Georgette Heyer Fans discussion
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The Quiet Gentleman
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The Quiet Gentleman Group Read December 2015 Spoilers thread
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Even earlier, there was Sir Andrew Aguecheek, so perhaps the greatest English writer of them all began that practice. (The allegorical names in medieval plays may be too obvious to count.)
Needless to say, love Shakespeare and mediaeval drama as well...still looking for a spot for "Mr. Lightborne", which is a name I stole right out of some cycle play or other...
Keep us posted Elliot! :)I do have a problem with the ending. Not only is there no consequences for Theo, there aren't any for Gervase either! This ending makes Theo Martin's problem! It may work a little better if the property had been left to Gervase. Since it has been badly mismanaged it would be believable that the father had left it to Gervase rather than the favoured Martin.
☆ Ｃａｒｏｌ ☆ wrote: "Keep us posted Elliot! :)I do have a problem with the ending. Not only is there no consequences for Theo, there aren't any for Gervase either! This ending makes Theo Martin's problem! It may work..."
i don't think the father wanted Gervase to have anything. I think he left all non entailed property to Martin. And i think being banished to Jamaica is a consequence, though Theo will probably make a success of managing the property there.
I agree, Louise. Being banished from the place he loves is a harsh enough consequence for Theo, but it may also, in the long run, have the effect of enforced withdrawal from a dangerous addiction.
Carol, I'm about to start Chapter 3! : ) The more we "see" of the old Earl in TQG, the more of a right...cuss word...he seems to be!
Also, being sent to Jamaica could be a risky proposition in the early 19th century--hurricanes (and no forecasting!), yellow fever, etc. etc. So not entirely consequence-free.
Yes indeed, we can always hope that he would be killed in a slave uprising (though St. Erth’s tenants seemed to like him, so maybe not). He was being sent away near the beginning of summer, right? So hurricanes and yellow fever definitely would be risks for him.
i hope he doesn't get killed. i'd rather he redeemed himself making a success of running the jamaican property.
I think that Theo fell madly in love with Marianne and knew that without Prospects it would come to nothing so he needed the title and the money. Gervase and Martin had to be removed and that was no problem to himMartin he probably saw as a spoilt brat and Gervase was only marginally known to him. His upbringing had not taught him to develop strong feelings for anyone
Falling for Marianne was the strongest feeling he had and he resented the role the Frant family had pushed him into
As for sending him away, he probably would never have been convicted, it was a process of elimination that outed him as the villain
Away from Stanyon Marianne and England and everything he knew would be a life sentence to him
Gervase would never have given h over to the law. People in his position at that time WERE the law
Tina wrote: "I think that Theo fell madly in love with Marianne and knew that without Prospects it would come to nothing so he needed the title and the money. Gervase and Martin had to be removed and that was n..."whoa, Tina, that is bleak...but awesome. Best justification I've seen yet and, I may say, better than what GH really offers us! Well done! Happy New Year!
I think Tina summarises it excellently!
I just finished this book under the wire! I enjoyed it, but agree with others that it isn't Heyer's best work. I, too, was disappointed that Theo, who clearly premeditated Gervase's murder, wasn't brought to justice. Living a life of luxury on a tropical island isn't any kind of punishment at all. However, psychopaths were often sent from Britain off to the colonies to carry out their diabolical lives far away from home. I did really enjoy Drusilla (what a name!) and wished to know more about her.
I would have liked to know more details about Drusilla too.
Elinor wrote: "I just finished this book under the wire! I enjoyed it, but agree with others that it isn't Heyer's best work. I, too, was disappointed that Theo, who clearly premeditated Gervase's murder, wasn't ..."Theo couldn't be brought to justice because there wasn't enough evidence. And being exiled to jamaica is a punishment of a kind, he will be in an alien place and will probably hate the heat and the food and be very homesick, though he may settle down in time. And the work will be hard, though he will probably make a success of it. i think he will do well once he settles down, but he will still suffer.
I agree. The English suffered in the hot climates, especially as it was not proper to adapt--they dressed as if they were still in England, and tried to maintain societal norms. Adapting was considered "going native" & thus a reason to be excluded from polite society. They often died of fevers. Just being exiled from the estate he loved would be punishment for him.
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I've started my "answer" story to TQG, and I have been laughing at what a weird jackdaw's nest my mind must be when it comes to retaining names. Since I always like the Dickensian/Restoration Comedy trope of Suggestive Names (suggestive of character, that is), I came up with the name "Grimthorpe", and wondered, "where have I heard this before?" Turns out that "Grimthorpe" isn't just a name, it's a verb, people! To "grimthorpe" something is:
to remodel (an ancient building) without proper knowledge or care to retain its original quality and character
As in the case of Lord Grimthorpe, roughly contemporaneous to this period, who undertook to restore the west front of St. Albans Abbey in England, and apparently, people wasn't happy with his results (everyone's a critic). In the particular case of my characters, this name just sings with its fell intent.
Then I came up with the name "Brocklehurst" for a governess with whom our heroine has a youthful run-in. I was thinking plain "Brock", for "badger", and in honor (?) of my middle-school gym teacher, but then "Brocklehurst" suggested itself, and I thought, "now, I KNOW I've heard that name before".
Well, you literary gents and ladies will probably have smoked it by now, but I had completely forgotten, it's been so long since I've read it: that Mr. Brocklehurst is the Evil Proprietor of Lowood, the school in "Jane Eyre" where poor Jane and Helen Burns suffer so much. Lord, did I laugh!