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DOWN_WITH_ARISTOCRACY
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...
Apparently, it was once a
an occasional practice
for women in England in
the mid-1800s to marry a
condemned man for legal
reasons, e.g. to escape
debts.
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, 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 present circumstances.
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.
The more complicated
(and less probable)
premise of the Carr
book might be the
result of a need to
trick it out to avoid
excessive similarity.
Or it could be that
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 The hero of "Bride
have been a natural son of Newgate" is a
living as of British black sheep
common people naval captain estranged from his
who died noble family,
before having technically he's
a chance to in line to inherit
marry his the family title
mother. and fortune, but
only third in line.
He lives as a
thief, with But that unlikely
the nickname seeming event
"Lord Johnnie" actually happens:
earned by his all the other
grand airs... heirs die at
and perhaps Waterloo...
the aura of suddenly his legal
his noble blood? status changes: he
must be retried in
His gang attacks the house of
the gallows with lords, and hence
a pre-determined goes free.
plan, and he
escapes.
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 The main character
somewhat of "Bride" quotes
unconvincingly the declaration of
plays up the independance with
virtues of duty a teary eye...
and patriotism...
saving the British
bastards from the
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
RED_ON_BLACK
We are not an instinctively
democratic people that
sneers at aristocracy --
We get obsessed with people
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 American succumbs
kingship. to the impulse to
invent an
Also, the tendency to regard aristocracy.
corporate CEOs as some sort
of nearly untouchable
characters, 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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