Anthony Trollope, The Way We Live Now
On holiday I read The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope -- I'd been meaning to for a while, since I had good memories of a BBC adaptation about 10 years ago, although obviously time has dimmed the details a bit. I did have some hesitation, because I had to give up my last re-read of the Palliser novels at The Prime Minister because Trollope's antisemitism was just too much, and obviously, TWWLN has Melmotte and more. But in fact the quote in the introduction to the effect that it's a novel which deconstructs the antisemitism in in it seemed pretty right to me -- it's too clear that the characters who attack Melmotte and (even more) Mr. Breghert are just like them.
Also, in Marie Melmotte it has what may be the only interesting female virgin in all of Trollope's work. I would happily have read more about the further adventures of Marie Melmotte, especally if they involve Mrs. Hurtle.
I don't actually remember Marie's character development from the miniseries, whereas the courtship between Georgina Longestaffe and Mr. Breghert was much more prominent there than in the novel (it probably helped that I recall the miniseries Breghert as being fairly handsome, whereas book Breghert clearly isn't.) But the whole subplot with Breghert and Georgina and the rest of the Longestaffes it clear how hypocritical they are: or at least, that their antisemitism is entirely irrational. Breghert seems throughout good and honest -- if not refined -- whereas the Longestaffes are money-grubbing and dishonest, and for all their deep roots seem more like adventurers than not. By the end of the book I rather resented Georgina's respectable marriage. (Given the way the Ruby Ruggles plot is resolved, I'm not sure that refinement is a very good thing in this book -- too close to dishonesty.)
The book's main weakness is, predictably enough, the romance of Hetta Carbury and Paul Montague. And it shouldn't be, because it's the one relationship in the book which isn't in some sense market-based -- all the other romances are really about money and security, and Hetta bucks the trend of the book in marrying for love and getting away with it (unlike her mother, Mrs Hurtle, Marie, either Longestaffe girl...). And yet I really think she should have married Roger Carbury: I'm sure this is a sign of age, but his affection for her seemed so much deeper than Paul's -- Hetta and Paul seemed to respond most deeply to each other's prettiness, but the book has in Felix proof that beauty is not desirable in itself. The parallels between Hetta's love-triangle and Ruby's are so clear -- and yet they make opposite choices in the end, both with full authorial approval. And given the similarity in appearance between Hetta and Mrs Hurtle, I wonder whether Paul will someday leave Hetta for someone younger and prettier... well, at least she'll have Roger if he does. But Hetta is one of those heroines Trollope does all the time -- the completely characterless ones, whose only attribute is being in love with some young man.
Marie is far more interesting, despite her stupid passion for Felix -- at least she can recognize that he's worthless, and in fact pushes herself to do so (by visiting the Carburys). It's interesting that love, which is usually an end in itself for girls in Trollope novels, instead pushes her to grow as an individual as she takes Felix in hand and plots their escape from her life. Or I guess what makes Marie different is that her romantic plans fall through, so we see her on her own rather than with a hero to cling to. I also loved the scenes between her and Nidderdale, especially the one where she accepts his proposal -- and he becomes much more sympathetic as he grows if not to love her, then at least to appreciate her. (What's striking there is their honestly with each other -- Marie is uninterested in fakery by that point, but it's interesting that Nidderdale is willing to be honest in return. Is anyone else? Not Fisker, certainly, although he also isn't very good at concealing things from her.)
But of course honesty is the thing that sets her apart -- since the whole book is tinged with Melmotte -- who is himself more sympathetic than I had expected, in the way he gets carried away by his own confidence game and completely overreaches himself -- he and Roger seem to me to come to the same kind of self-knowledge, knowledge of their own shortcomings. (At least that's what I think Roger is doing -- he seems to be aware of how irrational his anger at Paul is, and his self-sacrifice is a ind of self-destruction as well. Unless of course Paul turns out to be a bolter after all...) In any case, it's clear that Melmotte is horrible -- although I don't know whether the way he abuses Marie (and Mme Melmotte as well) is as shocking to Trollope as to a modern reader. But if the contagion starts with him (and it isn't clear that it does), there are still so many characters eager to be infected. Nearly all of them, really.
And the financial stuff -- the bluff that turns into something uncontrollable, and then has to be supported by outright crime -- is all a little too modern.
I want to see the miniseries again, now, to see what was changed and what wasn't. I'm sure I remember scenes from the show which weren't in the books -- and I have a feeling that some of the resolution in the novel is missing from the show. And I really, really don't remember that Marie developed the confidence she possesses by the end of the novel -- which is the thing that I loved the most about the book. I'm feeling almost fannish about it -- I want all the "what happens next" and AUs and fix-its. I want Marie and Fisker to build the Vera Cruz railway after all! I want Mrs Hurtle and Marie to set up house together! (Of course, Paul was right not to marry Mrs Hurtle: she would have killed him, or at least beaten him, eventually.) I want the story where Marie married Nidderdale instead, and it was entirely successful!
Sadly, I would have to do research to write any of these, and I doubt anyone else will do it for me.
I don't suppose anyone else remembers this book or the miniseries?
This entry has also been posted at http://vaznetti.dreamwidth.org/20120.html, where it has
comments. Please comment here or there, as you like.
Also, in Marie Melmotte it has what may be the only interesting female virgin in all of Trollope's work. I would happily have read more about the further adventures of Marie Melmotte, especally if they involve Mrs. Hurtle.
I don't actually remember Marie's character development from the miniseries, whereas the courtship between Georgina Longestaffe and Mr. Breghert was much more prominent there than in the novel (it probably helped that I recall the miniseries Breghert as being fairly handsome, whereas book Breghert clearly isn't.) But the whole subplot with Breghert and Georgina and the rest of the Longestaffes it clear how hypocritical they are: or at least, that their antisemitism is entirely irrational. Breghert seems throughout good and honest -- if not refined -- whereas the Longestaffes are money-grubbing and dishonest, and for all their deep roots seem more like adventurers than not. By the end of the book I rather resented Georgina's respectable marriage. (Given the way the Ruby Ruggles plot is resolved, I'm not sure that refinement is a very good thing in this book -- too close to dishonesty.)
The book's main weakness is, predictably enough, the romance of Hetta Carbury and Paul Montague. And it shouldn't be, because it's the one relationship in the book which isn't in some sense market-based -- all the other romances are really about money and security, and Hetta bucks the trend of the book in marrying for love and getting away with it (unlike her mother, Mrs Hurtle, Marie, either Longestaffe girl...). And yet I really think she should have married Roger Carbury: I'm sure this is a sign of age, but his affection for her seemed so much deeper than Paul's -- Hetta and Paul seemed to respond most deeply to each other's prettiness, but the book has in Felix proof that beauty is not desirable in itself. The parallels between Hetta's love-triangle and Ruby's are so clear -- and yet they make opposite choices in the end, both with full authorial approval. And given the similarity in appearance between Hetta and Mrs Hurtle, I wonder whether Paul will someday leave Hetta for someone younger and prettier... well, at least she'll have Roger if he does. But Hetta is one of those heroines Trollope does all the time -- the completely characterless ones, whose only attribute is being in love with some young man.
Marie is far more interesting, despite her stupid passion for Felix -- at least she can recognize that he's worthless, and in fact pushes herself to do so (by visiting the Carburys). It's interesting that love, which is usually an end in itself for girls in Trollope novels, instead pushes her to grow as an individual as she takes Felix in hand and plots their escape from her life. Or I guess what makes Marie different is that her romantic plans fall through, so we see her on her own rather than with a hero to cling to. I also loved the scenes between her and Nidderdale, especially the one where she accepts his proposal -- and he becomes much more sympathetic as he grows if not to love her, then at least to appreciate her. (What's striking there is their honestly with each other -- Marie is uninterested in fakery by that point, but it's interesting that Nidderdale is willing to be honest in return. Is anyone else? Not Fisker, certainly, although he also isn't very good at concealing things from her.)
But of course honesty is the thing that sets her apart -- since the whole book is tinged with Melmotte -- who is himself more sympathetic than I had expected, in the way he gets carried away by his own confidence game and completely overreaches himself -- he and Roger seem to me to come to the same kind of self-knowledge, knowledge of their own shortcomings. (At least that's what I think Roger is doing -- he seems to be aware of how irrational his anger at Paul is, and his self-sacrifice is a ind of self-destruction as well. Unless of course Paul turns out to be a bolter after all...) In any case, it's clear that Melmotte is horrible -- although I don't know whether the way he abuses Marie (and Mme Melmotte as well) is as shocking to Trollope as to a modern reader. But if the contagion starts with him (and it isn't clear that it does), there are still so many characters eager to be infected. Nearly all of them, really.
And the financial stuff -- the bluff that turns into something uncontrollable, and then has to be supported by outright crime -- is all a little too modern.
I want to see the miniseries again, now, to see what was changed and what wasn't. I'm sure I remember scenes from the show which weren't in the books -- and I have a feeling that some of the resolution in the novel is missing from the show. And I really, really don't remember that Marie developed the confidence she possesses by the end of the novel -- which is the thing that I loved the most about the book. I'm feeling almost fannish about it -- I want all the "what happens next" and AUs and fix-its. I want Marie and Fisker to build the Vera Cruz railway after all! I want Mrs Hurtle and Marie to set up house together! (Of course, Paul was right not to marry Mrs Hurtle: she would have killed him, or at least beaten him, eventually.) I want the story where Marie married Nidderdale instead, and it was entirely successful!
Sadly, I would have to do research to write any of these, and I doubt anyone else will do it for me.
I don't suppose anyone else remembers this book or the miniseries?
This entry has also been posted at http://vaznetti.dreamwidth.org/20120.html, where it has
comments. Please comment here or there, as you like.