Reading the Eighteenth-Century Novel by Richter David H.;

Author:Richter, David H.; [Richter, David H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
Published: 2017-04-24T00:00:00+00:00

In the third volume, the vulgar Branghtons and their middle‐class acquaintances are absent, and their places as objects of satire are taken by young gentlemen and women of fashion, who in their own way behave as contemptibly as the middle‐class characters in the earlier volumes. The forceful but ridiculous Madame Duval, who wants to aggressively pursue Evelina’s parental rights, is replaced by the equally forceful but admirable Mrs. Selwyn, an unofficial guardian for Evelina who shames the fashionistas and succeeds in getting the audience with Sir John Belmont that leads to the denouement. The most vivid Smollett moment in this volume is a race staged by Lord Merton and Mr. Coverley; to settle a bet between them, two women over eighty years of age, sponsored by the two aristocrats, are to run a foot race, in a vivid scene today’s reader may find hard to stomach:

When we were summoned to the course, the two poor old women made their appearance. Though they seemed very healthy for their time of life, they yet looked so weak, so infirm, so feeble, that I could feel no sensation but that of pity at the sight … They were greeted with a laugh from every beholder. Lord Merton and Mr. Coverley were both so excessively gay and noisy, that I soon found they had been free in drinking to their success. They handed, with loud shouts, the old women to the race‐ground, and encouraged them by liberal promises to exert themselves. When the signal was given for them to set off, the poor creatures, feeble and frightened, ran against each other: and, neither of them able to support the shock, they both fell on the ground …. Again therefore they set off, and hobbled along, nearly even with each other, for some time; yet frequently, to the inexpressible diversion of the company, they stumbled and tottered; and the confused hallooing of “Now, Coverley!” “Now, Merton!” run from side to side during the whole affair.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.