The Inheritance

Nineteenth Century Scottish Women's Fiction

by Susan Edmonstone Ferrier

First published in 1824, The Inheritance is the second novel by Susan Ferrier (1782-1854). Following the triumph of her more famous work Marriage (1818), The Inheritance picks up Ferrier's favoured theme of tried and tested morality.

The focus here is on the fortunes of the young and innocent Gertrude St. Clair, who through the machinations of the desperate Mrs. St. Clair, leaves their home in France and arrives as heir apparent to the Scottish estate of Rossville. Contrary to the Earl of Rossville's plans however, Gertrude refuses the hand of the prepared suitor and instead falls under the spell of the ambitious and dashing Colonel Delmour. Ignoring the presence and guiding hand of the measured Edward Lyndsay who truly loves her, Gertrude throws herself into the bewitching gaieties of the fashionable world leaving all sense of duty behind her. Shadowing her light footsteps however is the figure of a mysterious and demanding stranger whose claim on Gertrude is to shape a very different future for her.

Humanising the strain of evangelism in the novel is the inclusion of a collection of highly amusing and colourful characters, which, as noted in the new introduction, helps to display The Inheritance as 'a novel which shows Ferrier's skills as a satirist and caricaturist in their best light and that remains moreover one of the greatest examples of domestic fiction in the Scottish literary tradition'.

Dr. Ronnie Young teaches in the Department of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow and is production editor for the Scottish Cultural Review of Language and Literature (SCROLL) series.

Genres: Classics

914 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1824

About the author

Susan Edmonstone Ferrier was a Scottish novelist. Her novels, giving vivid accounts of Scottish life and presenting sharp views on women's education, remained popular throughout the 19th century.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved both the books I have read from Susan Ferrier but why the incredibly sudden endings? That's why I take a star off, it's like she spends ages building the story and then all of a sudden hits you with "And they all lived happily ever after, The End". Aside from that if you like nineteenth century women’s fiction you'll love these, complete with dastardly lovers, family secrets, a Good Guy whose merits aren't found out until the end (then reader, she marries him) and so on and so forth. A lot of fun.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this version because it's the closest match to the book I actually have--an original, leather-bound in 3 volumes dated 1825--which my wife purchased for me for Christmas a few years ago. She knew nothing about the author (in fact, in my 3-volume set, her name is not listed--it's Susan Edmonstone Ferrier, a contemporary and acquaintance of Sir Walter Scott) but just thought the set looked old and cool. And, indeed, it is. But I had no idea whether or not I'd actually enjoy the novel.

Well, I finally got around to reading it and am pleased to report that I really enjoyed it! It's sort of a cross between Jane Austen (especially the first line of the novel!) and Charles Dickens, with a very strong moral sense that will likely strike modern readers as overly didactic, but which I found to be charming. There were a few instances in the novel when I laughed out loud due to the author's facility with drawing believable and humorous characters, and the predictably happy ending, though melodramatic, wasn't too maudlin. I'm really glad I read this and the old 3-volume set looks really cool on my bookshelf!

[Gem K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Pratt is my hero