry for a while. I think he cooked up the visit to the “mother” to keep her entertained and prevent her running away. Look how well that worked out! I expect he’ll have to post back down to the countryside early in the next section.

I listen to a lot of Dungeon Synth on YouTube while working and writing, and the other day I was reading the names of the creators and albums and wondering if these people also attended the Cherubina de Willoughby school of melodramatically tragic poetry.
Some names: Amorphous Dreams, MoonKeeper, Dreadwood Prophecies, Spirit of Sorrow, lots of album names with "knight" in the title, Chronicles of the Forest Temple Siege, Eteline (Cherry would like that one), Lullaby for the Duke's Daughter...

😂😂😂

Lori wrote: "I wonder what Stuart and Lady Gwyn's long game is. Seems like a lot of work to appease a deluded teenager. This section was a bit hard to read. I have a hard time being around people who are embarr..."

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Cherry is a deluded teenager. I find her beyond annoying given she doesn't think about anyone but herself, for the most part.

I think Cherry is intended to be a comic construction, not a psychologically realistic character. One reason long-form satire is so hard to sustain is that the characters have to behave in unnatural ways. I’m actually finding Cherry a little more complex than the usual satire protagonist, though. When she’s with Stuart especially, glimpses of her potential adult human self peek through. Sure, she’s very self-centered and I would argue willfully deluded, but I think she can be brought back to reality. In the meantime, she’s certainly cutting a swath!

Abigail wrote: "I think Cherry is intended to be a comic construction, not a psychologically realistic character. One reason long-form satire is so hard to sustain is that the characters have to behave in unnatura..."

Good evaluation. I can never keep up with long-form satire... I often don't "get" it.