Susan Proudleigh

by Herbert G. de Lisser

Susan Proudleigh (1915) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Susan Proudleigh , one of the first West Indian novels to feature a Black protagonist, de Lisser captures the hope and struggle of a young woman leaving home for the first time. “She carried herself with an air of social superiority which was gall and wormwood to the envious; and often on walking through the lane she had noticed the contemptuous looks of those whom, with greater contempt, she called the common folks and treated with but half-concealed disdain. On the whole, she had rather enjoyed the hostility of these people, for it was in its way a tribute to her own importance.” Raised in a time of modernization in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, Susan Proudleigh is a young Black woman who dreams of improving her life. Perceived as a social climber, she becomes the target of disdain and cruelty from members of her community, especially other women. As she narrows her sights on a young man named Tom, whom she does not love but admires, and as Kingston suffers from a loss of economic vitality, Susan must choose whether to stay with her family or to move with Tom to Panama, where construction jobs abound. Susan Proudleigh is a realist portrait of twentieth century life in the Caribbean, a story of romance and ambition that examines the religious and social traditions of Jamaica in a period of massive cultural change. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Susan Proudleigh is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1915

Reviews

[Perry Whitford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proudleigh by name, proudly by nature; the life and loves of a Jamaican girl in the early 20th century.

The front cover of this book looked very enticing to me and as soon as I came across this passage on one of the very first pages I knew I was going to like it:

“They does dislike you, Susan,” agreed her aunt, by way of continuing the conversation, “an’ if them can hurt you, them will do it. But, after all, the Lord is on your side.” This remark proved to Susan that at such a crisis as this her family was worse than hopeless.

I can't recall the number of novels I have read by British or American writers published around the same time where the female lead would not have been allowed such a thought as that. Instantly I knew that this was going to be a no bullshit narrative, and all the better for it.

Susan is poor yet proud, she holds herself aloof from the other girls in her lane because she has one or two prettier frocks and a steady boyfriend who provides her with pin money. She invites petty rivalries, fighting with one enemy and having her "brought up" to the courthouse. It doesn't go particularly well for her.

Susan lives in her wishy-washy, layabout father and a uxoriously sententious aunt given to quoting from the Old Testament. Their sympathies are defined by their poverty, as are Susan's romantic entanglements.

Lisser's depictions of daily life in Kingston were unvarnished and highly descriptive, the narrative plain yet highly readable with a gentle current of irony, the characters all too human in all their pettifogging egotisms.

Obscure superstitions still hold sway, the girls want to lord it over each other, the guys are happy if they can end the night with a belly full of rum, everybody has a vague belief that as British citizens the Queen would send a gunboat to protect them if anyone messed with their rights.

In the second part the setting changed from Jamaica to Panama, where the construction of the canal brought over boatloads of West Indian workers for the extra money. Susan's boyfriend goes over and she has to decide what to do with him:

'Susan did not care much for Tom; in fact, she rather despised him. But times were hard in Kingston, and lovers were not easy to obtain'.

It may sound mercenary but how could it have been otherwise? When she eventually marries an older man with a steady job she doesn't care much for him either, nor Jones, the grandiloquent smooth talker who she is most attracted to. The status and security of marriage is desirable, but so is having some fun while you can.

A raw and amusing snapshot of Jamaican history.

[Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Susan Proudleigh is a lot like most Jamaican old time stories. We follow a young woman named Susan, who lives in downtown Kingston on a lively little lane with her parents and her adult siblings. Just about everyone is struggling to make ends meet but Susan is convinced that she is of a higher class than her counterparts and that she is destined for greater things.

Of course, she’s beautiful, ambitious, and sensible enough to seize every good opportunity that presents itself, be it through a generous suitor or a business venture.

But while this young woman is aiming to better herself, she is constantly confronted with situations that threaten to tempt her away from her goals: ordinary human impulses such as arrogance, jealousy, materialism and true love, if there is such a thing.

I admire Susan in so many ways. However, the most striking feature of this piece of literature is the remarkable talent of Herbert G. De Lisser. The story is good and the writing is even better. The author weaves satire and irony into his own very elegant style of writing in order to paint a vivid picture of early 20th century Jamaica: England was the motherland, Panama was the new El Dorado, women were asserting their own independence and men were learning to get with the programme.

Reading this novel was truly a pleasure.