The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
This topic is about
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker
All Other Previous Group Reads
>
Humphry Clinker Week 1: Pages 1 to 59-ending with a letter from Lydia Melford to Miss Laetitia Willis, at Gloucester.
date
newest »
newest »
The epistolary method really works in this book, I think. In stories where there are only a couple of people writing to faraway correspondents who are not involved in the action (thinking of Evelina, for instance), it can be very limiting. But here we are getting multiple accounts of the same experiences, revealing the personalities, biases, and blind spots of the narrators, each unreliable in their way. I was very bewildered for the first four or five letters but soon found my feet.Squire Bramble seems to be the chief object of satire and Jery, its chief producer. Jery seems to be the voice of the sophisticated, in-the-know, irresponsible Bright Young Thing and Bramble the old fuddy-duddy overwhelmed by modernity. But I say “seems to be” because those impressions might be a deliberately laid trap by the author.
I really enjoyed the different depictions of Bath in a period when its glories were still under construction. For all his grumpiness, Squire Bramble’s description seems very true to what it must have been like—chaotic, dirty, noisy, unsafe. Lydia seems like a typical ingenue in her enjoyment of the entertainments and her brother quite overprotective. I don’t suppose Squire Bramble or his bizarre sister make very effective chaperones, so Jery must be feeling the responsibility.
The class stuff was interesting—Squire Bramble seeing parvenues on all sides and Lydia taking the company at face value. The scene with the French horn players was very disturbing—the way violence against the black servants or slaves was viewed as an affront to their master (damaging his property), not to them. And the portrayal of the Irish characters was a typical stereotype, with both Bramble and Jery regarding them as rogues of dubious background.
As for Smollett, his principal focus seems to be satire. He sets up scenes merely for their potential to make jest at the expense of society’s foibles and follies, and the characters are pressed into service to further that aim. Instead of being believably living people whose choices drive the action, they are seen in static terms and taken from spot to spot so as to comment on what they find. “Plot” doesn’t seem to have been invented yet, and novels of the era were mostly strings of episodes or set pieces. I wonder if that was simply a matter of nobody having thought through the potential of the novel genre, or if it was a deeper mind-set reflecting an idea that a person’s nature is fixed and unchanging? If the latter, it’s a whole new way in which Jane Austen was revolutionary.
Mod
Mod
This appears to be a satire, and as such it is enjoyable. Initially I had a bid of a hard time with the letter format, but then it got more interesting, and the storyline became clearer. The characters are very open in their descriptions of events, and it is interesting to see how they make different interpretations of the same events and locations. It shines a light on their characters and inclinations. Bath is apparently a place in progress. It appears to be the height of fashion to some, a seedy, filthy place to others. It’s probably somewhere in between. Not the Bath that I saw on a visit there a few years ago. So far a good read.
I'm still reading this section but a few thoughts in passing:- The system of half-profits which the bookseller/publisher suggests for the letters is the same basis on which The Lord of the Rings was published. By then (1950s) it was very old-fashioned, and it was more usual to offer an advance to the author plus royalties. But LOTR was thought to be a risky project - it was supposed to be a sequel to the Hobbit, but had a very different tone and the publisher wasn't sure if it would find an audience. Offering Tolkien half of the profits but no advance limited potential losses. In the event, of course, Tolkien must have done very well out of the deal!
- I'm seeing some resonances with Choderlos de Laclos' Les Liaisons Dangereuses, published in the 1780s. There's a young girl (Lydia/Cecile de Volanges) writing to her schoolfriend (Laetitia/Sophie Carnay). Replies from the schoolfriend aren't included. Also the letter from Wilson to Lydia, "all night long I have been tossed in a sea of doubts and fears" immediately put me in mind of Letter 48 of Liaisons, Valmont to Madame de Tourvel: "I come, Madame, after a stormy night during which I never closed an eye." Valmont implies this is due to his obsessive passion for Tourvel, but actually he spent the night with a mistress. It remains to be seen whether Wilson is equally disingenuous. I don't know whether Laclos read Humphry Clinker, but he certainly read and admired English fiction, especially Richardson and Fanny Burney's Cecilia.
Mod
I can relate to Mr. Bramble-I like peace and quiet. He's such a contrast to his sister-in a positive way.
I'm wondering who Mr. Wilson really is-if it's anything like Evelina, he's a lord at least.
The 18th century was earthier than the Victorian era, that's for sure.
Yes Rosemarie, I'm suspecting that Mr Wilson is a Lord in disguise! He insists that he's a gentleman and didn't accept a salary as an actor, which suggests he has some kind of private income. Jery gives him the benefit of the doubt by attempting to fight him, since duels could only be fought by social equals.
Mod
I agree that much of this book consists of set pieces for comic effect.
My first thoughts about the style of this work is that it lies somewhere between Richardson’s Clarissa (but without any of the darkness) and Evelina (with the farce more controlled.) Much of the plot seems telegraphed already ( but I could be completely wrong) although I have no idea what Humphry Clinker has to do with it. Getting back to this form of novel took some time but now I am enjoying it.I enjoy gaining an insight into the characters via the letters that they write.( One of my favourite ever reads was the (real) letters of Elizabeth Barrett-Barrett and Robert Browning before they eloped.)
So far my favourite character is Tabitha if only for her unique take on spelling. The funniest was the description by Matthew of the ‘cures’ at Bath especially the ‘restorative waters’ allegedly running through the graveyard. Jery paints a no holds barred picture of the drunkenness and debauchery in Bath not too dissimilar to the ones Jane Austen witnessed during her visits, but Jane toned down her descriptions in her novels. I wonder if the term ‘bunfight’ originated from the tea parties at Bath?
The mysterious Wilson is certainly clever and determinedly cunning but is he the ‘virtuous’ suitor that Liddy thinks he is? If so ( judging from the letters we have read so far) he is probably the only man of the young lady’s acquaintance who is.
Mod
Robin P wrote: "I’m sure Bramble is justified in his concerns about hygiene, such as the same water source being used for bathing and drinking. Maybe he is supposed to be an exaggerated hypochondriac, but he is ac..."Could Smollett have also been ahead of his time as he had studied medicine and was a qualified surgeon? Maybe all his other medical colleagues ignored him regarding hygiene so that’s why he chose to focus more on his writing and used it to satirise the healing properties of the waters at Bath.
I think that the drunkenness, debauchery, taking the waters, tea parties and the other activities of those highest in society were being ridiculed by Smollett through the characters he created.
Mod
Good point, Trev. While hand washing was not standard, as Robin says, it would certainly seem obvious that, one wouldn't want to drink someone else's bathwater, nor share a bath with someone with weeping ulcers.
It is interesting to get this quite different sense of the dirtiness and clamour of Bath, something that is left out of so many later novels, although Dickens was somewhat more realistic in some of his descriptions of London, at least.
I'm now at the end of this week's reading and ready to answer the questions:1. What is your impression of our characters so far, and what impression do you think Smollett expects them to make on us?
Matthew Bramble
Smollett: Salt-of-the-earth hypochondriac but generous squire.
Me: Racist dude, would benefit from reeducation and an anger management course. He's not wrong about the hygiene issues at Bath though, and he does seem to be generous. He doesn't prosecute poachers when they make him a present of his own game and if we are to believe him, he is paying child support for 9 children, none of which are his.
Tabitha Bramble
Smollett: Crazy dog lady desperate to catch a husband.
Me: Thrifty spinster and affectionate pet owner with tragic unfulfilled romance in her past.
Everyone is so down on Tabitha because she's 45 and unmarried. Her fiance died at sea, but unlike India Wilkes in Gone With The Wind she is not accorded the respect due a woman who was "wanted if not wed." She is described as "now declining into the most desperate state of celibacy", a judgment never applied to Matthew Bramble or Sir Ulic even though they are ten and twenty years older respectively and just as single.
Jery
Smollett: Amusing young man about town
Me: Makes a joke about his dog drowning. Really?
Lydia
Smollett: Naive young girl, not as foolish as Tabitha but easily impressed by the mysterious Mr. Wilson.
Me: I like Lydia best so far and I hope things work out for her. Her enjoyment of Bath was a pleasant contrast to Squire Bramble's rants.
2. Compare and contrast this novel with our more usual Victorian fare in terms of what is said and discussed, the sort of language used, the situations our characters might find themselves in.
As other have observed, this is very earthy compared to Victorian fiction, what with the toilet humour, light-hearted references to illegitimate births, and so forth. It feels closer to Tom Jones than Evelina. It seems this was the Blackadder of its day, but with a lot of contemporary references which have to be explained to the modern reader.
I'm imagining Alan Rickman as the actor Quin.
3. What is your impression of Bath in this section, and how does that compare to for example Jane Austen's Bath from Northanger Abbey (or any other Victorian/Regency novel's depiction of Bath).
I like the different views of Bath from various characters. Squire Bramble's railing against luxury sounded like Smollett himself talking, but it's counterbalanced by Lydia who is having a great time. This is a noisier, smellier, dirtier Bath than the Austen version, but it's also an earlier one - the Crescent hasn't even been built yet. Jane Austen's reference to the "white glare" of Bath in Persuasion is a reminder of how new the buildings still were. She didn't like Bath any more than Smollett, and was horrified when her parents announced they were moving there. Bath seems to be a less common setting in Victorian novels, probably because it was less fashionable post-Regency.
4. What do you think of this Epistolary Novel-how does the style work to tell our tale and introduce the characters and setting?
Like others I struggled to get into it but at this point it's working well. Smollett's characters write in very different styles which helps to differentiate them and keep things lively. The letters aren't ridiculously long (looking at you Richardson) and play well off each other.
Mod
I'm afraid the letters may get longer in later sections but hope we will have a good grasp of the characters and will be able to enjoy the longer epistles.
Robin P wrote: "I enjoyed hearing about events from multiple points of view. Lydia's relatives insist she is naive and has learned her lesson, but her letters don't show that. It remains to be seen whether Mr. Wil..."Lydia might appear naive on the surface, but, as Robin says, despite her seemingly earnest desires to protect him, her letters reveal her willingness to engage in subterfuge and deceit in order to continue her relationship with Wilson.
This immediately reminded me of the early days of the correspondence between Clarissa and Robert Lovelace before (spoiler alert for those who have not read ‘Clarissa’)(view spoiler)
I don’t expect anything like a similar outcome because as others have said, it could be just as possible that an ‘Evelina’ outcome is on the cards for Liddy.
Mod
Why doesn't Jery mention any attractive ladies? He could probably have his pick of young ones, or, if he is avoiding matrimony, there must be young widows looking around.
Mod
Robin P wrote: "Why doesn't Jery mention any attractive ladies?"I am not sure what to make of this Miss Blackburn who was claiming he fathered her child. Jery says he never slept with her, but...Mandy Rice-Davies applies.
It sounds as if she was a young woman of flexible virtue who got pregnant and tried to pin it on someone—but whether Jery is telling the truth about that is anyone’s guess!
I also had a bit of trouble getting into it at the start, as the style had me glossing over things a bit resulting in some missteps (Because they were Matthew's niece and nephew and Tabitha was his sister, I briefly thought Tabitha was Lydia and Jery's mother). However, I finally got into the rhythm of the book and began to enjoy it, especially Matthew's depictions at Bath. I enjoy his letters best so far, but then I tend to enjoy the gouty old men such as the Old Squire in Trollope's Small House at Allington,. They tend to be grumpy, befuddled by new society but basically kind underneath, and I find them amusing.
I finally finished reading this section. Like most of you, I too had difficulty getting into the story at first. Perhaps it is due to the epistolary style. Then I resorted to the introduction of my kindle edition and got the characters sorted out. Then it became easier to follow. Out of the characters, I like Matthew Bramble the hypochondriac squire, the best at present. I found his ranting amusing. His professed knowledge of his illnesses more than his doctors was quite hilarious. I too have an uncle who thinks likewise, so I can very well picture Mr. Bramble. :) After him, I like Lydia. She is naive on one hand, but there is a subtle shrewdness in her on the other. I still can't form an opinion on Jerry and was much puzzled over the lady issue. As to Tabitha Bramble, she seems to be an irritable personality. But I get the feeling that as the story proceeds, she'll provide much entertainment.
I enjoyed reading the different views taken by the characters about Bath. To Matthew Bramble, it is an unpleasant place. To Lydia and Jerry, it is quite entertaining. To Tabitha Bramble, it was a pleasant place till her fall with Sir Ulic. :) The letter to Dr. Lewis by Mr. Bramble describing in detail the baths and their contaminated water was so revolting. I read that letter just after my breakfast and my stomach had a rough time afterward! :)
I'm always a sucker for a curmudgeonly old squire! I enjoy Matthew's charity and harmless complaints. I am sure Mr. Wilson will turn out to be quite the highborn lad in the guise of an actor. I am still having a difficult time with the letter format,
The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910
Books mentioned in this topic
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (other topics)Northanger Abbey (other topics)
1. What is your impression of our characters so far, and what impression do you think Smollett expects them to make on us?
2. Compare and contrast this novel with our more usual Victorian fare in terms of what is said and discussed, the sort of language used, the situations our characters might find themselves in.
3. What is your impression of Bath in this section, and how does that compare to for example Jane Austen's Bath from Northanger Abbey (or any other Victorian/Regency novel's depiction of Bath).
4. What do you think of this Epistolary Novel-how does the style work to tell our tale and introduce the characters and setting?
Please share your thoughts on this first section.