Works of Thomas Hardy discussion
This topic is about
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge
>
The Mayor of Casterbridge: 3rd thread: Chapters 18 - 27
Mod
Just to add ... we don't actually know that she is all in black (although it's likely). We are told she is in mourning and the Victorians had strict codes for this, which I'll add after today's chapter.
Mod
Elizabeth-Jane’s imagination fills with the prospect of the fine lady, her new house in Casterbridge, and the possibility of her living there. One early evening, Elizabeth-Jane decides to walk up to the house, High-Place Hall, which she had passed many times, but which had never before taken on particular meaning. The new lady now occupies the house, and Elizabeth-Jane sees lights in the upper rooms. The architecture of the house is fine, but it overlooks the marketplace, which might be seen to be undesirable.
The removals men are going in and out of the house, and Elizabeth-Jane enters as well through an open door. Startled by her own brazenness, Elizabeth-Jane quickly exits through another open door and finds herself in a little-used alleyway. Turning to look back at the door by which she had exited, Elizabeth-Jane sees that is was an old doorway, older than the house itself, and decorated with a masked face, decayed and worn away by age. The secret doorway with its grim face constitutes the first unpleasant aspect of Elizabeth-Jane’s visit.
Hearing approaching footsteps, Elizabeth-Jane hides from another passerby in the alleyway before heading home. Had she lingered, she would have seen the other person was Henchard who enters by the secret doorway. He returns home not long after Elizabeth-Jane and she decides to ask him if he would allow her to move out of the house. He has no objection and offers to make her an allowance, so she can live independently. He seems relieved to part from Elizabeth-Jane and any responsibility toward her.
Elizabeth-Jane returns to the graveyard to meet the lady and finds her there despite the poor weather. The woman invites her to move in immediately. The two women overhear voices from beyond the churchyard wall, one of which Elizabeth-Jane identifies as her father’s. The woman suddenly asks whether or not Elizabeth-Jane told her father where she was moving. After Elizabeth-Jane negative reply, the woman realises she never gave her name and introduces herself as Miss Templeman.
Miss Templeman arranges for Elizabeth-Jane to arrive at her house and move in at six that evening. Henchard is surprised when he arrives home to see Elizabeth-Jane departing so promptly. He asks her if departing with so little warning is any way to treat him for his trouble taking care of her. Henchard goes to her room to look over the moving of her things, and sees all her efforts to study and improve herself. In a sudden change of temperament, he implores Elizabeth-Jane to stay with him saying that something specific has grieved him, which he cannot yet confess to her.
Henchard’s change of heart comes too late and Elizabeth-Jane is determined to leave. She promises she will return though, if her father needs her, and she leaves, saying she is heading to High-Place Hall.
Mod
Locations
Miss Templeman has been staying in “Budmouth”, which is the fictional name Thomas Hardy uses for the seaside resort of Weymouth. You might remember that this town played an important part in Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
She then takes up residence in High Place Hall, which is in reality Colliton House, Dorchester
Colliton House, Glyde Path Road, Dorchester - (Jo and Steve Turner - creative commons reuse)
It has a datestone of 1729 probably reflecting the later alterations. The information plaque reads 'Formerly the town house of the Churchill family. Mainly 17th century with major 18th century alterations.' The site is believed to be the location of the medieval hospital of St John the Baptist, fragments of which may still remain in the building and its foundations.
Since 1933 it has been part of Dorset’s County Hall site. Thomas Hardy places it overlooking the market place, which is some distance South East of its true position. It seems a strange idea for the evidently wealthy (by her dress) Miss Templeman to deliberately rent something overlooking a busy market. Is this significant do you think? Can we think of a possible reason for this?
“the keystone of the arch was a mask. Originally the mask had exhibited a comic leer, as could still be discerned; but generations of Casterbridge boys had thrown stones at the mask, aiming at its open mouth; and the blows thereon had chipped off the lips and jaws as if they had been eaten away by disease.”
This does not seem to bode very well! In fact the archway which formerly led to a yard and brewery at the rear of Colliton House is preserved in the County Museum above the library door.
The Dorset County Museum now houses both the Jacobean wall and the archway from the house on Colliton Walk (called "Chalk Walk" in Ch. 9 of the novel), mask and all. Could the hideousness of the mask, defaced by time, be a symbol for something?
Mod
Victorian Mourning Traditions
Deep Mourning
This was the most restrictive phase, requiring plain, dull black fabrics like crape (a crinkled fabric) or wool, with minimal or no ornamentation. Women wore veils and bonnets made of crape, and jewelry was limited to plain jet or black beads. Since Miss Templeman had a veil, she might have been dressed like this.
Ordinary or Second Mourning
This allowed for the introduction of black silk and more elaborate trimmings like jet beading. Jewelry was still understated but could include pieces like black or jet brooches or bracelets. Since Elizabeth-Jane noticed she was stylish, she could well have been dressed like this.
Half-Mourning
This final stage allowed for the use of grey, purple, and lavender, or a combination of black and white. Fabrics could be fancier like silk and velvet. The mysterious Miss Templeman could even have been dressed in this way. I quite like to think of a mysterious veiled but stylish lady dressed in lavender, which would really have impressed Elizabeth-Jane - but then a beaded black gown of a quality material would also have had this effect.
The length of time a person was expected to wear mourning clothes varied depending on their relationship to the deceased. Widows, for example, wore deep mourning for a year and a day, followed by a second year of mourning with half-mourning colours.
The intriguing question to me therefore, is:
Who is “Miss Templeman” in mourning for, and what was her relationship to them?
Mod
Elizabeth-Jane and the woman both arrive at the graveyard, despite the poor weather. Evidently both are eager to start their new living arrangements, but is there anything unusual in the mystery woman asking Elizabeth-Jane’s father knows where she is moving to? Straightforward Elizabeth-Jane however, is not suspicious. However, since Henchard deliberately enters the house through a secret doorway, perhaps we should be! His business there and his connection to the woman are evidently both secrets. Elizabeth-Jane’s request to move out pleases Henchard. His offer to support her financially is a generous one, because he believes he is not responsible for this young woman whom he now knows is not his daughter.
But then Henchard’s last minute change of heart is motivated by his selfishness. He sees that Elizabeth-Jane has tried to improve herself through study; evidence to him of the influence Henchard has over her. It is only when he realises that he will lose her that Henchard sees some of her value and importance, even as only his stepdaughter.
Elizabeth-Jane sticks with her plan to leave, for once doing something for her own happiness rather than another’s.
Mod
I can't wait to read everyone's reactions to this new development!
Thank you Jean for the detailed explanations on Victorian mourning habits. The lady might have been dressed in either deep or second mourning or even half-mourning indeed - the text did not tell she was all in black. My imagination did it, perhaps because of a contrast with The Woman in White, mysterious too!Thanks for the pictures of the "High Place Hall"!
This chapter is very rich indeed and no doubt we all will have much to tell.
I noticed that the description of High-Place Hall developed very well Peter's feeling at the end of chapter 20. There is a definitely dark side to this house with its secret backdoor and the strange mask. It may be full of forebodings for the future.
I find Elizabeth-Jane's utmost fascination for the unknown woman intriguing. "Elizabeth-Jane, almost with a lover's feeling, thought she would like to look at the outside of High-Place Hall." In fact, she even ventured inside.
The unknown lady's interest in Elizabeth-Jane is as intriguing. Is she altruistic or had she a purpose in mind in getting acquainted with Elizabeth-Jane when she was first reading Susan's headstone on her grave?
Then, I found great that Hardy engineered a meeting of both Mr Henchard and Elizabeth-Jane around that very house, but they did not see nor recognise eachother, as if this were an illustration of the many secrets hidden in this novel. Only we the readers "see" them and know something that the protagonists do not.
We don't know who Miss Templeman is mourning for. Is she mourning at all or does she want to conceal herself?
We now know that she seems to know Henchard and he seems to know her as well - at least her address, hence his odd reaction, or unusual absence of reaction, when Elizabeth-Jane tells him where she is going too. The Hall, with its windows overlooking the Market place, is a perfect place for observing everything, the ins and outs of everyone or perhaps someone in particular...
Once again the two young women are meeting in or around the churchyard (next to the granary where Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane had the encounter staged by Susan) but "Here, in a churchyard old as civilisation, in the worst of weathers, was a strange woman of curious fascinations never seen elsewhere: there might be some devilry about her presence."
Mod
Bionic Jean wrote: "You've highlighted such great points here, Claudia!"... and you have perfectly dug deeper many aspects of this dense chapter, including by showing us wonderful background pictures, Jean!
This is the second time I've had the enjoyment of reading a Hardy novel with this group, and the benefit of Jean's knowledge of the connections to real-life places. That's been such a fun aspect of reading Hardy for me, and this gothic arch with its haunting mask is my favorite so far! How wonderful to think of Hardy putting his imagination to local landmarks like this! I have to say, I love picturing him staring up at the arch and letting his creativity take him into this story. Thank you so much for these pictures, Jean!What an intriguing chapter! Since Miss Templeman's arrival, I've wondered who she might be, and who she might be connected to. Susan? Henchard? Farfrae? Again, Hardy brilliantly gives us just enough to keep us guessing (and turning pages).
I cheered when Elizabeth-Jane stood up to Henchard's last-minute change of heart. :-)
Kathleen wrote: "This is the second time I've had the enjoyment of reading a Hardy novel with this group, and the benefit of Jean's knowledge of the connections to real-life places. That's been such a fun aspect of..."Indeed, Kathleen, Jean's connection with real-life places is a real bonus for us and provides more depth to our group reading.
I noticed that I wrote several times the word "intriguing", others did too, and that reminds me of a quote I underlined:
"The position of the queer old door and the odd presence of the leering mask suggested one thing above all others as appertaining to the mansion's past history - intrigue."
Just when I think I’ve read a chapter chock full of interest, intrigue, and mystery, along comes another chapter. This chapter I find the most intriguing yet.First Jean the pictures are so helpful. The image of the mask over the door is incredible. Where is the line between fiction and reality?
As Claudia observed the introduction of Miss Templeton spins the novel into many new possible directions — and speculations.
I do find the physical location of her house to be extremely important. It is in the town overlooking the busy market; it commands the eye of vision to what is unfolding beneath it. And the secret door, that apparently is a new found secret of Elizabeth-Jane but is a known passage for Henchard. And the mask above the door, an ancient stone face, defaced by time and humans, still watching over the lane. Well, on and on. So much is now centred on this building!
There is great irony in Henchard’s being upset at one point that Elizabeth-Jane is leaving him, and so soon without a warning. If we look back on his own earlier life he left his wife and child without any warning. He sold his family for a few coins.
.
Oh my, great spotting, Peter! I still have a suspicion that Miss Templeton is Henchard's old lover. Why else would he be sneaking in through the back door, which Templeton, surprisingly says "There is no other that I have noticed." It's almost as if she bought the place sight unseen ....
According to your great information regarding Victorian mourning traditions Jean, wouldn't both Elizabeth-Jane and Henchard still be mourning? Perhaps that is why he entered through the back door — so no one would see him. It would have all the appearances of unseemliness.
There is also Henchard's response when he finds out that Miss Templeton's new abode is the very place Elizabeth-Jane is going. That makes me further suspicious of who Miss Templeton could be.
Mod
Yes, and since I assume they would be classed as immediate family, it would be full mourning. The men's attire was just as strict! And I agree, his entering a single woman's house alone would be unseemly.
I have a couple of suspicions as to who Miss Templeton may be but there are holes in each theory. I'm sure Hardy has every hole filled and will give us a wonderful reveal. I'm looking forward to it. This chapter just adds to the secrets and mystery. I'm loving this story.
I was surprised that Elizabeth-Jane left her books and learning materials behind. Perhaps she'll collect them another time.
Jean, thanks for the pictues. I especially like the picture of the mask over the secret doorway. I can see the kids trying to throw stones into the mouth over the generations as they use the back lane.
Claudia underlined this quote and it is the same one that leapt out at me as well. "The position of the queer old door and the odd presence of the leering mask suggested one thing above all others as appertaining to the mansion's past history - intrigue."Everything about this chapter is intriguing; the mysterious Miss Templeton, why is she as interested in EJ as EJ is in her, the apparent secret meeting between Miss T and Henchard.
I agree that Miss T. may have chosen High Place Hall that overlooks the market to better observe the goings-on of the people (at least some people) of the town. And Jean the pictures were & info behind them were great. I especially liked the arch with the worn looking face above it.
Petra said she was surprised that EJ left her study materials behind. Me too!! Did she think she may have too much to do helping Miss T.?
Hardy was an architect who specialized in stone buildings so there is a sense that he was writing about actual buildings and Roman walls and arches (as Jean's wonderful photos confirm). The High Place Hall was very visible to the marketplace so the occupants of the house can observe the villagers in the market, but the villagers can also observe everyone coming and going. There is a sense that Henchard is hiding a secret since he is entering the secret doorway out of sight.The house is neglected, probably because it is old and unoccupied. It's described as having "birds'-nests in its chimneys, damp nooks where fungi grew, and irregularities of surface direct from Nature's trowel." The birds' nests suggest fragility, and they can be destroyed by a spark. The creeping fungus might suggest decay, decline, or change, and gives a general sense of foreboding.
Connie wrote: "Hardy was an architect who specialized in stone buildings so there is a sense that he was writing about actual buildings and Roman walls and arches (as Jean's wonderful photos confirm). The High Pl..."Connie.
Yes indeed. You are right. Good catch. There are multiple suggestions that the house is one of decay and decline. From its exterior walls to the unfinished interior accommodations it is anything but a temple. I think the name Templeman suggests much irony and forbidding. Both the house and its owner might well be reflections of each other.
As noted Elizabeth-Jane enters the front door but initially finds nothing. Henchard enters by the secretive back door and finds what? We are left in suspense for that answer.
Presiding over all the action of the house so far is the ghastly ancient frozen face made of stone, weathered by nature and altered by the destructive hands of humans.
Mod
I love all the intrigue! I keep thinking about how Ms Templeton was reading Susan Henchards gravestone the first time Elizabeth saw her. I know that was in the previous chapter, but I keep wondering why she would do that. Especially after seeing Henchard secretly walk into her house
Great thoughts on decay and secrecy, Connie and Peter!Moreover High-Place Hall, despite its pompous name, can also boast of a bad, perhaps even partly sinister, reputation because of its convenient location for those who have something to hide and its access to the back alley. This suggests a duality (Hall, mansion, an aura of dignity of times past, vs signs of dilapidation and decay and secrecy, the latter is enhanced by Miss Templeman's mourning (or hiding?) veil). Is this an allegory?
"By the alley it had been possible to come unseen from all sorts of quarters in the town—the old play-house, the old bull-stake, the old cock-pit, the pool wherein nameless infants had been used to disappear. High-Place Hall could boast of its conveniences undoubtedly."
Thomas Hardy suggests that eerie feel also through trivial observations:
"At night the forms of passengers were patterned by the lamps in black shadows upon the pale walls."
Yet, despite all this, Elizabeth-Jane is fascinated by the Hall:
"The impression that this woman of comparatively practised manner had made upon the studious girl’s mind was so deep that she enjoyed standing under an opposite archway merely to think that the charming lady was inside the confronting walls, and to wonder what she was doing. Her admiration for the architecture of that front was entirely on account of the inmate it screened."
Mod
Mod
Henchard’s stunned reaction to Elizabeth-Jane’s new address is explained by the events of the previous evening. Henchard had then received a letter from “Lucetta”. This was the young woman whom he had known in Jersey by the name “Miss Lucette Le Sueur”. In this letter, Lucetta wrote that she had heard of Susan’s death and felt in these circumstances that she must reach out to Henchard in the hope that he would keep his previous promise to her. Henchard had already learned that a lady of the last name Templeman, which he knew was the name of Lucetta’s remaining relative, had purchased High-Place Hall.
When Henchard visited High-Place Hall the previous evening, he inquired after Miss La Sueur (the last name by which he had known Lucetta) and heard that only Miss Templeman had arrived. Henchard wondered if Lucetta had come into some money through her relations with the Templeman relative she had spoken of.
The next day, soon after Elizabeth-Jane’s departure, Henchard receives another note from Lucetta explaining that she is in fact, the “Miss Templeman” in residence, having taking her rich deceased relative’s name along with her inheritance. She writes lightly, referring to the “practical joke” of getting Elizabeth-Jane to live with her, and says she has moved to Casterbridge so that Henchard might easily visit her.
Henchard’s excitement and hopes for Lucetta are greatly increased by her letters and he sets out that very night to visit High-Place Hall. However, upon calling, he is told that Lucetta is engaged that evening, but would be happy to see him the next day. Henchard exclaims at Lucetta giving herself such airs and resolves to likewise make her wait to see him.
Earlier in the evening when Elizabeth-Jane arrived at High-Place Hall, she had joined Lucetta in the drawing room where the other woman endeavoured to entertain her with some card tricks. Instead, the two women have a conversation in which Lucetta shares the story of her newly received fortune. She also tells Elizabeth-Jane about her true home in Jersey, although she had arrived in Casterbridge from Bath. Lucetta could not have confessed these details to a safer person than Elizabeth-Jane, who tells no one else.
The next day, Lucetta dresses for Henchard’s visit and waits for him all day. She does not tell Elizabeth-Jane who they are waiting for. It is market day, and the two women watch the action below in the square. Elizabeth-Jane sees Farfrae and then her father, as the pair encounter each other, and observes that Henchard clearly refuses to speak to the younger man. Lucetta asks Elizabeth-Jane if she is particularly interested in any of the men she sees below, but she says no, despite her blush.
Lucetta is disappointed that Henchard did not visit, despite having spent the day nearby in the square. She supposes he was busy, and that he will come on Sunday or Monday, but he does not. Lucetta no longer loves Henchard as she once did, but she wishes to secure her position. On Tuesday, the Candlemas Fair calls the merchants back into the market square. Lucetta wonders aloud to Elizabeth-Jane if her father will visit her today because he will be coming for the fair. Elizabeth-Jane says he will not come because of his grudge against her.
Lucetta starts to cry as she realises that she has prevented Henchard from visiting by inviting Elizabeth-Jane to live with her. Lucetta says that she likes Elizabeth-Jane’s company very much, and the younger woman feels the same way. Lucetta devises an errand to send Elizabeth-Jane away from the house that morning, so that Henchard may visit. Elizabeth-Jane senses that Lucetta wants to get rid of her that morning, but does not understand why.
As soon as Elizabeth-Jane has departed, Lucetta writes to Henchard explaining that she has sent Elizabeth-Jane away that morning so that he may visit. Finally hearing a man being shown into the house, Lucetta hides behind the curtains in the drawing room, suddenly timid. But when she throws back the curtain, she discovers that the man who has been shown in is not Henchard.
“The man before her was not Henchard” by Robert Barnes - 6th March 1886
Mod
Lucetta does not want to be identified as the young Jersey woman:
“She shirked it with the suddenness of the weak Apostle at the accusation, “Thy speech bewrayeth thee!””
After Christ’s arrest Peter denied being one of his followers, but he was identified by his Galilean accent (Matthew 26. 73)
“Tuesday was the great Candlemas fair.”
The feast of thanksgiving for the Purification of the Virgin, now February 2nd. The hiring fair in Dorchester (“Casterbridge”) which we’ve come across before e.g. in Far From the Madding Crowd, at which agricultural workers were taken on for the coming year, took place on Old Candlemas day, February 14th.
Mod
On hearing that Elizabeth-Jane is moving to High-Place Hall, Henchard realises with a jolt that her move must have been the intentional plan of the woman living there. Lucetta’s note to Henchard expresses her hope of reconciliation and Henchard connects this to High-Place Hall because a woman named Templeman, Lucetta’s relative, is moving in there.
Then he and we both learn of Lucetta’s change of name, which she reveals to Henchard in a second note. This reflects two things:
1. It shows her desire to hide her past, which is linked to her real last name. Several have commented how intriguing this plot-line is, and now I’m wondering about her past!
2. It shows the dramatic change of situation Lucetta has experienced because of the money she has received from her relative named Templeman.
Lucetta’s perspective on Elizabeth-Jane’s move as a “practical joke” shows us that Henchard, and not her sudden “friendship” with Elizabeth-Jane, is her priority. As Claudia pointed out with her quotation, Elizabeth-Jane is extremely interested in her, and we know Elizabeth-Jane's honest motives, but have many indications in the text (nice catch Peter that High-Place Hall may reflect the personality of its occupant!) so that all may not be as it seems. For instance Lucetta must be several years older than she behaves and appears.
She seems nice enough, but rather devious. Should we trust Lucette/Lucetta Le Sueur/Templeman? On the other hand, so many people have concealed secrets in this novel; perhaps this one is relatively minor.
Although Lucetta’s partial confession of her past and her previous identity might have been a mistake with another listener, it is safe with Elizabeth-Jane. In many ways, Elizabeth-Jane, although younger, is more mature than Lucetta in her discretion, her emotional support, and her ability to focus on others rather than drawing attention to herself.
Lucetta prepares carefully for Henchard’s visit, which shows she is interested in catching his attention. The market day scene provides a venue for Lucetta and Elizabeth-Jane to observe life in Casterbridge. Elizabeth-Jane does not admit her affection for Farfrae to Lucetta because she is unwilling to admit it even to herself.
Mod
Henchard is inspired by Lucetta’s letters, but angered by her acting as if she is now a great lady. Henchard’s reaction to such treatment is characteristically one of pride: he will not humble himself, but will wait for her to come to him.
Elizabeth-Jane feels guilty because she believes Henchard is staying away because of her. Lucetta too feels she has prevented the very thing she wanted through her own scheming, so she schemes some more (!) and plans to get Elizabeth-Jane temporarily out of the way. She does not realise that Henchard is in fact staying away as a response to Lucetta’s airs, which he perceives as vanity, and is waiting for her to reach out to him. Lucetta blames Elizabeth-Jane for a situation outside of Elizabeth-Jane’s control.
Once Elizabeth-Jane has gone, Lucetta reaches out to Henchard. She seems to be direct and forward with Henchard when she is attempting to secure her position. But her sudden shyness means that she is left alone with a different visitor who arrives because she has sent Elizabeth-Jane away.
Mod
Thanks all for making this such an enjoyable read so far, and adding so much depth with your observations. I'm so glad you appreciate my "local knowledge" and can hardly wait for the second half!
While we are all hanging on a cliff, I would like to thank Jean for her wonderful work, through thick and thin, on this first half of our reading! This definitely added much depth to my own reading!I do not trust Mlle Le Sueur. Now we know who The Tenant of High-Place Hall is! She definitely does not want to be identified as a lady from Jersey for some reason still unknown - her past romance with Henchard that she obviously wants to reignite for a practical purpose. Poor Elizabeth-Jane who was so fascinated by Lucetta. This confirms that she was being used for Lucetta's purposes.
Thomas Hardy's play with windows and doors is now largely displaying!
Jersey, Channel Islands, is nearer to Normandy and belonged with the other islands to the Duchy of Normandy until 1204. Toponyms and old patronyms are French indeed, Le Sueur is typical. There is still a maritime service to Weymouth, 100 miles and to St. Malo, 43,7 miles. Each Channel island has an independent government but their respective Bailiffs are appointed by the Crown as the archipelago belongs to the Crown. French, or rather a local Norman patois spoken by old Jersey families, is now in decline, but it was more in use in Thomas Hardy's times. Nevertheless, French is the official language along with English, and the Jersey Pound the currency, aligned on the GBP.
Jersey is known for its agricultural resources: potatoes and tomatoes and the lovely Jersey cows who produce a very rich and creamy milk for fudges.
I preferred Guernsey where I worked as an intern in a Canadian bank but have wonderful memories of a day trip from Granville to Jersey with my mother when we lived in Normandy.
Lucetta's change of name is very convenient but legally explainable back then because of her recent inheritance. There is a similar example in another novel of that same era but I prefer not to disclose it as if would be a spoiler for those who have not read it yet.
Jean. Like Claudia and others, I thank you for bringing us to this point of the novel. Reading along with you and the group is a pleasure and great experience.There is so much in this chapter to discuss. Where to begin? Well, I think I’ll take a look at the latest illustration by Barnes. Once again we see how he plays with light and shadow, and how characters find themselves in positions of revelation. In this illustration we have Lucetta placed by a window, and in a dramatic moment of revelation she reveals herself from behind a curtain. First, we have yet again the use of a window to suggest sight and insight. From this window, or another in the house, Lucetta and Elizabeth Jane have viewed the activities of Casterbridge, observed the population, and focussed on the appearance of Henchard and Farfrae.
The pose of Lucetta as she casts aside the curtain allows the viewer to both see the window, share the view from the window and ideally look upon a person who has been the object of the ladies viewing. Lucetta is touched by the light coming through the window and her left hand is posed so that it is above her heart. She has anticipated Henchard. We know her heart is connected to Henchard.
The gentleman who is in the room is presented more in shadow, but his face is clearly lit by the sunlight. Indeed, his face is the sole part of his body in sunlight. In his right hand is his top hat, obviously to indicate his politeness and courtesy to a woman.
To me, what is most striking and symbolic in the picture is the empty chair in the right bottom edge of the illustration. Like windows and doors, the presence of a chair in an illustration/painting often has great symbolic power. Chairs are an important trope in art. An empty chair signifies someone or something missing. An absence. Whatever/whoever was expected (in this case Henchard) is not present. The chair awaits someone who is not there.
For those who are interested in how an empty chair functions in Dickens, and how his empty chair inspired Van Gogh. The links are below.
https://davidjgoodwin.com/2023/07/05/...
Scroll down to bottom of the following article for a look at Van Gogh’s empty chair.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/...
Peter wrote: we have yet again the use of a window to suggest sight and insight.Great comment extracted from your post, Peter! Insightful description of the illustration!
I agree that it was difficult to find where to begin in this flurry of windows and potential beaux cruising on the market-place at Candlemas! A market-place is indeed always a significant meeting point in several novels by Thomas Hardy.
Plus Elizabeth-Jane sent to the local museum where there did not seem to be much to see, while the wrong beau was showing up.
Jean, thank you so much for all you've brought in leading us through this first half! I greatly appreciate your unforgettable insights.And also everyone else's astute comments! The Empty Chair article was fascinating--thank you, Peter.
I was a little disappointed at the beginning of this chapter, when the mystery woman turned out to be the most obvious choice and not something a little more complicated. But my disappointment didn't last. Lucetta is quite a character: flighty and impulsive, which makes her a good match for Henchard.
I noticed she was described as "of unmistakably French extraction on one side or the other." Do we assume the other side is Italian, given her name? And does that signify?
Kathleen wrote: "Jean, thank you so much for all you've brought in leading us through this first half! I greatly appreciate your unforgettable insights.And also everyone else's astute comments! The Empty Chair ar..."
Good question Kathleen. French and Italian belonged to the languages spoken by accomplished ladies. However this does not mean that Mlle Le Sueur has Italian roots. Instead, Elizabeth-Jane has unknowingly hit the Jersey chord!
I suppose Miss Le Sueur, now Miss Templeman, likes to be called Lucetta in order to sound anything but "Jersey girl" (as they say there). I guess that she prefers to sound more "cosmopolitan" with a slight posh touch - Bath was more visited by high society than Jersey where there was not much on. Bath was already a spa town with prestige and entertainment and visitors. Jersey is an island and was certainly a very small world back then. Which it still most probably is off touristic season.
Her first name is Lucette, which is French and her last name is typically a Jersey or Guernsey patronym, suggesting that her paternal lineage is undoubtedly Norman. Before 1204 the Channel Islands were part of the Duchy of Normandy, so that many locals with such French sounding names have old Norman roots. The Parishes were part of the Catholic Diocese of Coutances (where I lived in my childhood and early teens). Hence her "unmistakably French" phenotype at least from one side. Then the Islands were inhabited also by people with Breton roots and then English roots so that the French phenotype became less visible.
Claudia wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Jean, thank you so much for all you've brought in leading us through this first half! I greatly appreciate your unforgettable insights.And also everyone else's astute comments! T..."
Ah yes, of course. Likely French and English, with an aim to sound posh. :-)
Mod
I have never been there, but like you, do know Guernsey, having been there twice. Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands (other small ones include Alderney, Sark and Herm - I have been to these too) but they are not one political unit. Simplifying this, there are two independent Bailiwicks: Guernsey and Jersey, with Jersey as the most French, being closest to France and having the history Claudia explained so well.
Bath was stylish both then and now, (and loved by Jane Austen) although plenty of tourists go there.
Evidently Jersey society must have been different from how it is now. The reason Jersey is the only Channel Island I have not been to is because it is full of millionaires, with aspirational people, a high standard of living and prices to match! There are lots of tax exiles from Britain living in Jersey. Michael Henchard would not fit in!
I think this is quite a recent phenomenon though, as even as recently as the Second World War it was a simple island as Claudia describes. Interestingly Guernsey and Jersey were both occupied by the Nazis then: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_...
because of their advantageous positions for invasion.
So we wonder about the history of Miss La Sueur - and her change of suffix from Lucette to Lucetta - great point that it feels more cosmopolitan Claudia! And where her inherited wealth originally came from.
Peter - I loved your analysis of the illustration, and highlighted the same sentence that Claudia did!
Kathleen - Thank you so much! Yes, perhaps Thomas Hardy gave us enough pieces of the jigsaw for us to work out who the mystery woman was, but it's still a great feeling to be proved right, I think 🙂
Mod
I also find Lucetta a fascinating creature. She leans towards the dramatic, I think. She likes to "fling herself on the couch" and throw "her arm over her head" when she's anticipating a visitor, which reminded me of melodramatic actresses of the silent film era. Until she gets scared, and dashes behind a curtain. I think Barnes picks up on her dramatic flair nicely in his illustration of her.
As others have said, there is so much happening in this chapter, its hard to pick one thing over another to highlight. I rather liked Hardy's descriptions of the towns people as "men of extensive stomachs" and "these gibbous human shapes" made me chuckle a little as I was reading.
Mod
I wanted to let you all know, I will be traveling from Chicago back to Seattle on Wednesday, so if I don't respond to your comments until much later in the day, you will know why.
I hope you enjoy today's chapter. Without further ado, here we go . . . .
Mod
SUMMARY
The man in the drawing room is years younger than Henchard and well dressed. The stranger is immediately apologetic, saying that he is calling upon Miss Henchard, and did not mean to surprise her. Lucetta encourages the man, who she learns is Mr. Farfrae, to stay and sit now that he has come to call. There is something in his person that Lucetta finds immediately attractive and compelling.
Farfrae’s appearance at High-Place Hall is the result of Henchard’s note to him that he could court Elizabeth-Jane. His recent business success has made him aware that he can afford to marry. Lucetta and Farfrae comment upon the busy market scene. Lucetta says that she will look for Farfrae in the crowd now that she knows him. She confesses her loneliness, and as the pair converse, she also expresses how interesting she finds Farfrae. He colors at her praise, and she praises Scottish men more generally, asking if he wishes he could be in his homeland again.
Farfrae and Lucetta observe a disagreement occurring outside of the window. A farmer is hiring an elderly worker, but only if his healthy son agrees to come too. The son is apologizing to his sweetheart who does not want him to leave for such a distant farm. Lucetta turns to Farfrae, both their eyes moist at the scene occurring below, and she says lovers ought not to be parted like that. Farfrae says perhaps he could help by hiring both father and son and keeping the pair employed and in town. He heads outside to offer his proposition to the group who are all cheered by it.
Lucetta tells him his offer is kind-hearted when he returns to her drawing room. Outside the window, they overhear another conversation as a young farmer says he was supposed to meet Farfrae at the fair, but has not seen him. Farfrae says he must go, but still he remains with Lucetta. Farfrae exclaims that he wishes that there were no business in the world, as it calls him away from Lucetta. She says he has changed his priorities very quickly, but he responds that this change has only been since he arrived at High-Place Hall and saw her.
As Farfrae leaves, Lucetta says eagerly that he should not heed any gossip he may hear about her in town. As a young woman, Lucetta would not have been interested in a tradesman, but she watches Farfrae from the window and pleads with her rational self to welcome him again on another visit to her home.
Minutes after Farfrae’s departure, Henchard calls with the message that he is only able to make a brief visit. Lucetta tells her maid to send him away that day with the excuse that she has a headache. Lucetta is no longer interested in Henchard’s attentions, having finally reawakened his affection for her. She no longer feels the necessity of getting rid of Elizabeth-Jane, but instead wanted to keep the younger woman near, as a means of dissuading her father’s visits. She greets Elizabeth-Jane enthusiastically upon her return and implores that she live with Lucetta for a long time.
Mod
Lucetta is immediately drawn to Farfrae and she is far better than Elizabeth-Jane at speaking to a man and encouraging him. In a moment, she encourages this newcomer to stay and to speak with her, so that the pair gets to know each other.
While Farfrae arrived at High-Place Hall to see Elizabeth-Jane, he does not depart upon learning that she is not there, and he is moved by Lucetta and her praise of him. Lucetta confesses to being lonely, another characteristic that separates her from Elizabeth-Jane, who could only admit to loneliness in the graveyard when she believed no one could hear her.
The scene between the father, son, and the son’s sweetheart provides an opportunity for Lucetta to witness Farfrae’s care and attentiveness to others, and for the pair to unite in the protection of two lovers. The concept of love is introduced to the reader during this scene of close conversation between Farfrae and Lucetta. Perhaps it also brings the two characters to think of love as well, and a spark starts between them.
Farfrae is called back to his business only when they overhear men at the market who are looking for him. He makes his interest in Lucetta clear by expressing his wish to stay with her, to not be called back to his business. The change in his affections is very fast, which is something we haven't seen from Farfrae so far. Henchard moves fast and impulsively, but Farfrae is more methodical about his movements. At any rate, he seems allured by Lucetta from the moment he sees her, to the exclusion of any other thoughts. Perhaps love at first sight?
Lucetta is interested in Farfrae as well. Her rational side argues that his trade is too lowly for her to consider him as a suitor. It is clear, however, that her heart and her emotions do not agree with this rational side of herself. Was this how she behaved with Henchard when she first met him? Is this a pattern for Lucetta?
Lucetta’s priorities have changed as dramatically as Farfrae’s. Lucetta did not love Henchard any longer, and she finds it easy to lose interest in his attentions. She is also able to let go of her obsession with her reputation. Her dramatic change in treatment of Elizabeth-Jane is again motivated by her own interests, as she now wishes to use the young woman as a shield against her father’s attentions.
Mod
Lucetta seems impulsive to me, quickly traveling back to Casterbridge when she hears of Susan's death. Quickly attaching herself to Elizabeth. Just as quickly sending Elizabeth on an errand to entice Henchard to visit.
Before this chapter I would have said Farfrae was more methodical than impulsive. But now I don't know. Though perhaps he is not impulsive but rather simply swept away by Lucetta's charms.
Jean, thank you for your expert leadership in the first part of the book. I'm looking forward to reading the second half with Bridget.
Bridget wrote: "It seems to me that Elizabeth-Jane is the only major character so far who does not act impulsively. Henchard certainly does, starting with the first chapter where he sells his wife, continuing thro..."Great analysis and comments, Bridget! I am delighted to see you again and wish you a safe journey back home!
I found this chapter less convincing than the two or three previous ones. Notwithstanding, you very pertinently observed the common feature in the main characters but Elizabeth-Jane (Elizabeth-Jane is clearly used as a pawn, a lure or a scarecrow depending on circumstances...): impulsiveness. Your comments helped me to find a better angle on this chapter.
Once again we see how a pair of protagonists are observing others through the window (sight and insight, as Peter said), a recurring attitude in this novel. Lucetta and Farfrae are even overhearing a conversation, just as Susan and her daughter did.
Lucetta is quickly establishing a contact with Donald but as you said, also fearing that he might hear some gossips about her in the town. She is especially anxious about being labelled as a coquette. Talking about her former house ("pulled down for improvement") in St. Helier, she is forcefully picturing it in Bath in her mind! As if she wanted to erase footprints from her past.
St. Helier is the main city in Jersey. It certainly used to be not as exciting as Bath, while St. Peter Port, the main city in Guernsey is so picturesque and nice (Victor Hugo spent his exile years on Guernsey and completed Les Misérables there in Hauteville House in his rooftop study with a wonderful view. Cellist Jacqueline du Pré's paternal lineage was from Guernsey.)
Bridget wrote: "Thank you so much Jean for summarizing a chapter packed with so much information, and so many twists and turns. I also want to thank Claudia and Jean for all the information on Jersey and Guernsey...."Oh Bridget, I felt exactly what you described in chapter 22. The language and of course, to find out that the new woman in the community is Henchard's former lover is what I expected but her actions are surprising to me. But then, that may have been what attracted Henchard in the first place.
Now I'm anxious to find out who the stranger is (I'm a day behind - again!). He doesn't look like earlier illustrations of Farfrae — and of course, why would he show up at the woman's house?
Thank you so much, Jean, for your terrific comments in this first half of the book. I was just talking to someone this morning and exclaiming that this is why I enjoy this group reading as I learn so much about the era but also about the author and the book.
Bridget wrote: "It seems to me that Elizabeth-Jane is the only major character so far who does not act impulsively. Henchard certainly does, starting with the first chapter where he sells his wife, continuing thro..."Chapter 23 — I feel the same, Bridget. What a shock to see Farfrae in this impulsive way. And to forget that he came to see Elizabeth-Jane! I fear for her — Henchard has rattled her emotionally, Lucetta seems show her waxing and waning attentions towards the young woman, and now Farfrae seems to have fallen under Lucetta's charms, failing to remember he had intended to see Elizabeth-Jane.
Pamela wrote: "Bridget wrote: "It seems to me that Elizabeth-Jane is the only major character so far who does not act impulsively. Henchard certainly does, starting with the first chapter where he sells his wife,..."Pamela
Yes. Up to this point in the novel Farfrae has certainly been in control of his thoughts, actions, and emotions. Here, as you noted, he has apparently forgotten that he came to the house to see Elizabeth-Jane. It did not take long for Hardy to develop the relationship between Farfrae and Lucetta.
I must confess I felt a bit of a stumble in Hardy’s writing of their first meeting. While they were strangers until they met at the house, and no doubt were both expecting to meet another person, I still found their conversation somewhat stilted. Were they both taken by surprise at their initial contact? Yes. Were they both somewhat besotted with each other? Again, no doubt. Still, I was uncomfortable with the way Hardy presented the scene.
I'm very much enjoying the conversation! The motifs of letters, overheard conversations, and windows are especially interesting. I also love the analysis of the images; thanks Peter and of course Jean for providing them.I'd like to comment on Lucetta's artfulness, following on Bridget's comment: "I also find Lucetta a fascinating creature. She leans towards the dramatic, I think. She likes to "fling herself on the couch" and throw "her arm over her head" when she's anticipating a visitor, which reminded me of melodramatic actresses of the silent film era."
Lucette/Lucetta Le Seur/Templeman, doppelganger for Elizabeth-Jane, French/English poor girl from Jersey/rich heiress from Bath, in mourning/courting, in a house with a sunny front entrance and a shadowy secret back entrance. She is histrionic; Hardy compares her pose to "a well-known conception of Titian's," which my edition suggests is the Sleeping Venus. This c. 1510 work was originally believed to have been painted by Giorgione and completed by Titian, but modern scholarship identifies it as most likely a work of Titian only.
Sleeping Venus
It is the first reclining nude in Western painting and established the "genre of erotic myth pastoral." At the time of painting, a single nude woman was an unusual subject for a large work, although it is now a distinctive feature of Venetian painting.
The painting was commissioned by Girolamo Marcello on the occasion of his wedding(!). There was originally a seated figure of Cupid at Venus' feet that was overpainted sometime in the 19th century (probably before Hardy would have seen it).
There are several underlying erotic implications in the painting. The profile of the nude woman echoes the rolling contours of the hills in the background and relates the human body to a natural, organic object. Venus' raised arm and the placement of her hand on her groin as well as her closed eyes suggest to art historian Sydney Freedberg "not the act of love but the recollection of it."
Source
Sleeping Venus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepin...
ErichThank you for this additional information. Much appreciated and gave me a fuller appreciation of the interplay of art, history, and our current novel.
There is so much to connect.
Erich C wrote: "I'm very much enjoying the conversation! The motifs of letters, overheard conversations, and windows are especially interesting. I also love the analysis of the images; thanks Peter and of course J..."Great addition! In the same vein, commissioned by Caroline Murat (née Bonaparte), consort queen of Naples, Ingres painted La Grande Odalisque in 1814 with a more oriental touch, to be seen at the Louvre in Paris.
I also liked Bridget's comparison with an actress of the silent film era. I am also thinking of Betty Boop.
Moreover Lucetta is not only a Doppelgänger but nearly an usurper with a double personality. She is now taking some advantage of Elizabeth-Jane's absence and unknowingly usurping the latter's budding romance with Farfrae and (unknowingly too) stealing Elizabeth-Jane's hope for a future happiness in a time when she is deprived of everything: her mother is deceased, her father/stepfather (another example of duality here) was clearly unloving to her. And Farfrae is too quickly succumbing to temptation. This was in my opinion perhaps the less convincing aspect of this chapter.
Lucetta's and Elizabeth-Jane's characters seem to belong to typical Hardy's women opposite protagonists, like Arabella and Sue, to a lesser extent in Jude the Obscure.
Mod
And like Pamela, I too fear for Elizabeth! How much more is this poor girl going to loose?
Finally, I absolutely loved Erich's introduction of Titian's "Sleeping Venus"! Thank you for posting the painting. I didn't know that was the first painting of the "erotic pastoral genre". I know there are many, many similar paintings, Claudia mentioned Ingres, and I thought of "The Venus of Urbino", also by Titian.
Because Hardy references Titian it is likely that he had this image in mind as well. I'm guessing he intended the "suggestion" of the erotic. Lucetta is, after all, not a "pure" girl - given her past with Henchard. And so, it's not hard to imagine her as coquettish.
Wonderful comments today everyone! Thank you for keeping the conversation flowing while I was flying home. Now onto the next chapter.
Mod
SUMMARY
On every Saturday market day, Lucetta and Elizabeth-Jane are inevitably at home, watching from their windows the maneuvers of Farfrae in the marketplace. He, however, never glances towards their window. Elizabeth-Jane does not guess how Farfrae’s attention has been removed from herself.
Two new purchases arrive on the same day: a brightly colored dress ordered by Lucetta and new farming machine, which the two ladies see from their window. The pair decides to go look at the new purchase, and, while observing it, Henchard appears and greets Elizabeth-Jane who, unknowingly, introduces him to Lucetta. As Henchard leaves, Elizabeth-Jane sees and hears him say to Lucetta, “you refused to see me,” but Lucetta does not respond, and Elizabeth-Jane cannot understand the interaction.
Lucetta and Elizabeth-Jane meet Farfrae who is inspecting the machine, which was purchased at his recommendation. Elizabeth-Jane feels in the exchange between Farfrae and Lucetta that she is in the way.
As night falls, Lucetta and Elizabeth-Jane continue to watch the scene outside their house. Elizabeth-Jane bemoans the fact that, as she believes, Henchard does not think her respectable. Lucetta comments upon women who get themselves into compromising situations through no fault of their own, and winces at Elizabeth-Jane’s reply that such women, although not despised by other women, are hardly respected.
After seeing how Farfrae acted around Lucetta, Elizabeth-Jane pays special attention to Lucetta’s actions and discovers a time when she leaves and returns flushed, and says aloud that Lucetta has seen Mr. Farfrae, which the other woman confirms. The next day, an agitated Lucetta says she has something on her mind. She tells Elizabeth-Jane a story about a woman who got herself into an unfortunate position through her affection for a man who could not marry her. Eventually, this man was able to marry her, but in the meantime she had met a second man whom she preferred.
Elizabeth-Jane refuses to pass any sort of judgment on the situation described or to advise Lucetta about what she ought to do. Elizabeth-Jane is not fooled by Lucetta’s pretense that her story is about another woman and knows that she speaks of her own situation. She wishes Lucetta was able to be fully confident and honest in her confession to her friend.
Mod
"She knelt down on the hearth, and took her friend's hands excitedly in her own Robert Barnes. Plate 11, which appeared in the London Graphic, 13 March 1886
Works of Thomas Hardy
Books mentioned in this topic
Les Misérables (other topics)The Odyssey (other topics)
Gone With the Wind (other topics)
Mansfield Park (other topics)
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Thomas Hardy (other topics)Thomas Hardy (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
More...
And why is Farfrae cruising around at the same time? Coincidence? Is that young lady as a mirror image of Elizabeth-Jane a potential rival in case Miss Henchard briefly outlined and repressed romance with the genial Scotsman should resume? (As Pamela well suggested!)
It is true that Henchard's Jersey belle has been said to be on the loose, Chris.