Mr. Joseph Hanson, The Haberdasher E-Book

Mary Russell Mitford

• Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

In "Mr. Joseph Hanson, The Haberdasher," Mary Russell Mitford intricately explores the social dynamics of early Victorian England, focusing on the everyday lives of ordinary people. The novel employs a rich, observational literary style that blends humor and pathos, encapsulating the complexities of human relationships against the backdrop of the burgeoning middle class. Mitford's keen eye for detail and her compassionate understanding of her characters enrich the narrative, which unfolds in a series of vignettes that illuminate the nuances of urban domesticity and commerce. Mary Russell Mitford was a formidable literary figure of the 19th century, known for her exquisite character portraits and her contributions to the development of the pastoral and domestic novel. Her own experiences as a woman navigating the restrictive social conventions of her time greatly influenced her writing, particularly her affinity for depicting the lives of women and men striving for respectability amidst the constraints of society. Mitford's background also encompassed a deep appreciation for rural life and its contrasts with urban settings, making her observations particularly vivid and relevant. Readers seeking a nuanced portrayal of social life will find "Mr. Joseph Hanson, The Haberdasher" a delightful and insightful examination of character and class. Mitford'Äôs deft characterization and engaging narrative invite readers to reflect on themes of aspiration, identity, and community, making this work both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Leseprobe

Mary Russell Mitford

Mr. Joseph Hanson, The Haberdasher

Published by Good Press, 2020

[email protected]

EAN 4064066106096

Table of Contents

Cover

Titlepage

Text

"

These are good days for great heroes; so far at least as regards the general spread and universal diffusion of celebrity. In the matter of fame, indeed, that grand bill upon posterity which is to be found written in the page of history, and the changes of empires, Alexander may, for aught I know, be nearly on a par with the Duke of Wellington; but in point of local and temporary tributes to reputation, the great ancient, king though he were, must have been far behind the great modern. Even that comparatively recent warrior, the Duke of Marlborough, made but a slight approach to the popular honours paid to the conqueror of Napoleon. A few alehouse signs and the ballad of "Marlbrook s'en va't en guerre," (for we are not talking now of the titles, and pensions, and palaces, granted to him by the Sovereign and the Parliament,) seem to have been the chief if not the only popular demonstrations vouchsafed by friends and enemies to the hero of Blenheim.

The name of Wellington, on the other hand, is necessarily in every man's mouth at every hour of every day. He is the universal godfather of every novelty, whether in art, in literature, or in science. Streets, bridges, places, crescents, terraces, and railways, on the land; steam-boats on the water; balloons in the air, are all distinguished by that honoured appellation. We live in Wellington squares, we travel in Wellington coaches, we dine in Wellington hotels, we are educated in Wellington establishments, and are clothed from top to toe (that is to say the male half of the nation) in Wellington boots, Wellington cloaks, Wellington hats, each of which shall have been severally purchased at a warehouse bearing the same distinguished title.

Since every market town and almost every village in the kingdom, could boast a Wellington house, or a Waterloo house, emulous to catch some gilded ray from the blaze of their great namesake's glory, it would have been strange indeed if the linendrapers and haberdashers of our good town of Belford Regis had been so much in the rear of fashion as to neglect this easy method of puffing off their wares. On the contrary, so much did our shopkeepers rely upon the influence of an illustrious appellation, that they seemed to despair of success unless sheltered by the laurels of the great commander, and would press his name into the service, even after its accustomed and legitimate forms of use seemed exhausted. Accordingly we had not only a Wellington house and a Waterloo house, but a new Waterloo establishment, and a genuine and original Duke of Wellington warehouse.

The new Waterloo establishment, a flashy dashy shop in the market-place, occupying a considerable extent of frontage, and "conducted (as the advertisements have it) by Mr. Joseph Hanson, late of London," put forth by far the boldest pretensions of any magazine of finery and frippery in the town; and it is with that magnificent store, and with that only, that I intend to deal in the present story.

If the celebrated Mr. Puff, he of the Critic, who, although Sheridan probably borrowed the idea of that most amusing personage from the auctioneers and picture-dealers of Foote's admirable farces, first reduced to system the art of profitable lying, setting forth methodically (scientifically it would be called in these days) the different genera and species of that flourishing craft—if Mr. Puff himself were to revisit this mortal stage, he would lift up his hands and eyes in admiration and astonishment at the improvements which have taken place in the art from whence he took, or to which he gave, a name (for the fact is doubtful) the renowned art of Puffing!