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Rebel Queen
1893. Besant, English writer and humanitarian, practiced many branches of literary art with success, but he is most widely known for his long succession of novels, many of which enjoyed remarkable popularity. Partial Contents: The Grand Refusal; A Thing Impossible; The Cousins; Thy Name is Eve; An Explanation; Good Old Chronicle; Toujours, Toujours; In Delay There Lies No Plenty; Greatness Knows Itself; Who Steals My Purse Steals Trash; and Sweet Thames, Run Softly Till I End My Song. Due to the age and scarcity of the original we reproduced, some pages may be spotty, faded or difficult to read.
389 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1894
About the author
Walter Besant
928 books8 followersSir Walter Besant was a novelist and historian from London. His sister-in-law was Annie Besant. The son of a merchant, he was born in Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire and attended school at St Paul's, Southsea, Stockwell Grammar, London and King's College London. In 1855, he was admitted as a pensioner to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1859 as 18th wrangler. After a year as Mathematical Master at Rossall School, Fleetwood, Lancashire and a year at Leamington College, he spent 6 years as professor of mathematics at the Royal College, Mauritius. A breakdown in health compelled him to resign, and he returned to England and settled in London in 1867. He took the duties of Secretary to the Palestine Exploration Fund, which he held 1868-85. In 1871, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn.
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October 6, 2018
Francesca Elveda had been "consecrated from infancy to the advocacy of a great Cause" by her strong-willed mother Isabel, the cause of attaining female equality in Victorian society.
Her father Emanuel, a scientist and Sephardic Jew of orthodox opinion, left her mother when Francesca had just been born because his wife would not accept a position of submission. He left without being aware of Francesca's existence.
Twenty years later, just as Francesca is due to take over from her mother the position as leader of the women's movement, her father returns, and simultaneously she receives an offer of marriage from the young man she loves.
Sound like an interesting satire? It could have been, but Oy-yoy-yoh! this was a tough slog to plough through, for many reasons.
Generally speaking the Jewish community of the late 19th century were presented as being unashamedly governed by the acquisition of riches and the strict maintenance of gender roles. A contemporary reader may well feel uncomfortable with that.
Yet Besant was keen to explain the historical and cultural reasons for this, and believe it or wrote a largely sympathetic portrayal of the Jewish people, which heaven knows was rare enough in Victorian literature from what I've read.
No, prejudice was not the problem with this book. Most everything else was.
The Rebel Queen is, first and foremost, one of those novels where the characters are lifeless ciphers merely there to discuss the capitalized big ideas of the author in an expository, rhetorical manor - such as the Common Lot, the Law of Nature, the Passing Show etc.
Worse still, the plot was simply pig-stupid. Besant was so keen to set up his social experiments that he completely disregarded how to go about it, relying on incredible coincidences, unlikely secrets and inane circumstances to get him there.
All in all a commendable yet seriously flawed attempt by a well-meaning Victorian liberal to shed some light and sympathy on the Jewish community.
Her father Emanuel, a scientist and Sephardic Jew of orthodox opinion, left her mother when Francesca had just been born because his wife would not accept a position of submission. He left without being aware of Francesca's existence.
Twenty years later, just as Francesca is due to take over from her mother the position as leader of the women's movement, her father returns, and simultaneously she receives an offer of marriage from the young man she loves.
Sound like an interesting satire? It could have been, but Oy-yoy-yoh! this was a tough slog to plough through, for many reasons.
Generally speaking the Jewish community of the late 19th century were presented as being unashamedly governed by the acquisition of riches and the strict maintenance of gender roles. A contemporary reader may well feel uncomfortable with that.
Yet Besant was keen to explain the historical and cultural reasons for this, and believe it or wrote a largely sympathetic portrayal of the Jewish people, which heaven knows was rare enough in Victorian literature from what I've read.
No, prejudice was not the problem with this book. Most everything else was.
The Rebel Queen is, first and foremost, one of those novels where the characters are lifeless ciphers merely there to discuss the capitalized big ideas of the author in an expository, rhetorical manor - such as the Common Lot, the Law of Nature, the Passing Show etc.
Worse still, the plot was simply pig-stupid. Besant was so keen to set up his social experiments that he completely disregarded how to go about it, relying on incredible coincidences, unlikely secrets and inane circumstances to get him there.
All in all a commendable yet seriously flawed attempt by a well-meaning Victorian liberal to shed some light and sympathy on the Jewish community.
Displaying 1 of 1 review