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Felix Holt
Archived Group Reads 2023
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Felix Holt: Week 1: Introduction to Chapter 6
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George Eliot chose to introduce us to the world of Felix Holt and its multiple themes in an interesting way—the advent of rail travel was of course a radical change in the way people could get from place to place, and she chooses to focus on the benefits of the old ways of travelling via stagecoach (while also highlighting how the railways might pose a threat to the old coaching inns, and indeed the coachmen’s livelihoods), and takes that as an entry point to Treby Magna and the Transomes. What did you think of this approach?
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Just the start of the book and we’ve already been made privy to two secrets, both surrounding two of our main characters’ parentage which will obviously have a major role to play in the story to come. There is Harold Transome’s illegitimacy and Esther’s real story, both unknown to the characters themselves.
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Politically, it may be Harold who claims to be a radical (though in his case we see from his talk with his uncle that there are some feathers he is ok with not ruffling), and Felix too, by questioning the very business that has sustained his family as also airs and graces, and ‘genteelness’ in general, Mr Lyon has been no less of one, his love for Annette leading him to give up his ministry entirely and take up another profession altogether. Esther perhaps qualifies as one too, for she lives her life and maintains a style and demeanour that appeals to her, and not one ‘suited’ to her ‘station’ in life at the time. Mrs Transome may seem conservative, and we don’t know the story behind her secret yet, but other things like her reading and opinions during her youth seem to indicate she is more radical than she seems. She is also somewhat harsh, with all her love reserved for Harold alone, even wishing for (and thankful at) the death of her older son– a realistic character and far from the ‘idealistic’ portrayal of motherhood. What did you think?
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This is a theme only just introduced, with Harold having declared his intention to contest and that too as a radical; what effect would that have on the generally conservative seeming inhabitants of the town. And how would this radicalness translate into practice? We also have Felix, who seems radical in his approaches, though so far we have no indication of his interest in the hustings. More specific mention of the Reform Bill/Act itself is yet to come.
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Both Mrs Transome and Esther we see have been educated differently than in the conservative way; Mrs Transome through the encouragement of her governess and her own reading and Esther through her father sending her to a French protestant school. Esther faces disapproval for the way she has turned out, and likewise faces some scorn from Felix, for reading Byron (besides her appearance and carriage). Mrs Transome, on the other hand, when expressing her opinion, is told off by Harold for intervening in matters that ‘properly belong to men’. In these instances, Eliot is certainly bringing up an issue close to her heart, and one she did raise time and again in her books.
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Relatedly, Eliot also showcases class relations (for instance in the treatment of Mr Lyon by his parishioners, or Harold and Mr Jermyn), the conservative stance of inhabitants of the town, the relationship between the Transomes and their tenants, as also Harold’s typical leisure pursuits (hunting). Of course, again, we’ve only just started, but these aspects do help us build a picture of a small town as it then stood.
Lady Clementina wrote: "But we also almost immediately learn that Harold Transome, expected home from the East after some 15 years, is not Mr Transome’s son, and perhaps, we do get a hint who the father might be. Harold meanwhile returns with a young heir of his own, and also all set to contest elections, but much to the shock of his mother, it is as a ‘radical’ and not a Tory."Some comments and questions:
First, I can't believe that I missed that entirely. Harold Transome is illegitimate??? I must have read write over it with my mind somewhere else. Can someone provide me with a chapter and perhaps a small quote so I can go back and find it for a re-read. Thanks SO much in advance.
Second, do you think that George Eliot is decided on setting up Harold Transome as the bad guy versus Felix Holt's good guy? I've never seen someone so obviously set up as a narcissistic, inconsiderate, self-centered, know-it-all right out of the gate like Eliot portrays Transome. I can identify with his "radical" proclivities but his personality simply rubs me the wrong way.
And, third, can anyone provide the group with a brief 19th century politics 101 and summarize the basic differences between Whigs, Tories and Radicals insofar as issues such as women's rights, modernization and industrialization, etc, are concerned?
Lady Clementina wrote: "Mr Lyon the dissenting pastor has had an interesting story of his own, and in it we see a second character with a secret behind her parentage–his daughter, Esther. "In this story, Eliot clearly outlines the visceral hatred that Anglicans felt toward Catholics, the pope, and what they disparagingly called "papistry". I was curious, frankly, as to how such an overpowering animosity could come about when Catholicism's version of Christianity would have to be seen as the direct ancestor of the Church of England.
Before I say anything else I have to get this out of the way. I loved the way that Felix described Byron.’ "A misanthropic debauchee," said Felix, lifting a chair with one hand, and holding the book open in the other, "whose notion of a hero was that he should disorder his stomach and despise mankind. His corsairs and renegades, his Alps and Manfreds, are the most paltry puppets that were ever pulled by the strings of lust and pride."’
You could hear my whoop way down the street after reading that. I am learning the quote by heart in order to spring it on anyone I meet eulogising about Byron.
I enjoyed the opening chapters although there was so much to take in regarding the families and their intrigues. Eliot describes the characters precisely from the start, not only the way they look but how they behave, even down to the loudness of Felix Holt’s voice.Both Esther and Harold are somewhat exotic, having both recently returned from foreign parts. However, Eliot’s descriptions of them seem the opposite of flattering despite both of them being finely dressed and good looking.
Felix Holt seems to be the antithesis of Harold and yet the word ‘radical’ is linked to both of them. Felix is not just rough and ready
in appearance, his words are as fierce and combative as his appearance.
There are some excellent illustrations of this novel at the George Eliot Archive. They can be found here…..
https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/...
Scroll down to find them.
Here is Felix in his workshop.
Trev wrote: " I am learning the quote by heart in order to spring it on anyone I meet eulogising about Byron"Do you think that you're likely to encounter that eventuality often?
In the first introductory chapters, I was struck by the reference to the Catholic Relief Act (1829) and the subsequent opposition to it - it seemed to have played a major role in shaping the political landscape in which we find ourselves at the outset of the novel. I read up about it in wikipedia, and it left me a bit confused. For example: it seems it was the reason why part of the Tories supported the Reform Act (because they hoped this new electorate was anti-Catholic and anti-Relief Act) - and how it passed eventually. No clear-cut lines between progressives and conservatives therefore - this might be a distinction we apply in retrospect only, using our 'modern day' conceptual instruments.
... and I have to remind myself repeatedly that George Eliot was 13 at the time the novel is set, so she had no adult memories to base her description of economic, religious, and political circumstances on: the description is so lively and feels so 'present' (from the author's viewpoint) that I tend to forget that she goes over 30 years into the past for this novel.
Paul wrote: "Trev wrote: " I am learning the quote by heart in order to spring it on anyone I meet eulogising about Byron"Do you think that you're likely to encounter that eventuality often?"
I do go to a fortnightly creative poetry group. We are a local group, mostly content to share our own efforts (although our group leader (aged 94) is still writing and having her poems published in various magazines etc.) I might throw Felix’ quote into the next meeting to see if it acts like a firecracker or a damp squib.
Esther compares Felix and his strong, loud ripostes to Cormoran the Giant."You have such strong words at command that they make the smallest argument seem formidable. If I had ever met the giant Cormoran, I should have made a point of agreeing with him in his literary opinions."
Here is a short description of the giant from Cornish folklore.
https://folkrealmstudies.weebly.com/j...
Paul wrote: “ And, third, can anyone provide the group with a brief 19th century politics 101 and summarize the basic differences between Whigs, Tories and Radicals insofar as issues such as women's rights, modernization and industrialization, etc, are concerned .."Paul, I posted this link below during our read of Diana Tempest. It probably goes some of the way in giving you the background knowledge you might need. Otherwise I only know of weighty books etc.
http://www.liberalhistory.org.uk/wp-c...
Trev wrote: "Paul, I posted this link below during our read of Diana Tempest. ."... and it should not lead anyone to think that Diana Tempest is a political novel. It is not. The term 'Radical' turned up only once, and made me stumble and ask. Thanks, Trev - I've learned a lot since then!
As to Transom's being illegitimate: there are several places where it is alluded to, carefully circumscribed - but I assume those expressions were even clearer to Eliot's contemporary readers than they are to us: they were more used to such things being only alluded to.
sabagrey wrote: "but I assume those expressions were even clearer to Eliot's contemporary readers than they are to us: they were more used to such things being only alluded to."LOL, 19th century anal-retentive hypocritical euphemisms that were crystal clear in their meaning, "She had an affair and became pregnant" without saying "She had an affair and became pregnant". That, of course, would be inelegant and untoward.
Paul wrote: "19th century anal-retentive hypocritical euphemisms that were crystal clear in their meaning, ."I don't know your age ... but from mine, I can assure you that the 'indirect speech' ;-) went on well into the middle of the 20th century in some countries and social settings. Lots of taboos were broken quite radically, and quickly, by the youth/women's movement, in the 60s and onward. But oh, how shocked my mother and grandmother were about my 'untoward' talk!
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LOL, 19th century ..."
Sorry I took so long to respond; but yes, there are plenty of references to Transome's illegitimacy without ever directly saying it.
Ch 1: It had come to pass now—this meeting with the son who had been the object of so much longing; whom she had longed for before he was born, for whom she had sinned,...
... though the likeness to herself was no longer striking, the years had overlaid it with another likeness which would have arrested her.
(Denner about Harold being likened to the person who is his father) And as for likenesses, thirty-five and sixty are not much alike, only to people's memories."
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Thanks for this Trev; my own knowledge is a bit vague on the exact differences too--Tories and Whigs especially!
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"You have such strong words at command that they make the smallest argument seem formidable. If I had ever met the giant ..."
Again, thank you Trev :)
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I did think almost all the characters we've met are radicals in different ways, at least in terms of being unconventional.
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Glad you brought this up sabagrey; the implications of the religious aspects for the political are something that wasn't as clear to me either. What little I know about the Reform bill is about the extension of franchise to a wider group than the earlier wealthy sections.
Lady Clementina wrote: " the implications of the religious aspects for the political are something that wasn't as clear to me either.."maybe I'm sensitive to this aspect because I come from a country where the connection between the Church (Catholic in my case) to the state was as strong, and religious tolerance (the other way round) equally a bone of contention for centuries, as in England.
Reading Victorians, I get the impression that Protestantism (of any shade) made many more demands on people, reaching deep into their private lives. ... and religion was on almost all writers' minds to a degree that is hard to understand nowadays.
I will never forget how, in my student Interrail days, I found myself stranded in a small Scottish village in the middle of nowhere - because there simply were no trains on a Sunday. A day of - forced - quiet reflection taught me a lasting lesson about Protestantism.
Lady Clementina wrote: "Ch 1: It had come to pass now—this meeting with the son who had been the object of so much longing; whom she had longed for before he was born, for whom she had sinned,... "Thanks for pointing these out to me. In hindsight, I don't know how I missed them.
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I enjoyed the verbal sparring between Esther and Felix, both thinly veiled insults aimed at each other.’ Felix went on triumphantly. "A fine-lady is a squirrel-headed thing, with small airs, and small notions, about as applicable to the business of life as a pair of tweezers to the clearing of a forest. Ask your father what those old persecuted emigrant Puritans would have done with fine-lady wives and daughters."’
….and Esther’s reply..
’ "Men who are unpleasant companions and make frights of themselves, are sure to get wives tasteless enough to suit them." ‘
Despite their conversation, they had both made an impression on each other. For example, Esther was disappointed that Felix was only a mender of watches and clocks.
Trev wrote: "I enjoyed the verbal sparring between Esther and Felix, both thinly veiled insults aimed at each other."I felt like I was watching a couple of immature school aged children trading insults with one another because they simply weren't willing to admit to themselves and to each other that they enjoyed one another's company and they perhaps had feelings beyond a simple enjoyment of one another's companionship.
Trev wrote: "I enjoyed the verbal sparring between Esther and Felix, both thinly veiled insults aimed at each other.."It also served as a "show, don't tell" means of emphasizing Felix's misogyny vis-à-vis Esther's feminism. If they are ever to advance beyond simply being acquaintances into the arena of lovemaking, they will have to learn how to deal with that enormous issue.
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Glad to hear that Renee. I liked Eliot's approach to introducing the place and characters too.
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https://branchcollective.org/?ps_arti...
Here's something that discusses the reform bill including the religious aspects--impact of the Catholic Relief Act etc
Paul wrote: "Thanks for pointing these out to me. In hindsight, I don't know how I missed them."Even though I considered him a bastard, I too totally missed that Harold was illegitimate. However, I know how I missed them as the cited references are so subtle that even after re-reading these inferences to his illegitimacy, I still needed the opinions of others on here to convince me that they definitively mean that Harold is not really a true Transome.
I do remember wondering about the real meaning of the passage with the term 'sinned' but just preferred to just read on. I generally let Eliot's writing wash over me rather than slow down and try to decypher each of her often complexly-worded sentences. Luckily, I have you guys to do that for me.
And of course, Mrs. Ransome preferred the son sired by her lover over the one sired by her imbecilic but wealthy husband. I seem to recall that trope, involving both mothers' and fathers' preference for the illegitimate spawn of the more beloved partner, used in several 20th century book, film and TV fiction pieces.
In this instance, I expect that lack of maternal love likely contributed to the elder's dissipation. In addition to the elder's innate imbecility of course.
I enjoyed this opening section but it took me a longer time than expected to read this first week of a seven week read. It must be Eliot's densely worded narrative passages that slow me down as I did think her dialogue was especially sharp and fluid in this section especially, as Trev pointed out, during the Felix/Esther 'verbal sparring.' So far so good.
Brian E wrote: "Paul wrote: "Thanks for pointing these out to me. In hindsight, I don't know how I missed them."Even though I considered him a bastard, I too totally missed that Harold was illegitimate. However,..."
Even though I have to agree with you Brian about Harold, I actually took a greater dislike to his mother.
Of course, as Lady Clementina has mentioned, we don’t know her back story, but I felt very little sympathy for her present situation considering her selfish attitude towards most of the people around her. The fact that she jealousy resented Harold’s sympathy towards his father because of his condition just left me cold.
Trev wrote: "Even though I have to agree with you Brian about Harold, I actually took a greater dislike to his mother. "With the sole exceptions of Rufus and Esther Lyon, I've found the entire cast to be, to a greater or a lesser extent thus far, a disreputable and unlikable collection of characters.
I agree that so far the characters in this novel are a disagreeable bunch, with the exception of Mr. Lyon (I’m not sure yet about Esther); however, I suspect that Eliot is just laying the groundwork for a thoroughly absorbing tale.
Lady Clementina wrote: "sabagrey wrote: "In the first introductory chapters, I was struck by the reference to the Catholic Relief Act (1829) and the subsequent opposition to it - it seemed to have played a major role in s..Here's something that discusses the reform bill including the religious aspects--impact of the Catholic Relief Act etc."
Thank you for the link Lady Clementina.
I have found a series of contemporary cartoons relating to the Reform Bill at the British Library website.
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/jo...
Cartoons like these can give a more succinct perspective on the opinions of the day. Here is one example
Paul wrote: "With the sole exceptions of Rufus and Esther Lyon, I've found the entire cast to be, to a greater or a lesser extent thus far, a disreputable and unlikable collection of characters. "I like this in Eliot: she presents us with characters that are a 'natural' mix of the likeable and the unlikeable ... no black and white there! If 'Middlemarch' is anything to go by, I expect Eliot to turn over this mixture thoroughly, and repeatedly, so that an unlikeable character comes to show a likeable side, and vice versa.
We get a lot of introductions of characters in these first chapters, and I was struck by their clever pairing - with both contrasts and similiarities, such as: Harold and Felix - opportunist vs. fundamentalist; they share a low opinion of women.
Mrs. Holt and Mrs. Transome - both women who complain about the lost influence over their sons
Mr. Lingon and Mr. Lyon - CoE vs. Dissenters, worldly/gentlemanly reverend vs. serious, soul-searching preacher.
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I haven’t had the chance to refresh my memory in points like the politics or the religion question or the Reform, and I greatly appreciate the links which have been posted so I can dive down the rabbit hole of research as soon as opportunity presents itself.
Trev wrote: "Before I say anything else I have to get this out of the way. I loved the way that Felix described Byron.’ "A misanthropic debauchee," said Felix, lifting a chair with one hand, and holding the b..."
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I'm late coming to the party as I had to finish another read first.This was a great opening section, but quite dense in it's laying out the groundwork for the novel, which took some getting use to.
While I suspected Harold was the child of a lover, I'm glad to have it confirmed that this was the case. Would this leave him vulnerable to losing the estate if the secret came out? Assuming he is the acknowledged heir of his father, would a later discovery of his actual parentage change that?
Esther is a fascinating character-she is being given the stereotypical traits of a French woman-an appreciation for fine fashion and romantic poetry-and shows some selfishness in spending all she earns on things that she loves (plus the occasional gift for her father) with no sign of saving or contributing to th household. However I appreciated her ability to spar with Felix and anticipate that there will be sparks.
I hold less antipathy towards Mrs Transome-despite all her accomplishments she ended up married to "an imbecile" who clearly shared no interests with her and, due to poverty, they never entertained or went up to London. That must have been a miserable life for her, and I'm hardly surprised she took a lover if one presented himself.
I wonder what this "imbecility" in Transome père et fils consists of? It clearly wasn't enough to preclude the father from inheriting the estate or the son from living independently enough to become debauched and take on large debts. So who has control of the estate now? Harold behaves as if it is already his, and yet I assume it still belongs to his father.
Paul wrote: "In this story, Eliot clearly outlines the visceral hatred that Anglicans felt toward Catholics, the pope, and what they disparagingly called "papistry". I was curious, frankly, as to how such an overpowering animosity could come about when Catholicism's version of Christianity would have to be seen as the direct ancestor of the Church of England..."While there was certainly animosity of the C of E towards Rome, in this case it is the dissenters-which would now be churches like the Methodists or Presbyterians or Free Church of Scotland-who are anti-catholic. In fact, Mr Lingon is quite happy to have his Bishop "peppered" a bit by Harold during is election speeches.
Frances wrote: "So who has control of the estate now? Harold behaves as if it is already his, and yet I assume it still belongs to his father ."A very interesting question! - It is not mentioned in the book, and surely Harold acts as if he had full control. Maybe the father has been put under tutelage? He need not always have been an imbecile.
I thought he was described as having been in some way deficient when Mrs Transome married him, and that deficiency, whatever it was, was passed on to his eldest son (although on his return I think Harold commented that his father appeared worse, although 15 years would do that to any older person).
I finally started the book and found it interesting (though not easy to read) in regard to the characters and the many political and religious questions raised.
Michaela wrote: "I finally started the book and found it interesting (though not easy to read) in regard to the characters and the many political and religious questions raised."welcome on board! I hope you will continue to enjoy the book as things get going ...
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Glad to hear that Michaela
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That was my understanding as well; though it seems the eldest son was able to function a little better since he (could) live away from home.
Lady Clementina wrote: "The openingGeorge Eliot chose to introduce us to the world of Felix Holt and its multiple themes in an interesting way—the advent of rail travel was of course a radical change in the way people co..."
I was too eager to get into the story to pay enough attention to the beginning. Now I read the Introduction again, and I think it is an exquisite piece of writing by George Eliot.
Her viewpoint on the landscape is not that of the static observer - as in the romantic landscape descriptions we so often get - but the moving perspective of the traveller. This is symbolic of the way she describes the land: there is change everywhere, and a chequered, diversified pattern results. She does not simply see fields, but the conflicted progress of agriculture (fallow vs. crop rotation) behind it. She sees the spread of manufacturing and its outgrowth into impoverished (and doomed) hand-weaving home industries. She sees the dirty children as the consequence of poor women forced to work for income: it is no less than a socio-economic study of the land in 1832. The dynamic of the traveller's viewpoint itself is to change into the acceleration brought on by the coming railway: everything is in flux, and thus in tune with the great 'Reform' of the time, and the theme of the book to come.
And so our journey with Felix Holt begins, from an opening imbued with nostalgia to an introduction to the small market town (now manufacturing and industrial town) of Treby Magna, where it seems there are more than a few interesting characters, most whom we’ve met so far, quite far from conventional and more than one secret. And in the opening section itself, George Eliot has thrown open so many themes for discussion–be it personal relationships and secrets, the complexity of the different characters, the elections, women’s education, ‘proper’ roles/subjects for the two, and class and social relations, among others.
As the book opens with reflections on the the old forms of travel–using stage coaches, and their relative benefits for the traveller as opposed to trains that shut one away from the environs one is passing through. The coachman too is not simply someone who took a traveller on the journey but also a tour guide introducing us to the places which we pass through, and it is through the coachman’s stories that we are introduced to the Transomes.
The Transome family is rather complex—while Mr Transome is described as an ‘imbecile’ a person of family but one that has lost its wealth, engaged in his specimens and books, but rather in terror of his wife; Mrs Transome handsome and strong, who pins all her hopes on her younger son, the older having turned out dissipated and also somewhat of an ‘imbecile’ like his father. But we also almost immediately learn that Harold Transome, expected home from the East after some 15 years, is not Mr Transome’s son, and perhaps, we do get a hint who the father might be. Harold meanwhile returns with a young heir of his own, and also all set to contest elections, but much to the shock of his mother, it is as a ‘radical’ and not a Tory. Mr Jermyn, who is the agent for the estate, is to be his agent, even though he dislikes him.
Then we met our titular character Felix Holt, like Harold Transome, a disappointment to his mother; his spurns the small medicine business that has kept the family since his father’s death, labelling it as quackery, and also expresses equal disdain for what would be seen as more ‘genteel’ occupations, choosing instead to train as a watchmaker and teach a few pupils. He is radical and a rebel, but also honest in his opinions, something that appeals to Mr Lyon the dissenting pastor, a man with a rather interesting story of his own. Mrs Holt is, may be, a bit too given to talking but she seems a strong enough person too, having lived independently off the medicine business left to her by her husband, and not taking her son’s challenge meekly but trying what she can to get him to see sense.
Mr Lyon the dissenting pastor has had an interesting story of his own, and in it we see a second character with a secret behind her parentage–his daughter, Esther. Esther’s mother was French and she has a grace and upbringing which is incongruent with her father’s occupation and social standing leading to much disapproval, but she still holds her own and her head high as she navigates the not so friendly society of Treby Magna.
Politics is of course a central theme in this book, but we already see the stage set for discussion for far more topics from women’s role in society to secrets and illegitimacy, class issues and interactions, and social commentary. What did you think of this instalment?