Valerie Lester

A splendid biography of Bodoni, in every sense of the word -- the book itself is a beautifully produced object, the writing is clear, interesting, and tells his story well, and the interior illustrations and thoughtful appendices make this an illuminating work. As a printer, I am sometimes wary of typographers, but Bodoni's clear foot in both worlds makes him a man after my own heart, and the sheer number of punches produced in his shop boggles the mind. Truly a seminal and influential figure in the world of printing, and I am glad to know more about his life and the role of printing in the 18th century.… (plus d'informations)

An exotic locale, a superficial sham of English culture, ruthless egotism and acquisitive colonial commerce are the backdrop to this story of one woman’s survival and the launch of her son into another form of English culture.
I first heard of this novel as an imagined pre-history of Heathcliff, the romantic hero of Wuthering Heights. It does not touch at all on the events of Wuthering Heights, as it ends with the arrival of an uncouth youngster in Liverpool harbour, and the barest hint that he is the orphan Heathcliff, adopted into the Earnshaw home in Yorkshire. But The West Indian does recreate the impassioned emotions and extravagant behaviours that Emily Bronte conceived.
Wikipedia says Wuthering Heights “was controversial because of its unusually stark depiction of mental and physical cruelty, and it challenged strict Victorian ideals regarding religious hypocrisy, morality, social classes and gender inequality. The novel also explores the effects of envy, nostalgia, pessimism and resentment.” All of these are themes in The West Indian. Here, however, instead of heroic romantic passion, Valerie Browne Lester presents a kind of inverse – the male protagonist makes his fortune in colonial trade (and keeps slaves on his plantation and in his home), is obsessively possessive and self-centred but without a reciprocating love. Like Heathcliff, he ignores or abuses his actual wife, Martha, but also demands that she allow his lovers to dominate her home. Initially, this arrangement works because his lover is a charming and generous domestic slave and Martha makes a deep friendship with her. A later lover, Antonietta, is lazy and self-centred, and antagonizes Martha. Meanwhile, Martha has formed her own relationship with the local pastor, in an enlightened and idealized model. There is even a passionate story of a horse-back struggle through a storm to find help and save the life of a loved one.
Browne Lester also makes a lot of the contrast between the cultured Martha, from a destitute middle class family in England, and the pretense of high culture among the English Jamaican colonials, again echoing the contrast between the Earnshaw and Linton households in Wuthering Heights, though drawn with greater extremes. While the violence and uncouth behaviour in Wuthering Heights seems confined to Heathcliff’s household, it is at the centre of the Jamaican colonial culture, reflected even in the behaviour of the women and men at the top of its European society.
The landscape similarly contrasts in the two novels, with the Yorkshire moors being bleak and threatening, while Jamaica features the exotic beauty of colourful flowers, lush vegetation and gorgeous birds. The Yorkshire setting represents the bleak world of Heathcliff versus the cultured charm of Thrushcroft, while the beauty of Jamaica contrasts with the venality of its white residents.
Browne Lester shows some incidents from the perspective of young Peter, a wild child raised with few boundaries who wonders at the foolishness of civilized society. Through his eyes, we can see what life might be in a tropical paradise outside of colonialism. Again, this both parallels and contrasts with young Heathcliff, who finds himself banished from the established culture and is fiercely resentful as a result.
One frequent theme in The West Indian that is not represented in Wuthering Heights is literature. Martha and her friends enjoy literature and find comfort and inspiration in making up songs, sharing books, translating the classics, even reading Tristram Shandy. Perhaps for Browne Lester, this is a beacon of hope that an elevated culture will eventually transcend the violence of colonialism and slavery. Her Jamaican character does live on through his appearance in Wuthering Heights.
No doubt because the author is a scholar of 19th century lives, this novel has the details of life, language and character that are illuminating and interesting. It’s an enjoyable, provocative read.… (plus d'informations)

The improbably-named Hablot Knight Browne (aka, with good reason, "Phiz") is the subject of a recent biography by Valerie Browne Lester - Phiz: The Man Who Drew Dickens. Illustrator extraordinaire, Phiz was responsible for the engravings which accompanied many of Dickens' works in their original serialized form: it is his images of such timeless characters as Uriah Heep, Mr. Pickwick, and Dr. Manette in the Bastille that have engraved themselves on our collective literary memory. I thought this time of year would be quite appropriate for a read of it (I'm also having my semi-annual read-through of A Christmas Carol).

Lester's biography is the tale of the relationship (business and personal) between Phiz and Dickens, but also of his works with other authors less well-known today (Charles Lever, Harrison Ainsworth, and many more). It also aptly tells the story of Phiz' family life and other endeavours. Although Lester's position as her subject's great-great-granddaughter kept much criticism from the work (if Phiz had any faults, you won't learn of them here), it is nonetheless a fascinating look at Victorian literary culture.

It's an awful shame that both Dickens and Phiz destroyed much of their correspondence; from the letters which survive and are quoted here, it is reasonable to assume that those burned missives would be both hilariously witty and copiously illustrated with little sketches. A most unfortunate loss. This biography is, however, nicely illustrated with copies of various Phiz engravings - which complement the text beautifully - as well as sections of photographs.

A fine casual read.
http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2006/12/book-review-phiz.html… (plus d'informations)