Castle Rackrent and Ennui by Maria Edgeworth

Castle Rackrent and Ennui Reviews

• 
  Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly

  Two hundred twenty years old yet it still has its charms.
  
  Part history, part gossip and part social commentary, one gets the same satisfaction reading this as when he reads Dominick Dunne writing about the crimes and excesses of today's rich and famous. Having done research on her own ancestors, Edgeworth created a fictionalished servant named Thady who tells the story of the patriarchs of four generations of Rackrent heirs: one a dissipated spendthrift, another a litigating fiend, the third a brutal husband and the fourth a fool who brought the family to its final financial ruin.
  
  Real names were not used, however, "Rackrent" actually being not a family name but an oppressive system of land use in Ireland during that time: rich landlords would entrust their vast tracts of land to middlemen who, in turn, would lease ("rack-rent") the same to small farmers at prohibitive costs. Many of these landlords were absentees, content with receiving the agreed fixed rent from their middlemen. It would just then be the latter squeezing the small farmers dry to maximize their profits.
  
  The novel was written in English but not exactly the English that we are all familiar with today. There are quiant words, expressions, spellings and style (who the speaker is, for example, is mentioned in a parenthesis in the middle of a dialogue). It also has a Preface which, together with the main story, have footnotes. After all these, there is also a Glossary which likewise has its own footnotes. Finally, added to all these is a portion called the Commentary. Partly explaining all these, Edgeworth writes in the Preface:
  
  "Those who were acquianted with the manners of a certain class of the gentry of Ireland some years ago, will want no evidence of the truth of honest Thady's narrative: to those who are totally un-acquianted with Ireland, the following Memoirs will perhaps be scarcely intelligible, or probably they may appear perfectly incredible. For the information of the IGNORANT English reader a few notes have been subjoined by the editor, and he had it once in contemplation to translate the language of Thady into plain English; but Thady's idiom is incapable of translation, and besides, the authenticity of his story would have been more exposed to doubt if it were not told in his own characteristic manner."
  
  Imagine writing a novel and calling your readers IGNORANT! Ha, ha. In the Glossary, Edgeworth next acknowledged her LAZY readers:
  
  "For the advantage of LAZY readers, who would rather read a page than walk a yard, and from compassion, not to say sympathy with their infirmity, the Editor transcribes the following passages...."
  
  As the servant narrates the main story, Edgeworth explains with her footnotes, Glossary and Commentary. In one footnote she expounds on the difference between a "wake" in England and a "wake" in Ireland:
  
  "A WAKE in England is a meeting avowedly for merriment--in Ireland, it is a nocturnal meeting avowedly for the purpose of watching and bewailing the dead; but in reality for gossiping and debauchery."
  
  Not content with this short footnote, she elaborates further in the Glossary:
  
  "A wake, in England, means a festival held upon the anniversay of the Saint of the parish. At these wakes rustic games, rustic conviviality, and rustic courtship, are pursued with all the ardour and all the appetite, which accompany such pleasures as occur but seldom.--In Ireland a wake is a midnight meeting, held professedly for the indulgence of holy sorrow, but usually it is converted into orgies of unholy joy. When an Irish man or woman of the lower order dies, the straw which composed his bed, whether it has been contained in a bag to form a mattress, or simply spread upon the earthen floor, is immediately taken out of the house, and burned before the cabin door, the family at the same time setting up the death howl. The ears and eyes of the neighbours being thus alarmed, they flock to the house of the deceased, and by their vociferous sympathy excite and at the same time sooth the sorrows of the family.
  
  "It is curious to observe how good and bad are mingled in human institutions. In countries which were thinly inhabited, this custom prevented private attempts against the lives of individuals, and formed a kind of Coroner's inquest upon the body which had recently expired, and burning the straw upon which the sick man lay became a simple preservative against infection. At night the dead body is waked, that is to say, all the friends and neighbours of the deceased collect in a barn or stable, where the corpse is laid upon some boards, or an unhinged door supported upon stools, the face exposed, the rest of the body covered with a white sheet. Round the body are stuck in brass candlesticks, which have been borrowed perhaps at five miles distance, as many candles as the poor person can beg or borrow, observing always to have an odd number. Pipes and tobacco are first distributed, and then according to the ABILITY of the deceased, cakes and ale, and sometimes whiskey, are DEALT to the company.
  
  "'Deal on, deal on, my merry men all,
  "'Deal on your cakes and your wine,
  "'For whatever is dealt at her funeral to-day
  "'Shall be dealt to-morrow at mine.'
  
  "After a fit of universal sorrow, and the comfort of universal dram, the scandal of the neighbourhood, as in higher circles, occupy the company. The young lads and lasses romp with one another, and when the fathers and mothers are at last overcome with sleep and whiskey, ...the youth become more enterprizing and are frequently successful. It is said that more matches are made at wakes than at weddings."
  
  Ay, you should read this and find out also what they do with their wigs during those times in Ireland!
• 
  Gina Dalfonzo

  (Note that this review is only for Castle Rackrent; I haven't read Ennui.)
  
  Castle Rackrent is a witty and clever satire, but the extremely long sentences and unfamiliar terminology made it rather hard to follow at times. Get a version with good notes if you'd like to try it. (The Kindle version of this Penguin edition had some good ones, but I could have used more, plus some technical glitch that was going on made several of them difficult to access. I think the paperback would have been a little easier.)
• 
  Fifi

  Ennui > Castle Rackrent
• 
  Sean

  Maria Edgeworth was an Irish contemporary of Jane Austen. These 2 short novels were a fantastic insight into her talent. The first - Castle Rackrent - is a biting, satirical frolic thru the potted history of a most ignoble family. Ennui, the second and longer tale, has a more sombre tone and is a more cleverly sustained piece. The lead character, victim of the ennui, might, in modern days, be diagnosed with depression - so vivid were the descriptions of his malaise. Recommended for lovers of 19th Century lit.
• 
  Eliza

  I really enjoyed Ennui a lot more than Castle Rackrent. It tells the story of a spoiled brat going to Ireland and there discovering that he is not the heir to the estate he thought he inherited. He then has to start over, which is interesting. I really enjoyed Maria Edgeworth's style here which I recognised from Belinda . I am excited about studying it further.
• 
  Deirdre

  I read this for my M.A Irish Literature 19th Century Novel course. Both are hallmarked as the classic "Big House Novel." The subtext & paratext in "Castle Rackrent," creates an interesting, satirical narration. Worth reading as a comparison to the novels of Austen.
• 
  Stephanie

  Irish satire. Yummy.
• 
  Existential Investigator

  The focus of this review is the work Ennui contained in this volume.
  
  While it is not a bad book, it is fairly undistinguished. The book is intended as a criticism of ennui even something of an indictment against those who suffer from it. In regards to this criticism I would say the book is a total failure. The depiction given of ennui is entirely materialist and consists of the protagonist chasing after a series of sensual pleasures and vices. This is a deep misunderstanding of ennui. If one wishes to have a literary depiction of that state of mind I would recommend them to instead read either René by Chateaubriand, Confessions of a Child of the Century by Alfred de Musset, or Childe Harold's Pilgrimage by Byron.
  
  It follows that the 'cure' proposed by the author is also entirely materialist. There is firstly proposed a certain element of distraction which was already censured by the author, but ultimately it is a plea for what the author sees as usefulness in the form of the progressivism of her time. In part it has to do with helping impoverished areas (in the case of this book, a neglected Ireland) only not in the form of charity, which is also chastised as being ineffective, but rather in the form of a rationalist approach to economics and governance with emphasis on the ideas of Adam Smith.
  
  As I said, the book can be amusing, but it is not entirely engaging. In terms of an analysis of ennui it is very disappointing, and in terms of a treatise on economics it is neither powerful nor helpful. I suppose it may have served as part of a contemporary debate, but I can't help but feel, or perhaps I mean hope, that it must have appeared even then to be a heavy handed appeal to any but the already converted.
• 
  sminismoni

  I only meant to read Castle Rackrent, as I had at least heard of it. Maria Edgeworth featured in my recent non-fiction read "How to Train the perfect Wife", and still I had never read any of her work. Castle Rackrent did prove to be a quite disappointing place to start. It seemed rather dated, a product of its time and I could only view it as social commentary (indictment even) on the foibles and character of the titled Irish landowning classes; all of which seemed alien to me. It was a flat narrative of events, with no introspection and little character development or real plot arc. Hence, 2 stars for this part.
  
  Because of this, I plunged on to read the second part of this volume, *Ennui*, hoping the book would redeem itself and justify the price of purchase at least. This proved true. The story of the wealthy, dissipated young Earl of Glenthorn, who learns that ennui cannot be overcome with the pursuit of pleasure, and that honest struggle, a good goal and true friends are necessary for a meaningful life, is timeless and still relevant. Of course, it has the 18th Century novel trope of babies switched at birth, but this can be forgiven. 4 stars for this part. Average rating for the combined volume is therefore 3 stars.
• 
  Randi Samuelson-Brown

  Well - I read all of Castle Rackrent and started Ennui - actually having more interest in Ennui with the United Ireland connection. Halfway through Ennui nothing much was happening (ennui means pervasive boredom) - and that's pretty much how this work struck me. I suppose writing about your main character's all consuming boredom does not fit modern sensibility. I must confess, I expected more.
  
  That said, it is a work of merit from the historical Anglo-Irish perspective - which is why I was reading it in the first place.
  
  Am working on a piece set during that same era - so it was valuable from that perspective!
• 
  erin delaney

  I only read Castle Rackrent for class. The book was good, it was interesting to see how Thady and Jason ended up in a better position than the Rackrents. It showed the flaws of the absentee landlord system in Ireland, and mocks it. Unfortunately this satirical piece didn’t really change that system, it was still in place during the Great Hunger and was very detrimental. I think it might be hard to pick up this book without understanding certain parts of Irish history.
• 
  Jason Smith

  Two novels written by a member of the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland after the Union between Ireland and England. Edgeworth, being a member of the Protestant upper-class, albeit a progressive and enlightenment influenced member, certainly sees the benefit to an intermeshing of Irish and English culture. She holds no strong bonds to nationhood, seeing advancement and progression as the keys to human development. This is perhaps why her novels have fallen out of favor, as the famine kind of proved that English meddling in Ireland would end in a giant shit show.
  
  Historical relevancy aside, I would recommend reading Castle Rackrent for its early and deft use of an unreliable narrator, a lowly servant in the house of a serious of alternating despots and drunkards. The uncertainty behind the narrator's true allegiances might be compared with those of Kinbote's in Pale Fire if one were to draw a contrast to a contemporary source. Also, it's the short one.
• 
  Molly

  When a long-time servant of the Rackrent family decides to write about them, the result is a stylishly entertaining exploration of master/servant relationships. It is a satire of 19th century Anglo=Irish landlords.
  
  This was both entertaining and interesting from a historical perspective. Castle Rackrent is symbolic of Ireland with control constantly changing and Thady represents the Irish people. It is a metaphor for Ireland around 1800. I found it very interesting.
  
  This volume also includes Ennui, which I read later. This is the fictional memoir by the Anglo-Irish Earl "Lord Glenthorn." It is an interesting commentary on Ireland's failed rebellion of 1798.
• 
  Liz

  I only read Ennui and didn't actually get to read Castle Rackrent. I enjoyed it but I am not sure it is something that I would just pick up on an everyday basis to read for myself.
  
  Of the 18th Century literature I have read this is probably one of the less painful books. The story keeps you entertained for the most part and you do not feel like you are just reading some long journal that never ends that tells you nothing about anything. Witty, humerous, and entertaining, I thought it was okay.
• 
  Beth

  The publication date of this book is misleading because although this version was published in the 1990s, the books were written in (about) the 1830s. Both stories are satires of lords in Ireland. Edgeworth uses unreliable narrators in each case (was she the first author to use this device?)
  The characters are very funny and the events seem unbelievable today, but of course were based on the kinds of relationships that existed then.
  
  People who like historical comedies - and who are interested in the history of Ireland would probably enjoy these stories.
• 
  Emma Lawson

  I bought this in Oxfam. The lady at the till said 'Ooo, that looks good' and I thought: 'Yes! Gothic. Maybe like Uncle Silas. Can't wait.' But it wasn't like that at all. These are early novels. Once everyone read them. Now, it's an effort. They're laborious, moralising, with cyphers rather than characters. You've got notes on the page and notes at the back. And a very thorough introduction, which I forgot as soon as I'd finished it. It's probably not fair of me to review the book without a fuller appreciation of Edgeworth, her contemporaries and the history of the time. So I'm going to stop.
• 
  Avis Black

  I finally got around to reading this, and expected a trashy but readable gothic novel in the line of Mrs. Radcliffe, but instead found a readable if hectoring novel about how an English landholding family made a hash of things in Ireland due to excessive decadence and general stupidity. You'd probably be better off with a good history book about English misdeeds in Ireland, but Castle Rackrent isn't excessively long.
• 
  Paul Stewart

  Apologies to my Irish colleagues for taking so long to get around to this. The 3 stars is not disinterested - it is a damned useful book, setting up all sorts of connections, from Sterne to Beckett and no doubt beyond. How good it might be as a disinterested read, I'm not sure
• 
  Natalie Sue

  I only read Ennui in this book.
  Wow I don't even know how any of that just happened. Enjoyed this way more than I could have ever expected.
  
  Video review of Ennui:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqEFR...
• 
  Lianna

  Eh. Maybe more enjoyable if you're into 1800's Irish books.
• 
  Laura

  These were supposed to be classics, but I only found Ennui mildly entertaining. Edgeworth is no Jane Austen.
• 
  Lauren

  Quite boring. I mean, really boring.
• 
  Paul Alexander

  Maria E was very clever. The narrator has a scarcely intelligible idiom. Incapable of translation. I finally decided to read it in the sunshine-- like in the front seat of my car (while parked) instead of by winter lamp light. Sometimes where you read is as important as what you read! "...love of truth, which in some minds is innate and immutable, necessarily leads to a love of secret memoirs, and private anecdotes."from the preface by Maria Edgeworrth