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September 29, 2005
Lord Johnnie (1959)
by Leslie Turner White
The Bride of Newgate (1960)
by John Dickson Carr
Two novels, written a year apart
with the same initial premise...
There was a legal dodge available to
women in England in the mid-1800s
involving marriage to a condemned
prisoner. This was a way they could
escape debts: the debt is assumed by
the husband, and dies with him.
Both of these novels begin set in the
condemned cells of Newgate prison; we
see a man bribed or cajoled into what is
supposed to be a very brief marriage of
convenience...
But in both stories, by an unusual chain
of events, the condemned man escapes
execution... and the ladies involved must
come to terms with the fact that they're
legally married to these men.
In both stories, the problem is resolved
by the couple falling in love.
Further, in both, the man climbs in social
rank, becoming more respectable.
And also, the woman achieves something like what
she was after-- for "Lord Jonnie" it's
financial respectability, though for "Bride of
Newgate" it's a little more complicated.
Other similarities could be listed also...
the male main characters both have prior
relationships with low born women that
complicate their new situation.
There are also many differences...
"Lord Johnnie" is more of a
nautical/pirate story with
action that moves from Newgate
to the Americas.
"Bride of Newgate" is a
London-bound murder mystery.
A little more interesting:
"Lord Jonnie" has a woman
marrying to escape debt.
"Bride of Newgate" involves
a woman constrained by an The Carr book
improbable (?) will: her makes a show of
father considered it documenting it's
important for her to marry, The fact that it sources in the
and made sure she would be was published a appendix, but does
disinherited if she did not. year after makes not spell out the
it possible that source of this
Carr picked up "Newgate marriage"
this idea from idea.
White.
According to The more complicated
later dust (and less probable)
jackets, premise of the Carr
White's book might be the
"Lord result of a need to
Johnnie" trick it out to avoid
sold very excessive similarity.
well:
"multi- Or it could be that
millions". both authors were
inspired by some
third source, and
the Carr is more
complicated because
it's by Carr.
Both books show a tremendous
ambivalence about the idea of
being a gentleman, of being
upper class.
The main
characters Lord Jonnie is a The hero of "Bride
have been natural son of a of Newgate" is a
living as British naval black sheep
common people captain who died estranged from his
before having a noble family,
chance to marry his technically he's
son's mother. in line to inherit
the family title
And so the son lives and fortune, but
as a thief, under the only third in line.
nickname of "Lord
Johnnie", earned by But that unlikely
his grand airs... seeming event actually
and perhaps the aura happens: all the other
of his noble blood? heirs die at Waterloo...
suddenly his legal status
His gang attacks the changes: he must be
gallows with a retried in the house of
pre-determined plan, lords, and ultimately
and he escapes. goes free.
In both
stories we're Twice Johnnie The "Bride" of the
repeatedly confesses his title, is determined
shown that dream to be a to avoid marrying
the British gentleman because she's
upper class some day. convinced it's a
can be awfully Both times, he's lousy deal -- turning
low... laughed at your fate and fortune
("Have you over to some idle
looked at any drunken idiot who
'gentlemen' will gamble all your
lately?") money away.
Politics:
Lord Johnnie somewhat The main character
unconvincingly plays up the of "Bride" quotes
virtues of duty and the declaration of
patriotism... saving the independance with
British bastards from the a teary eye...
French bastards is supposed
to be important.
How dare those stupid aristocrats lord
it over us? What did they ever do to
deserve their status?
vs.
Ah, wouldn't it be cool to be
knighted? And to inherit huge
estates and enormous wealth and never
have to do anything but lord it over
those poor bastards?
Perhaps this
ambivalence is Or maybe it's not
the American strictly an
attitude. American syndrome
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We are not an instinctively
democratic people that
sneers at aristocracy --
We get obsessed with figures
like "Princess Di". Lacking any of our own, our
impulse is to borrow someone
else's royalty.
The continual degradation of the
American government: the
increasing power of the executive
branch as the presidency drifts
toward kingship.
America succumbs
Also, the tendency to regard to the impulse to
corporate CEOs as some sort of invent an
nearly untouchable characters, aristocracy.
unaccountable for their actions,
deserving of absurd salaries and
"golden parachutes".
So how about you?
Are you down with
aristocracy?
"Gallows Thief" (2002) by
Bernard Cornwell, also begins
at Newgate prision.
... and it has that same
ambivalence on display.
Like "Bride of Newgate" it
happens after the Napoleonic
wars, but in this case it's a
few years afterward.
Cornwell does a good job of
working Carr's territory:
a tale of one of the first
detectives in old London.
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