Christmas Book Scenes! During December I like to post
entries which are more Christmas in Books than Clothes in Books, and kind
readers say it puts them in a seasonal mood.
If you have a favourite Christmas book or scene not featured yet – please
let me know
Miss Marjoribanks by Mrs Oliphant
published 1866
[exceprt] It was just before Christmas, at the time above all others
when society has need of a ruling spirit. For example, Mrs Chiley expected the
Colonel's niece, Mary Chiley, who had been married about six months before, and
who was not fond of her husband's friends, and at the same time had no home of
her own to go to, being an orphan. The Colonel had invited the young couple by
way of doing a kind thing, but he grumbled a little at the necessity, and had
never liked the fellow, he said—and then what were two old people to do to
amuse them?
Then Mrs Centum had her two eldest boys home from school,
and was driven out of her senses by the noise and the racket, as she confided
to her visitors. "It is all very well to make pretty pictures about
Christmas," said the exasperated mother, "but I should like to know
how one can enjoy anything with such a commotion going on. I get up every
morning with a headache, I assure you; and then Mr Centum expects me to be
cheerful when he comes in to dinner; men are so unreasonable. I should like to
know what they would do if they had what we have to go through: to look after
all the servants—and they are always out of their senses at Christmas—and to
see that the children don't have too much pudding, and to support all the
noise. The holidays are the hardest work a poor woman can have," she
concluded, with a sigh; and when it is taken into consideration that this
particular Christmas was a wet Christmas, without any frost or possibility of
amusement out of doors, English matrons in general will not refuse their
sympathy to Mrs Centum.
comments: Indeed, English matrons will still be in sympathy with her. Down
the intervening 150 years I think we can all empathise – the details
of Christmas Issues may change (no servants to go out of their senses) but the
burden on (mostly) women stays the same.
I wrote about this book last year, and called the post ‘An
Absolute Banger of Victorian Fiction’. It’s a lost classic, very clever and
funny and cool, and I loved it. Lucilla is a wonderful heroine – like a less
well-behaved version of Jane Austen’s Emma. (she wouldn’t be taking criticism
of her behaviour from her beau, that’s for sure).
Lucilla is a young woman of 19 who has just finished school,
and she is returning to Carlingford to take over her father’s household and
liven up the town. She is going to launch her social successes after Christmas,
and in particular her newly-decorated drawing room, which she has shamelessly designed to
set herself off to best effect.
Her campaign is about to begin…She will be the ruling spirit society needs, as mentioned in the first lines of the extract.
Magazine illustration, 1860, by Frederick Walker from Wikimedia
Commons. Christmas tree illo, 1858, also Wikimedia.
I love this excerpt. I know exactly how Mrs Centum feels, and doesn't her concern about the children not eating too much pudding remind you of the 'creams of a plainer sort' which you mentioned as part of the Christmas Eve feast in your review of Piper in Wind by Anne Hepple? Margaret Oliphant seems to be overlooked these days, but she was an excellent writer, a keen observer of human nature, and a great de-bunker of social pretensions.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great description of Mrs Oliphant's skills and talents, and I think she deserves a comeback.
DeleteAnd yes, Mrs Centum speaks for many of us - not only is there all that work, but you have to appear happy and delighted the whole time, and jolly everyone else along! Some things don't change.
I think it's quite true, Moira, that the burden of holidays and family gatherings mostly falls on women. And I like the fact that she took the risk of making that point in this novel. It's a bit of social commentary woven into the novel along with the wit and the clever perception of the times and people. The writing style is appealing, too.
ReplyDeleteI think she is under-rated, or unjustly forgotten, and I love the idea of her small-scale description coming down the years to us and making us smile in recognition.
DeleteThis would be a "maybe someday" book for me. It does sound appealing. The heroine, the time it was written. The length is less appealing. But at least one can get a decent copy.
ReplyDeleteI think you would enjoy it Tracy, though I also see it could be a bit of a project!
DeleteI wonder if Angela Thirkell was cynical about Christmas for the same reasons as Mrs Centum.
ReplyDeleteOh excellent point. Women on the whole have a different view. I always smile at a Victoria Wood passing comment about a woman on Christmas Day 'still wearing a paper hat that she put on 4 hours ago when she was still in a good mood'
DeleteI read this after your recommendation and it is such an easy and enjoyable read - and how I sympathise with Mrs Centrum. There is no such thing as a holiday when you have small children.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Moira, that was me, Chrissie!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you liked it, I would have expected you to. And yes, Mrs O has a great view of the world, and that ability to describe things well.
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