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Susan Ferrier (1782–1854)

Författare till Marriage

14+ verk 362 medlemmar 9 recensioner

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Vedertaget namn
Ferrier, Susan
Namn enligt folkbokföringen
Ferrier, Susan Edmonstone
Födelsedag
1782-09-07
Avled
1854-11-05
Begravningsplats
St. Cuthbert's Cemetery, Edinburgh, Scotland
Kön
female
Nationalitet
UK
Födelseort
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Dödsort
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Bostadsorter
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Utbildning
privately educated
Yrken
novelist
Relationer
Scott, Sir Walter (friend)
Kort biografi
Susan Edmonstone Ferrier was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the daughter of James Ferrier, principal clerk of the Court of Session and a colleague of Sir Walter Scott, and his wife Helen. Susan was privately educated. From her early years, she knew many notable Edinburgh intellectuals and writers, including Scott and novelist Henry Mackenzie. In 1797, her father took her to visit Inveraray, home of his client and patron John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll. She became a friend of the family, especially of a granddaughter, Charlotte Clavering, with whom she corresponded. After her mother died, Susan kept house for her father. Her first novel, Marriage, was written in 1810 and published anonymously in 1818 to great success. Her publisher paid £1000 for her second novel, The Inheritance (1824). Her third novel, Destiny or The Chief's Daughter, appeared in 1831. All three combined sarcastic humor, wit, and vivid accounts of Scottish social life of the period, as well as the author's sharp views on marriage and female education. She dedicated her last novel to Sir Walter Scott, who was her lifelong friend and admirer. She visited him at Ashiestiel Farm and House on the River Tweed in 1811 and at his new house Abbotsford in 1829 and 1831. Her account of the visits was published posthumously in the magazine Temple Bar (1874).

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Group read: Marriage by Susan Ferrier i Virago Modern Classics (februari 2016)

Recensioner

Susan Ferrier was a Scottish author, somewhat contemporary to Jane Austen (although she lived longer and published her novels a bit later). She is sometimes called "Scotland's Jane Austen," so of course I was curious to check out Marriage, her most well-known work, as my first choice of book during Georgianuary.
I can see why she is compared to Austen, although it does her a disservice, because no one can truly match Austen for wit and economy of language. Still, Ferrier paints amusing enough portraits. I suspect that a 19th-century reader would have found much more to laugh at than I did. My chuckling moments were rather far between.
This is a tale of two generations. Lady Juliana marries for love and regrets it (because she expects to always be wealthy, pampered and amused). Her husband takes her from England to his native Scotland, and she HATES it. One of the funniest scenes in the book is her introduction to the bagpipe, and her husband's family's total confusion at why she would be frightened of such an innocuous thing. As soon as she can leave, she does, but not before bearing twin daughters. She mildly approves of one baby and is actively disgusted by the cries and ill-health of the other. Her sister-in-law, a kindly, rational, loving woman, begs to be allowed to raise the second daughter as her own, and thus the households are split.
Fast-forward about 18 years. Mary (the second daughter) has grown up into a well-adjusted, sensible, pretty girl with a sense of humor. When she goes to England to meet her long-estranged mother and sister, she's in for some rude shocks. They are cold and selfish. Mary's only ally is her cousin Emily, an honest though sometimes short-tempered girl who speaks her mind and comes to admire Mary, even though she doesn't always agree with her.
The novel examines the effect various behaviors and choices in marriage have on a person's happiness. Some love-marriages are unsuccessful, but some mercenary marriages are equally so. Mary watches and measures these different situations against the upbringing she had in Scotland, before finally engaging herself to a man that offers her every chance at a loving and rational happiness.
I liked Mary very much, I liked that she wasn't a stupid heroine, and that she was often said to laugh. She is very religious, but not judgmental of other people, and she isn't gullible or overly sentimental most of the time.
What kept me from liking this book more was that key moments of drama were glossed over. For instance, the moment when she and her suitor become engaged takes up... a couple of sentences. In fact, from that moment on there's not one line of dialogue between them. Not very satisfying. I recognize, of course, that the purpose of fiction has changed somewhat over time. Where we now expect to be entertained and to feel every feeling of our heroine, in the past the narrative's larger purpose was to illustrate lessons or broad commentary on life.
There were also whole chapters that introduced characters that were non-essential to the plot and never appeared again. Clearly, they fit into the theme of the novel, but a modern reader grows impatient with them.
I liked that the chapters were quite short (although the book itself was long), and Susan Ferrier is much more readable than Jane West (another female Georgian author from a couple of decades prior, whom I read last month). There was less moralizing and more story. But most of the time she doesn't approach the sharp prose of her neighbor to the south, Jane Austen.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Alishadt | 5 andra recensioner | Feb 25, 2023 |
vain and selfish young woman runs away with penniless officer and is horrified by his family in Scotland. She returns to her brother's home in England with their son and one twin daughter, leaving the other to be reared by an aunt. Mary is taught self control and Christian principles by aunt who really lives them. When she visits England her mother rejects her, her sister ignores her and only her cousin seems to like her. Her mother expects her to marry a wealthy man but she is determined not to marry a man she does not know, love and respect. The fates of the sisters work out as one might expect from their characters.… (mer)
 
Flaggad
ritaer | 5 andra recensioner | Jun 13, 2020 |
The writing's not a patch on contemporaries Eliza Fenwick or Maria Edgeworth.
 
Flaggad
SChant | 5 andra recensioner | Feb 8, 2018 |
I received this from Real Readers in exchange for an honest review.

It is three Scottish novels by authors who have been forgotten by most people.

MARRIAGE

This tells the story of Lady Juliana who decides to go against her family wishes and marry for love. She discovers though that her new husband plans to live in Scotland with his eccentric family which is far from the busy London society she thrives on.

I really enjoyed this book which had lots of humour and pathos combined with tragedy throughout. It would probably be difficult for a non Scot to read as it is frequently written as people spoke/speak in rural Scotland.

The main premise is whether you should marry for love or money



I did find though that by the end it was beginning to drag somewhat and the final part could have been cut down.

GILLESPIE

This book tells the story of the fishing village of Briaston and the tough lives of the people who live there and the strugles to survive.

Gillespie Strang is determined to be the main man in the village and is ruthless in his business transactions without caring for the people he may hurt along the way. His marriage is no more than convenient to his needs and his wife suffers for this.

Written in broad Scots may be a problem for some readers and I found it easier as I went on and fell it is definitely better read in Scots as written.

Although very difficult to read at times I found this book worth grappling with as although from the 19th century the truths remain the same. The characters all seem true to life and have little joy, usually due to their connections with Gillespie.

The ending is both tragic and almost inevitable but a fitting end to a book which deserves greater prominence.

Very much in the same vein as The Scots Quair by Lewis Grassic Gibbons

RINGAN GILHAIZE

The third book is much more political and as such doesn't fit as well into modern times. It tells the story of the Gilhaize family through the generations as they fight, both physically and emotionally against the Catholic establishment.

I struggled to read this book and almost gave up as it seemed to be very repetitive at times with no real respite. Surely it wasn't all doom and gloom during the time period? This is a period of time which deserves to be told but sadly I don't think this is the book to do it.


… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Northern_Light | 2 andra recensioner | Dec 20, 2016 |

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Statistik

Verk
14
Även av
1
Medlemmar
362
Popularitet
#66,319
Betyg
½ 3.6
Recensioner
9
ISBN
47
Språk
1

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