Recent reading
Sep. 19th, 2022 03:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
regshoePickle the Spy and The Companions of Pickle by Andrew Lang (1897 and 1898 respectively). Fairly little of the Jacobite history reading I've done so far has much to say about what happened to BPC and his companions and followers after the '45, and so—currently working on a fic that uses some of the same bits of history Broster used in The Gleam in the North—I was pleased to find these books, which I think must have been fairly important sources for GitN itself.
Pickle the Spy is broader than its title suggests. Partly it is about the spy known as 'Pickle'*, whose true identity remained unknown until Andrew Lang identified him as Alastair MacDonnell, Younger of Glengarry, and his spying and reporting to the Government on Jacobite activities in Scotland and on the continent in the years after the '45; but it also discusses other important Jacobites of this period, covering the later life of Charles Edward himself as well as the Elibank plot, the activities and sad fate of Archibald Cameron, the Loch Arkaig treasure and various other bits and pieces. As I say, I'm sure Broster used this as a source for GitN, in which she fictionalises Glengarry as 'Finlay MacPhair of Glenshian'; virtually all the detail about him that she includes, down to the address of the London chemist where he had his letters directed, is in here. The information about Archibald Cameron's activities prior to his capture and execution is also familiar, and will be very useful for my fic. (Amongst other things I was pleased to learn the identity of Broster's mysterious 'MacPhair of Lochdornie'; he's really MacDonnell of Lochgarry, a relative of Glengarry's). Besides that, Lang explores Prince Charles's movements after the '45, particularly during the years following the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle when he disappeared from the ken of nearly everyone in Europe (he was, amongst other things, hiding in a convent in Paris where some French ladies helped to conceal him; these ladies, about whom Lang could discover tantalisingly little, are pretty intriguing Jacobite figures). Lang confirms the story—about which I remember some doubt incahn's 18th century discussions a while ago—that Charles converted to the Church of England some time in the early 1750s, although it appears not to have been actually during his visit to London in 1750. We also hear about James Mohr MacGregor, another spy (sometimes, before Lang's revelations about Glengarry, suspected of being Pickle), and the later lives of both Glengarry and Charles. Interestingly—with GitN in mind—while Lang does acknowledge the political importance of the battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, he puts the decisive end of Jacobite hopes in 1754, due to Charles's deteriorating moral character and his quarrels with his friends; while Ewen obviously wasn't privy to these details, that does go along rather nicely with Broster having him accept that his Cause is after its sunset with Archie's death in 1753.
In The Companions of Pickle, Lang explores in more detail the lives of a few prominent Jacobites, many of them spies and traitors of some kind, during and after the '45. Speaking ofcahn's salon, those of you in Frederick the Great fandom may enjoy the first two chapters on the Earl Marischal, whom Lang greatly admires; he's less complimentary about Murray of Broughton and MacDonnell of Barisdale, both of whom betrayed the Prince. (Barisdale was apparently 6'4"; I wonder if he ever met Ewen???). There's more detail on the Loch Arkaig treasure—I get hopelessly confused trying to follow the various accounts of what happened to different parts of the money, but it does seem fairly certain that Dr Cameron did not embezzle from it, and Cluny MacPherson probably didn't either—and the trouble and strife it caused amongst various branches of Clans Cameron and MacDonnell amidst the already deep troubles of the post-'45 Highlands. Lang apparently faced quite a bit of criticism for his identification of Pickle with Glengarry (how dare he claim that such an important, respectable Highland gentleman was a traitor???, say the proud Highlanders of the late Victorian period, apparently), and here he sets out his evidence in more detail, including a list of all the characteristic misspellings shared by Pickle and Glengarry (and faithfully reproduced by Broster; Lang makes much of Pickle's bad spelling, but also points out that Prince Charles couldn't spell either). The final chapter is a meditation on the condition of the Highlands 'then' and 'now', and Lang's thoughts on to what extent the 'good old days' of the Jacobites were really better. Altogether, these two books made fascinating reading, and will be very useful fic research material! Also, Lang was apparently a big fan of Robert Louis Stevenson; he mentions Kidnapped several times, at one point rather charmingly recommending it as further historical reading alongside an actual primary source.
*A pseudonym apparently chosen after Smollett's novel The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, which I shall certainly read at some point, because that's an incredible way to get a book rec.
The True Heart by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1929). This is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche set in Victorian Essex: Sukey Bond, raised in an orphanage and sent out as servant to a farm on the marshes, falls in love with Eric (hehe, see what she did with the names :D ), the 'idiot' son of a local clergyman kept at the farm so as to be out of the way. Eric's mother separates them, and Sukey, cast adrift in the world, determinedly sets out to get him back. Now, I say all this without actually knowing the myth itself beyond recognising the names, so it's quite likely I'm missing a lot, but I enjoyed the book regardless... Townsend Warner's writing is always beautiful, and her books are so interestingly diverse, none quite like the others—though the prose and storytelling style in this one is I think more like Lolly Willowes than any of her others that I've read so far. The descriptions of the Essex marshes and of Sukey's thoughts and feelings are both very vivid, and I liked both of them very much; although we see less of Eric or his POV, and I would have liked a bit more, it's also an interesting context in which to see a disabled character get to have a love story and a happy ending against the wishes of society and the powerful people in his life. Parts of it were confusing—the pacing goes a bit funny in places, and the story seemed to have its own powerful logic which clearly makes sense to Townsend Warner but which I couldn't always quite follow; although perhaps it would have helped if I'd been familiar with the original!—but all of it is lovely.
I'm also making steady progress on the initial proofreading for Chantemerle (I have decided that I do actually ship Gilbert/Louis; the pattern of emotionally intense and conflicted hurt/comfort turns up early in Broster's novels!); and I'm nearly halfway through Ronja rövardotter, going at the rate of a page or two a day and improving my vocabulary excellently.
Pickle the Spy is broader than its title suggests. Partly it is about the spy known as 'Pickle'*, whose true identity remained unknown until Andrew Lang identified him as Alastair MacDonnell, Younger of Glengarry, and his spying and reporting to the Government on Jacobite activities in Scotland and on the continent in the years after the '45; but it also discusses other important Jacobites of this period, covering the later life of Charles Edward himself as well as the Elibank plot, the activities and sad fate of Archibald Cameron, the Loch Arkaig treasure and various other bits and pieces. As I say, I'm sure Broster used this as a source for GitN, in which she fictionalises Glengarry as 'Finlay MacPhair of Glenshian'; virtually all the detail about him that she includes, down to the address of the London chemist where he had his letters directed, is in here. The information about Archibald Cameron's activities prior to his capture and execution is also familiar, and will be very useful for my fic. (Amongst other things I was pleased to learn the identity of Broster's mysterious 'MacPhair of Lochdornie'; he's really MacDonnell of Lochgarry, a relative of Glengarry's). Besides that, Lang explores Prince Charles's movements after the '45, particularly during the years following the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle when he disappeared from the ken of nearly everyone in Europe (he was, amongst other things, hiding in a convent in Paris where some French ladies helped to conceal him; these ladies, about whom Lang could discover tantalisingly little, are pretty intriguing Jacobite figures). Lang confirms the story—about which I remember some doubt in
cahn's 18th century discussions a while ago—that Charles converted to the Church of England some time in the early 1750s, although it appears not to have been actually during his visit to London in 1750. We also hear about James Mohr MacGregor, another spy (sometimes, before Lang's revelations about Glengarry, suspected of being Pickle), and the later lives of both Glengarry and Charles. Interestingly—with GitN in mind—while Lang does acknowledge the political importance of the battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, he puts the decisive end of Jacobite hopes in 1754, due to Charles's deteriorating moral character and his quarrels with his friends; while Ewen obviously wasn't privy to these details, that does go along rather nicely with Broster having him accept that his Cause is after its sunset with Archie's death in 1753.In The Companions of Pickle, Lang explores in more detail the lives of a few prominent Jacobites, many of them spies and traitors of some kind, during and after the '45. Speaking of
cahn's salon, those of you in Frederick the Great fandom may enjoy the first two chapters on the Earl Marischal, whom Lang greatly admires; he's less complimentary about Murray of Broughton and MacDonnell of Barisdale, both of whom betrayed the Prince. (Barisdale was apparently 6'4"; I wonder if he ever met Ewen???). There's more detail on the Loch Arkaig treasure—I get hopelessly confused trying to follow the various accounts of what happened to different parts of the money, but it does seem fairly certain that Dr Cameron did not embezzle from it, and Cluny MacPherson probably didn't either—and the trouble and strife it caused amongst various branches of Clans Cameron and MacDonnell amidst the already deep troubles of the post-'45 Highlands. Lang apparently faced quite a bit of criticism for his identification of Pickle with Glengarry (how dare he claim that such an important, respectable Highland gentleman was a traitor???, say the proud Highlanders of the late Victorian period, apparently), and here he sets out his evidence in more detail, including a list of all the characteristic misspellings shared by Pickle and Glengarry (and faithfully reproduced by Broster; Lang makes much of Pickle's bad spelling, but also points out that Prince Charles couldn't spell either). The final chapter is a meditation on the condition of the Highlands 'then' and 'now', and Lang's thoughts on to what extent the 'good old days' of the Jacobites were really better. Altogether, these two books made fascinating reading, and will be very useful fic research material! Also, Lang was apparently a big fan of Robert Louis Stevenson; he mentions Kidnapped several times, at one point rather charmingly recommending it as further historical reading alongside an actual primary source.*A pseudonym apparently chosen after Smollett's novel The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, which I shall certainly read at some point, because that's an incredible way to get a book rec.
The True Heart by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1929). This is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche set in Victorian Essex: Sukey Bond, raised in an orphanage and sent out as servant to a farm on the marshes, falls in love with Eric (hehe, see what she did with the names :D ), the 'idiot' son of a local clergyman kept at the farm so as to be out of the way. Eric's mother separates them, and Sukey, cast adrift in the world, determinedly sets out to get him back. Now, I say all this without actually knowing the myth itself beyond recognising the names, so it's quite likely I'm missing a lot, but I enjoyed the book regardless... Townsend Warner's writing is always beautiful, and her books are so interestingly diverse, none quite like the others—though the prose and storytelling style in this one is I think more like Lolly Willowes than any of her others that I've read so far. The descriptions of the Essex marshes and of Sukey's thoughts and feelings are both very vivid, and I liked both of them very much; although we see less of Eric or his POV, and I would have liked a bit more, it's also an interesting context in which to see a disabled character get to have a love story and a happy ending against the wishes of society and the powerful people in his life. Parts of it were confusing—the pacing goes a bit funny in places, and the story seemed to have its own powerful logic which clearly makes sense to Townsend Warner but which I couldn't always quite follow; although perhaps it would have helped if I'd been familiar with the original!—but all of it is lovely.
I'm also making steady progress on the initial proofreading for Chantemerle (I have decided that I do actually ship Gilbert/Louis; the pattern of emotionally intense and conflicted hurt/comfort turns up early in Broster's novels!); and I'm nearly halfway through Ronja rövardotter, going at the rate of a page or two a day and improving my vocabulary excellently.
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Date: Sep. 20th, 2022 07:35 am (UTC)This intrigues me!
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Date: Sep. 22nd, 2022 07:50 pm (UTC)he's less complimentary about Murray of Broughton and MacDonnell of Barisdale, both of whom betrayed the Prince
I am a little curious about Murray ‘Evidence’ Broughton, about whom I have read very little--actually I know more about his wife Margaret Murray (or ‘Curly Ferguson’), who seems to have been quite flamboyant and an ardent Jacobite. She and her friend Rachel Erskine held up a gentleman at pistol-point and took his jewels and horses for the cause… what was her reaction when her husband became a traitor to that cause?
There's also Jean Cameron's brother, Cameron of Dungallon, who the government found to be ‘a person who procured very good in intelligence’ when he was captured, despite having been trusted to be BPC’s standard-bearer.
James Mohr MacGregor
I think that should be James Mhor MacGregor. /nitpick
I'm glad you're enjoying Ronja Rövardotter! Soon you will be able to converse about grådvärgar and vildvittror with any Swede you meet. : D
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Date: Sep. 23rd, 2022 05:48 pm (UTC)There do seem to have been an awful lot of spies and traitors around! In the Murray of Broughton chapter there's a rather grimly funny passage where Lang describes a meeting of several important Jacobites—Murray, Glengarry and Lochiel all amongst them—and then says that Lochiel was the only one who remained true and honourable, all the rest ended up betraying the Cause in some way or other.
I think that should be James Mhor MacGregor. /nitpick
Huh—you're quite right about the actual Gaelic word, but Lang consistently spells it Mohr. Perhaps he has fallen victim to the fault he condemns in Charles and Glengarry :P (or perhaps name spellings just weren't standardised at this time; RLS spells it More).
Soon you will be able to converse about grådvärgar and vildvittror with any Swede you meet. : D
Excellent, just my language learning goals :D