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- Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
In "The Courtship of Morrice Buckler," A. E. W. Mason weaves a captivating narrative that explores themes of love, ambition, and societal constraints against a richly drawn Edwardian backdrop. The novel's style is characterized by its intricate character development and a keen eye for sociocultural nuances, reflecting the intricacies of romantic courtship during a time of considerable social change. Mason's use of vivid imagery and dialogue captures the era's nuances, allowing readers to immerse themselves fully in the world he creates, where individual desires are often at odds with societal expectations. A. E. W. Mason, an English novelist and playwright, is perhaps best known for his works that delve into romantic intrigue and adventure. Growing up in a transitioning England, Mason was deeply influenced by the interwar social environment and the shifting dynamics of romance. His diverse experiences, including a career in journalism and involvement in political affairs, enriched his understanding of human emotions and social contexts, which are deftly illustrated in this novel. This book is highly recommended for readers who appreciate classic literature that deftly combines romance with the exploration of personal and societal dilemmas. Mason's incisive portrayal of his characters' inner lives and the tensions of their external circumstances makes "The Courtship of Morrice Buckler" a compelling read that resonates with contemporary audiences. In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience: - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019
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The Courtship of Morrice Buckler
Table of Contents
Introduction
Love and honor collide when a perilous courtship demands courage, self-mastery, and steadfast purpose against the unforgiving pressures of a world ruled by reputation and risk.
The Courtship of Morrice Buckler by A. E. W. Mason is a historical romance with strong currents of adventure, composed with the assurance of a late nineteenth-century storyteller. First published in the 1890s, it belongs to Mason’s early career, before his later fame with The Four Feathers in 1902. Set in a past era evoked through manners, customs, and the codes of gentility, the novel places personal feeling in tension with the demands of public duty. Readers can expect a narrative shaped by period atmosphere and the brisk forward motion characteristic of Victorian adventure fiction.
At its core, the novel follows Morrice Buckler as a pursuit of love becomes inseparable from trials that test character and resolve. The courtship does not unfold in drawing rooms alone; it extends into situations where choice carries consequence, where loyalty is weighed, and where misjudgment may endanger more than a heart. Mason frames the story so that the stakes of affection are never merely private. Without revealing turns of the plot, it is enough to say the path to union is anything but simple, and each step presses questions of trust, prudence, and valor.
Mason’s craft lies in balancing elegance of style with narrative urgency. He shapes scenes with economy, allowing setting and social detail to illuminate motive rather than overwhelm it. The language is poised yet direct, calibrated to carry the reader through shifting tempers and pressures without sacrificing clarity. Tension often arises from the clash of temperament and principle, from vows tested by circumstance, and from the quiet reckoning that follows decisive action. The mood alternates between romantic expectation and sober appraisal, sustaining momentum while deepening the moral contours that frame Morrice Buckler’s choices.
Thematically, the book turns on the costs and consolations of honor. It asks how far a person should go to keep a promise, what fidelity requires when safety, status, or comfort stands in the way, and whether love can remain steadfast when shadowed by danger. Alongside honor stand loyalty and courage, not merely as chivalric ornaments but as living measures of identity. The story also probes the fragility of reputation and the uneasy interplay between private conscience and public gaze. In these pages, ideals are tested not abstractly but through action, consequence, and the patience required to endure both.
For contemporary readers, the novel’s appeal lies in its examination of ethical resolve under pressure and in its portrait of intimacy formed through trial rather than sentiment alone. Its questions remain timely: What is owed to others when one’s own desires are at stake? How does one navigate competing duties without losing oneself? The book invites reflection on responsibility, the limits of romantic idealism, and the discipline that true commitment demands. Its historical remove offers clarity rather than distance, turning the conventions of romance and adventure into a lens for evaluating character in any age.
Approached today, The Courtship of Morrice Buckler offers a satisfying blend of romantic tension, moral testing, and atmospheric storytelling. It provides the pleasures of a well-paced historical narrative without sacrificing psychological nuance, rewarding readers who enjoy adventure inflected by the stakes of personal honor. As an early work by Mason, it also serves as a persuasive introduction to the narrative virtues that would sustain his later success. Without disclosing its surprises, one can say that the journey matters as much as the destination, and the novel’s enduring strength lies in how it makes that journey felt.
Synopsis
Morrice Buckler relates, in the first person, how a quiet English upbringing gives way to events that test his honor, courage, and judgment. Set in the late seventeenth century amid shifting loyalties across Europe, the story begins with his studies abroad and the formation of friendships that shape his sense of duty. A call to redress a grave wrong interrupts his comfortable routine. Accepting a promise that binds him to action, he leaves the safety of lecture halls for a world of couriers, post-horses, and closed doors. The narrative establishes his character as conscientious and principled before sending him into peril.
A trusted companion confides a grievance that cannot be carried to magistrates. Morrice, impressed by the appeal to his loyalty, gives his word to seek satisfaction according to the code of a gentleman. His preparations are methodical: he gathers intelligence, conceals his purpose, and maps a route that avoids unwanted attention. On the eve of departure, he glimpses a woman whose poise and independence linger in his thoughts. Though the promise has nothing to do with love, the meeting foreshadows a second obligation that will later contend with the first. With winter closing, he starts for the Continent under a veil of secrecy.
Roads grow colder and narrower as Morrice travels from bustling ports to upland towns where foreign tongues and customs make caution essential. Rumor travels faster than sleighs; he learns his quarry belongs to a powerful household not easily approached. Inns bristle with servants in unfamiliar liveries, and local officials show courtesy tempered by suspicion. The tale keeps to his point of view, tracking small observations—how a gate is watched, which servants linger—in order to sketch the larger danger. At a frontier outpost, a chance encounter deepens the mystery: some know more of his errand than he thought possible.
A remote stronghold dominates a valley of snow and rock. Reaching it requires stealth, nerve, and a steady head for heights. The first open confrontation tests Morrice’s resolve and skill with the sword, contrasting measured formality with sudden violence. The outcome, while not fully disclosed, alters the balance of the feud and sends shock waves through the noble house he has approached. In the aftermath he understands that his action binds him not just to his promise, but to the safety of someone unexpectedly vulnerable. From that moment, his duty divides: he must protect as well as pursue.
A hazardous journey begins with a reluctant partnership. Morrice escorts a lady away from peril through mountain passes and river roads, chased by riders whose orders are not his to read. Postillions change; disguises are tried; small towns become brief sanctuaries. Conversation grows from guarded to frank, yet reserve remains, for each carries knowledge the other has not earned. The lady proves practical, informed, and unafraid to challenge his choices, while Morrice weighs truth against prudence. Peril forces trust in increments—a shared cloak on a sledge, a lie told at an inn door, a hand offered across ice.
At a monastery and later in a merchant’s house, letters and witnesses complicate the simple tale of injury and recompense. Morrice learns facts that unsettle his original certainty, hinting that honor may require a different form of amends than he anticipated. The opposing side is not faceless: retainers plead lineage, magistrates cite law, and a family’s grief presses its claim. A friend from his student days appears as an ally, supplying maps, funds, and the occasional blunt counsel. Pursuits turn to parleys; documents to dueling terms; and the question of right grows sharper even as the path home lengthens.
An arrangement is struck for a meeting governed by strict conditions—ground, time, weapons, and witnesses agreed beforehand. Weather and terrain conspire to make the appointed place as treacherous as the matter at issue. The narrative lingers on preparations: the choice of seconds, the weighing of advantage, the testing of resolve. At the last moment, events refuse symmetry; disruptions blur the clean line between justice and revenge. What occurs is decisive for Morrice and perilous for those near him, but the account withholds the particulars, preserving the tension that drives the remaining pages and reshapes the demands upon his loyalty.
With news traveling behind and ahead, Morrice and his companion descend toward safer countries, where law has longer arms and talk travels farther. There, concealment proves harder than escape. Identities must be owned or discarded; motives must be stated plain. The lady’s history comes into clearer view, binding her fate to the very quarrel that set Morrice on the road. The courtship promised by the title emerges as a steady testing of character rather than a string of declarations. Choices about confession, restitution, and trust lead to a final reckoning that balances the heart’s claim against the weight of past deeds.
The story closes by resolving its questions of promise, responsibility, and affection without departing from the logic of its world. Morrice’s narration marks his growth from an eager student of law and honor into a man who understands their costs. Romance is woven with pursuit and negotiation; courage is measured not only on the field but in truth told at the proper time. The overall message is that courtship, in this age and for this man, is less the winning of favor than the earning of confidence through steadiness, restraint, and fair dealing, even when those virtues complicate the outcome most desired.
Historical Context
The Courtship of Morrice Buckler unfolds in late Stuart England, a landscape defined by the uneasy years spanning the 1670s to the 1690s. The setting alternates between London’s streets, law courts, and coffeehouses and the roads, ports, and manor houses of the English provinces, with occasional routes leading toward the Dutch Republic. This was a world of sedan chairs and post roads, of patronage networks and watchful magistrates, where confessional division shaped daily life. The reigns of Charles II and James II, followed by William III and Mary II, frame the story’s atmosphere of intrigue, shifting loyalties, and the constant negotiation between crown, Parliament, and subjects.
The Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 reestablished Charles II after the Interregnum, restoring bishops and the traditional hierarchy. The Clarendon Code (1661–1665) and the Test Acts imposed Anglican religious conformity and excluded many dissenters from office. Local gentry regained prominence in county administration, while court culture in London set fashions and political tone. Although set slightly later, the novel emerges from this restored order and its residual fissures: former Civil War allegiances linger, the social authority of great houses is palpable, and the protagonist moves in a world where honor, lineage, and loyalty to crown or conscience still carry tangible risks.
The Exclusion Crisis (1679–1681), triggered by fears of a Catholic succession under James, Duke of York, birthed party identities later known as Whig and Tory. The period followed the hysteria of the Popish Plot (1678), when fabricated allegations by Titus Oates led to executions and an enduring anti-Catholic edge in politics. The Rye House Plot (1683) added to the climate of surveillance and suspicion. The novel reflects this atmosphere through clandestine meetings, coded loyalties, and the peril attached to rumor. Characters navigating patronage or court connections mirror the precarious calculus many Englishmen faced amid partisan polarization and confessional mistrust.
The Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 and its aftermath most strongly shape the book’s historical tensions. James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of Charles II, landed at Lyme Regis on 11 June 1685, marched through the West Country, and was proclaimed king by Protestant supporters in Taunton. His makeshift army, largely artisans and yeomen, confronted royal forces at the Battle of Sedgemoor on 6 July 1685 near Bridgwater, where it was decisively defeated. Monmouth was captured on 8 July and executed on Tower Hill on 15 July. The reprisals were administered by Lord Chief Justice George Jeffreys in the Bloody Assizes (August–September 1685), a circuit that tried thousands in towns such as Dorchester, Taunton, and Wells. Contemporary estimates suggest roughly 320 executions and between 800 and 850 transportations to the West Indies as indentured laborers, with widespread fines and property seizures punishing sympathetic communities. These events reconfigured households and villages, scattering families, chilling dissent, and crowding prisons and gaols across the West. In the novel’s world, this background explains the ever-present threat of informers, disguises, and hurried flights by night. It illuminates why a gentleman’s courtship could become entangled with politics, why hospitality might be perilous, and how a chance encounter at a market town or inn could carry consequences shaped by the Assizes. The narrative’s moral stakes—when to speak, when to hide, when to protect the vulnerable—echo the real dilemmas faced by those caught between conscience and survival in 1685.
The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685 expelled French Protestant protections, unleashing a Huguenot exodus that poured into England and the Dutch Republic. London’s Spitalfields grew with skilled refugee weavers; congregations formed in Threadneedle Street and Soho. Across the Channel, The Hague and Amsterdam hosted networks of Protestant exiles and printers. This migration strengthened Anglo-Dutch Protestant solidarities that undergird the novel’s cross-Channel sensibility. The presence of foreign co-religionists, the circulation of news and pamphlets, and the shared fears of absolutism inform the book’s depiction of alliances that cut across borders, households, and clandestine correspondence.
The Glorious Revolution of 1688–1689 recalibrated sovereignty. William of Orange landed at Brixham in Torbay on 5 November 1688, issued his Declaration, and advanced amid widespread desertions from James II’s army, including John Churchill. James fled, and the Convention Parliament offered the crown to William and Mary in 1689. The Bill of Rights (1689) limited royal prerogative, while the Toleration Act (1689) gave conditional relief to Protestant dissenters. The novel mirrors the quicksilver realignment of allegiance and the hazards of being on the wrong side at the wrong moment, portraying a social fabric where private loyalties and public oaths could collide overnight.
The Nine Years’ War (1688–1697) set England and the Dutch Republic against Louis XIV, embedding English politics in continental strategy. Major actions included the battles of Steenkerque (1692) and Landen (1693) and the 1695 recapture of Namur. At sea, convoy protection and privateering shaped commerce, while espionage and courier networks linked London, The Hague, and Flanders. The Williamite War in Ireland culminated in the Boyne (1690) and Limerick (1691). The novel’s movements between ports, lodgings, and embassies reflect this world of passports, coded letters, and wartime suspicion, situating personal vows of love and honor within the larger calculations of coalition warfare.
As a social and political critique, the book exposes the fragility of justice under emergency rule and the inequities of class and patronage. The shadow of the Bloody Assizes underscores how law can become an instrument of terror, while local elites leverage influence to shield friends and sacrifice enemies. Religious tests and partisan labels narrow space for conscience, and the dependence of lesser gentry on favor highlights structural subordination. By staging tender promises amid informers, indictments, and confiscations, the narrative challenges authoritarian methods and critiques the marriage of property and power, insisting that private virtue and mutual fidelity outlast faction and fear.
