Guy Fawkes: A Historical Romance

by William Harrison Ainsworth

The novel Guy Fawkes first appeared as a serial in Bentley's Miscellany, between January and November 1840. It was subsequently published as a three-volume set in July 1841, with illustrations by George Cruikshank. The first of William Harrison Ainsworth's seven "Lancashire novels", the story is based on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, an unsuccessful attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Ainsworth relied heavily on historical documents describing the trial and execution of the conspirators, of whom Fawkes was one, but he also embellished the known facts. He invented the character of Viviana Radcliffe, daughter of the prominent Radcliffe family of Ordsall Hall – who becomes Fawkes's wife – and introduced gothic and supernatural elements into the story, such as the ability of the alchemist, John Dee, to raise the spirits of the dead.

The novel was very popular, and marked the beginning of Ainsworth's 40-year career in historical romances, but it was not universally admired. Edgar Allan Poe described the style of writing as "turgid pretension".

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Gothic

205 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1841

About the author

William Harrison Ainsworth was educated at Manchester Grammar School and later articled to a solicitor, deserting this profession for literature.

Among his best known novels are The Tower of London (1840), Old St. Paul's (1841), Windsor Castle (1843) and The Lancashire Witches (1848).

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF Whatever else Guy Fawkes was, I question his dabbling in the occult, which is asserted here. And not just petty occultism either, but attending a séance where a 'prophetess' is raised from the dead to question, among other things, if his future plans will succeed. Once I saw the way the wind was blowing, that was enough for me.


Remember, remember, the Fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the King!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 1841, 50 some years after William Wilberforce had finally in 1791 passed the Catholic Relief Act via Parliament. Full rights restored in 1826 by the Catholic Emancipation Act. The author's stated goal for this book was that it be an exploration in the need for religious tolerance. A worthy goal, my dear Ainsworth, but while you may be a contemporary of Charles Dickens, you lack his skill with the pen. You wrote a book that is so bad, its good.
If you have no idea what the Gunpowder Plot is, don't read this book. Ainsworth assumes the audience is well acquainted with the history and conspiracy theories surrounding the Gunpowder Plot. Even as someone who has written extensively on the Gunpowder Plot and representation of Fawkes in art and modern day impact for college papers proved not enough in so far as keeping the timeline straight in my head.
This is due to the fact that most of the first half of this book is plot contrivances with little to no basis in history. This book is only slightly more accurate than the movie Braveheart, and seeks to romanticize Guy Fawkes. The characters in this book bare only a passing resemblance to the real people.
Much of the problem with this book comes down to terrible dialogue, random histories of buildings, swamps, and garden which bog down the pacing, and more mellow drama than an already interesting conspiracy really needs. The characters feel like caricatures of their historical figures. Robert Catesby spends half of the book as a classic mustache twirling villain. Guy Fawkes is the brooding Byronic antihero. Viviana the suffering maiden who will meet a tragic end for love.
This book is technically terrible. The second half is better though still poorly written when it sticks more closely to the facts. The government conspiracy angel is introduced to late in the book. To much time spent on a love square and Viviana being both the best character in this book because she is entirely fictional, and also being an idiot. This book wont really help you get inside the characters' heads. It's to over the top for that.
So if this book is so deeply flawed, why give it four stars. Well, to quote Jessica Rabbit, "He makes me laugh." This book has some of the most ridiculous lines of dialogue I've come across since Attack of the Clones. I nearly did a few spit takes due to laughing so hard while reading this book. Whether it be the descriptions of Catesby and Fawkes and how good their legs look in trousers, a servant recognizing a tied up Catesby due to his "well formed legs", Viviana arguing that no consent means a non binding marriage and Catesby basically going consent, never heard of it, or the fact that this book has a necromancer running around and a poison that sounds an awful lot like a certain poison from Princess Bride this book is a wild ride of pulp fiction at it's most entertaining.
This book reads like The Gunpowder Plot got thrown in a blender with The Princess Bride, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Oedipus Rex. There are portents of doom, ghosts and spirits warning Guy Fawkes of his doom should he persist. Viviana constantly choosing to suffer rather than save herself because love and a messiah complex. The love square was hilarious till it ended tragically. The book even seems to think its all stupid but fate and plot insist no characters in this book ever make a logical choice.
I should hate this book. It does just about everything I hate in s book. Telling rather than showing, love square, unnecessary drama, historical inaccuracies, shallow characters, and characters doing things because plot rather than their own agency. While I can think of so many ways to make this book better, I honestly love it as is. Sure it jumped the shark. But sometimes I just want to read a ludicrous book. It made me laugh. It entertained me. I will definitely be rereading it. Maybe I'll see about getting people together on November 5th to do a dramatic reading of portions of it while doing a Mystery Science Theater 3000 style commentary of it.

[Michael Bully · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Harrison Ainsworth 1805-1882 was the son of a Manchester solicitor and moved to London in 1824 to study law. As well as being a poet , magazine editor and journalist, Ainsworth belonged to a crop of Victorian novelists who were widely read during during the middle of the 19th century but fell from favour, being largely neglected by the end of his life. 'Guy Fawkes or The Gunpowder Treason -An Historical Romance' appeared by installments, included in 'Bentley's Miscellania' magazine from January 1840- November 1841

The historical novel was quite a new genre , arguably starting with Sir Walter's Scott's 'Waverley' from 1814. Whilst in 1829, the Test Act was passed, which removed the restrictions that Roman Catholics faced within academia and in entering various professions, it is not surprising that a historical novel about the Gunpowder Treason would emerge.

In the introduction, Ainsworth emphasised that in writing the novel " One doctrine I have endeavoured to enforce throughout -Toleration" . He also traced the origin of the Gunpowder Treason as a response to "The tyrannical measures adopted against the Roman Catholics in the early part of the reign of James the First."

The novel is intriguing. The main historical aspects of the Gunpowder Plot emerge though the leading lady Viviana , a Roman Catholic heiress, who is a fictional character. Viviana is prone to getting upset and expressing a death wish if she didn't get her way, but plucky in a crisis. Whilst experiencing great misfortune at the hands of the authorities on account of her faith, she still does everything that she can in her power to stop the 'Plot from going ahead.In fact Viviana embodies the Catholics' opinion who were horrified at the thought of the Gunpowder Treason and the mass casualties it would have caused had it got any further. A counter balance to the ruthless fanaticism of the 'Plot's leader , Robert Catesby, who is depicted as the typical narcissist, pursuing his aims at whatever cost.

In some respects Fawkes becomes a caricature in the novel. Where idealism, fanaticism and action combine - a believer who was also prone to visions of Saint Winifred-but not so far removed from Catesby's 'by any means necessary' approach. Fawkes is shown -perhaps with good reason- as a potential avenging angel against religious persecution, but equally capable of leading a massacre against heretics. But the novel seems a worthy attempt to understand the psychology of the 'Plotters, and perhaps this was its impact at the time of publication.

One of the leading male characters besides the 'Plotters and Jesuit priests, is Humphrey Chetham, ( 1580-1653) . Chetham was certainly a wealthy Protestant cloth merchant by the 1620's, later to become one of the leading citizens of Manchester of his era and a well know philanthropist. There is no evidence that Chetham had any contact with the conspirators or held any particular standing in 1605.

And there are some quite strange themes presented during the first part of the novel. Famous psychics, astronomers, and occultists- Doctor John Dee and Edward Kelly- appear as minor characters. Fawkes also arrives in the city at start of the tale, in the Summer of 1605. He later takes part in some necromancy ceremony with Dee and Kelly, though there is no evidence that Fawkes was ever in Manchester. In fact the idea that Fawkes would feel an affinity with Dee and Kelly is plain odd even as fictional device,

The landscape of Lancashire is evoked as quite a haunting and dismal place with Ordshall Cave having runes carved into its ceiling, whilst a chase on horse back takes place across the treacherous Chat Moss marshland. After a more Gothic beginning, the novel becomes reconciled with the more traditional narrative of the Gunpowder Plot.

For all the novels claims of promoting Toleration, I can quite imagine some historians of today resenting the connections forged between leading Jesuits, particularly Father Henry Garnet who blesses the 'Plotters in the novel. Though Garnet was later tried and executed in 1606 for alleged complicity in the Gunpowder Treason, his guilt is disputed by many. One of the main persecutors of the English Catholics, Richard Topcliffe, appears in many scenes during the novel, though he had in fact died at the end in December 1604.

Overall, an interesting novel which offers an intriguing insight to how the 'Plot was viewed during the mid 19th century : An era where Catholic Emancipation became acceptable and the rise of the popular historical novel made its impact .

[Bill Fairclough · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read and if you are interested in history & how MI6 used Guy Fawkes and another bad "old boy" from St Peter’s School York, read on!

Best see the news at TheBurlingtonFiles website for 5 November 2022 about Guy Fawkes & MI6 and then read about me, Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington in the spy thriller Beyond Enkription in The Burlington Files series of fact based spy novels. See https://theburlingtonfiles.org/news_2....

Beyond Enkription is the first of six stand-alone autobiographical spy novels in The Burlington Files series based on my life and experiences while working as an agent for MI6, the CIA et al for circa 50 years (see https://lnkd.in/gA6E6WR).

To really get the most out of reading Beyond Enkription I suggest you first browse through my bio on TheBurlingtonFiles website and then read three brief news articles published on TheBurlingtonFiles website. One is about Bill Fairclough (August 2023), characters' identities (September 2021) and Pemberton's People (October 2022). What is amazing is that these articles were only published many years after Beyond Enkription itself was. You’ll soon be immersed in a whole new world!

Beyond Enkription is an intriguing unadulterated factual thriller and a great read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots. If you do ... just carry on reading le Carré. After all, I am neither an author nor spy by profession. I was a mere accountant.

In fact, Colonel Alan Brooke Pemberton CVO MBE, initially my handler and later my colleague, once said the best spies don’t know they have been recruited. He was right and in many ways Beyond Enkription is conceptually about just that which is why an American critic rated it as a five star read “being up there with My Silent War by Kim Philby and No Other Choice by George Blake”.

[Love of Hopeless Causes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pope Elizabeth has a bad time, or something like that. Assumes the reader knows things that I do not, and so fails to inspire a continued reading. DNF: twenty minutes.

[PrettyFlamingo]

I decided to DNF this as it went totally against the reality of history and I can't imagine Guy Fawkes as a 17th century James Bond, unfortunately.

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1984. I read this in an undated, late-19th century "edition de luxe" published in London by Howell & Co.:] The subtitle calls this "an historical romance," and, as always with Ainsworth, one is acutely aware of the factual documentation lying just beneath the surface. Despite that, I think Ainsworth has probably romanticized Fawkes out of all existence by making him the most admirable of the conspirators, and giving him a secret marriage to a very noble young woman with the highly romantic name of Viviana Radcliffe. One of Ainsworth's most irritating quirks - one he indulges far more than his mentor, Scott - is to introduce a place -an old house, say - and then give us an update on its condition "now" - i.e. mid-nineteenth century. Bad enough for contemporary readers - for us it adds another layer of necessary historical sympathy! There is, on the other hand, a curious satisfaction, not to my knowledge properly analyzed in any of the critical literature, in the very solidity of Ainsworth's history. The illusion (if such it is) of actually learning something is quite astonishing. In this book, in fact, I learned altogether more than I wanted to know about early Stuart devices of torture and methods of execution. There was, on the romance side, Ainsworth's usual mixing in of the supernatural, this time in the person of Doctor Dee, and the speaking corpse and crystal ball which foretell Fawkes' fate. Ainsworth has quite cleverly sidestepped the lack of suspense in the too-well-known story of the gunpowder plot, and substitutes a concern (Viviana's) with whether Fawkes will properly repent his crime. Hence also the appearance of St. Winifred. But whether by accident of design, this is certainly the bloodthirstiest of the novels so far, beginning and ending with executions; a clear forefather of the Penny Dreadfuls.

[John Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading Guy Fawkes: The Gunpowder Treason by William Harrison Ainsworth this past week?a cross between Dan Brown and Robert Harris. Discovered it after reading this recommendation in the introduction to Charles River Editors' "The Gunpowder Plot of 1605: The History of the Famous Conspiracy to Assassinate King James I of England": "In the 19th century, as Fawkes began to undergo a sort of character rehabilitation, beginning with William Harrison Ainsworth's 1841 historical fiction Guy Fawkes; or, The Gunpowder Treason. Suddenly, Fawkes became an anti-hero who had the best interest of the public at heart and was taking action to effect change. Other British literature of the century depicted Fawkes as some sort of action hero. In 2005's Remember, Remember: A Cultural History of Guy Fawkes Day, writer J.A.Sharpe noted Fawkes is sometimes remembered tongue-in-cheek as "the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions." With that new perception of Fawkes taking hold, Fawkes managed to become a symbol of defiance against government."

[Roger Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a great book. Although its title might suggest an historical story, it is almost totally fiction. It is written almost 200 years after the event, so it does not even contain reliable descriptions of life at the time of the event. Being basically Victorian fiction, it has to have a love story where the girl falls in love with Guy Falkes, but can never have him (which luckily means that there is no sex scene). The only factual part of the story are the names of the main conspirators.
Ainsworth loves describing torture and magic, in fact the three book of his that I have read heavily involve these features. This book is no exception and the descriptions do not add anything to, in fact detract from, the story. and are totally unnecessary.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read Ainsworth's witches and bought a nice 19th century copy of this a few years ago and finally got around to reading it. The first part was definitely the best, with John Dee turning up unexpectedly, necromancy, prophecy and all kinds of supernatural parts. The ending felt a bit too flat. While he wanted to get across the history of the minor conspirators not having them be as important in the rest of the story meant that it was a bit dull. The added woman character Viviana was really great. It was still a bit confusing to see what exactly their motives were, but nice to see that even in the 19th century it was recognised to be a set up.

[Shelby Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend gave me this book, knowing I take an odd pleasure in feasting my mind on descriptive and detailed British literature, and I was by no means disappointed in this selection. Ainsworth is a master of creating mental landscapes with words, and the pace of the storyline moves at a steady rate. The style of writing isn't what I was expecting, very straightforward, but not glossing over anything of interest. The author not only portrayed the events leading up to the infamous 5th of November, but also artfully tied up all loose ends by following the various fellow conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot to their inevitable destinies. The characters are several, but their attributes are clearly defined to each, and the development of their personalities are well rounded by the end of the book.
I would recommend this work for more advanced readers, as Ainsworth's characters frequently discourse in almost Shakespearean dialect. There were also a few paragraphs I found myself wanting to skip due to the nearly superfluous nature of the conversation or description, but they were quickly swallowed up in the following chapters; they may have been unnecessary, but in the end they added subtlety to the development of the plot. I would also add, this is not a particularly easy read, there is no Dickensian wit or Austenian satire to lighten the tone, and by the end of the third part the reader will have at least a passable knowledge of the governmental structure and proceedings of justice under King James, as well as the preferred methods of extracting information from religious and political dissidents.
On the whole, I enjoyed Guy Fawkes; the descriptive powers of the author, the gripping nature of the tale he tells, the verbal painting of the settings of the story, and the constant moral questions and striving between the characters makes this a must-read for lovers of great British literature.

[Levent Mollamustafaoglu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a sort of "historical novel" written in the archaic and slow-moving style of 19th century literature. The only value of the book is possibly in the clear list of events and characters that were influential in the "Gunpowder plot", although some of it consists of conjectures on events that are not known for sure.

For those who are not familiar with the historical events, here is a summary: Elisabeth I has reigned as a relatively moderate queen in terms of religious affairs. As she was about to die childless, Catholics hoped that a Catholic Queen or King (preferably from mostly Catholic Scotland) could take the throne. When Mary the Queen of Scots was executed, these hopes disappeared. Elisabeth was succeeded by her cousin (twice removed) James who initially had a moderate approach to Catholics and had a de facto cease fire with Spain, but due to his perception that the Catholic Church was trying to gain influence in England, he banned the Catholic religion and sent away the clergy. Some Catholics then plotted to place a lot of explosives near and under the Parliament to blow up the King and the MPs on the day of opening of the Parliament. The plot was discovered through an anonymous letter and the plotters were either captured or killed. The ones who got captured were strangled, drawn and quartered and the heads were put on spikes and displayed in front of the Parliament.

Seeing some of the religious conflicts today and the effects of these in the form of suicide bombing or other atrocious methods of terror, it is sometimes easy to forget that this was the case in the Medieval era as well, with all sides using torture, persecution, terror and similar mechanisms to establish their superiority.

Mildly interesting book but very difficult to read for a modern reader.

[Robert burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel about the gun power plot, by a victorian author who is forgotten today. He was once known as the English Sir Walter Scott because of his historical romances.