Eccentricity and Aristocracy
The book celebrates the eccentricities of the English aristocracy, as seen in Sir Ferdinando's obsession with privy placement and Sir Hercules's dwarf household, while arguing that such eccentricity is a justification for leisured classes and inherited privilege.
Where it surfaces
VIII
The breakfast scene showcases the eccentricities of the Wimbush household: Priscilla's blend of cricket and astrology, Mr. Scogan's absurd proposals, and Mr. Barbecue-Smith's spiritual platitudes.
XI
Mr. Scogan celebrates aristocratic eccentricity as a justification for privilege, citing figures like Beckford, Portland, and Cavendish, and warns of its loss after social revolution.
XIII
Sir Hercules Lapith's life as a dwarf baronet, his dwarf household, and his rabbit-hunting with pug dogs exemplify aristocratic eccentricity.
XIV
The eccentric Mr. Thom and the aristocratic setting of Crome are evoked through the library's peculiar collection and the characters' leisurely debate.
Chapter XVII
Priscilla's absorption in Ivor's spirit drawings and Henry's delight in the 350th anniversary of Sir Ferdinando's oyster consumption exemplify the eccentricities of the aristocratic household.
XIX
Sir Ferdinando's patriotic custom of celebrating victories by distributing liquor from a coach, and the Lapith sisters' spiritual pretensions about love and eating, highlight the eccentricities of the aristocratic Lapith family.
Art and Artifice
Characters like Denis, Gombauld, and Mr. Scogan debate the value and purpose of art, with Denis struggling with his own poetic ambitions and Mr. Scogan dismissing artistic pretensions as boring or irrelevant to ordinary adult life.
Where it surfaces
I
Denis's search for the perfect word ('galbe') and his appreciation of landscape in artistic terms highlight his aesthetic preoccupations.
II
Denis's self-conscious reflection on his own poetry and the artificiality of his literary ambitions.
III
Mr. Scogan critiques the artistic preoccupations of youth, dismissing novels about artists and adolescents as boring, while Denis's own novel is exposed as clichéd.
Mr. Barbecue-Smith Arrives
Contrasts Barbecue-Smith's mechanical, commercial approach to writing with Denis's more laborious and artistic sensibility.
XI
Mr. Scogan contrasts Crome's aggressive, unnatural artistry with the 'as it were titanic' charm of peasant hovels, criticizing modern imitation of rustic styles.
XII
The chapter contrasts Gombauld's representational painting with Mary's expectation of abstract art, exploring the nature and purpose of artistic creation.
Love and Sexual Repression
The theme appears through Mary's anxious discussions about repressing natural instincts, her dreams of falling down wells, and the romantic tensions between Denis, Anne, and Gombauld, highlighting the gap between desire and expression.
Where it surfaces
IV
Denis desires to tell Anne 'What I need is you' but cannot bring himself to speak, and later feels hurt when she compliments his trousers instead of allowing a romantic opening.
V
Mr. Scogan's prophecy of dissociating love from propagation and the debate on breeding touch on themes of sexual freedom and societal control.
VII
Mary's fear of repression and her logical justification for seeking sexual experience dominate the chapter, highlighting the theme of repressed instincts and their supposed dangers.
X
Denis's agonizing desire for Anne, his jealousy watching her dance with Gombauld, and his inability to express his feelings are central to the chapter.
XIII
Hercules's humiliation in love leads to a lifelong fear of rejection, shaping his choice of a dwarf wife.
XV
The chapter centers on a debate about historical and contemporary attitudes toward sex, contrasting jovial frankness with scientific seriousness.
Time and Transience
Denis's opening lament about wasted hours, Henry Wimbush's historical musings on vanished privies, and the fleeting nature of Crome Fair all underscore the melancholy passage of time and the impermanence of human achievements.
Where it surfaces
I
Denis laments the 'two hours cut clean out of his life' and feels he has wasted precious time, underscoring his anxiety about mortality and productivity.
XI
The group reflects on the impermanence of Sir Ferdinando and his privies versus the enduring structure of Crome, evoking thoughts of death and the strangeness of divine and human ways.
XIII
Henry Wimbush's thirty-year project of writing and printing the History underscores the passage of time and the desire to preserve the past.
XVIII
Henry Wimbush's reflection on the loss of ancient pagan traditions and the ephemeral nature of cultural practices.
XXVIII
Henry Wimbush reflects on how romantic adventures lose their excitement in the moment and only gain charm in retrospect, highlighting the gap between lived experience and remembered romance.
Intellectual vs. Physical Life
Denis's introspective, bookish nature contrasts with Gombauld's vitality and physical confidence, while Mr. Scogan critiques the futility of intellectual cultivation without genuine emotion, and Mary seeks a balance between mind and body.
Where it surfaces
IV
Denis laments his burden of 'twenty tons of ratiocination' and his need to justify pleasure intellectually, while Anne advocates for simply taking things as they come.
V
Mr. Scogan's abstract, futuristic discourse contrasts with the visceral, physical reality of the farm animals and Gombauld's celebration of crude life.
VII
Mary's criteria for a partner emphasize intellectual interests and civilization, contrasting with the physical and instinctual drives she fears.
X
Denis's retreat into reading and poetry contrasts with the physical, harmonious dancing of Anne and Gombauld, and Mr. Barbecue-Smith's abstract spiritual talk versus the bodily dance music.
XII
Mary's attempt at intellectual discussion is undercut by Gombauld's physical dismissal, highlighting the tension between cerebral and bodily impulses.
XIV
Scogan's praise of Knockespotch's intellectual and fanciful writing contrasts with the physical, practical world of farming and daily life.
Social Class and Farming
The piggery scene and Mr. Scogan's commentary on 'sound paternal government' use farming as a metaphor for class hierarchy, where breeding, work, and slaughter mirror the treatment of the lower classes by the aristocracy.
Where it surfaces
II
The contrast between the aristocratic household and the village people using the bathing pool, with Priscilla's scandalized gossip.
V
The aristocratic party's detached, philosophical observations of farm labor and animal breeding highlight class distinctions, with old Rowley embodying dignified rural wisdom.
XVIII
The village youths' lack of communal amusements and the decline of rural social life, contrasted with the gentry's nostalgia.
XXII
Mr. Scogan remarks that leisure and culture are paid for by the toiling multitude in the harvest fields, highlighting class divisions.
Religion and Mysticism
Mrs. Wimbush's embrace of astrology, spiritualism, and Christian Science, along with Mr. Barbecue-Smith's platitudes about optimism and the soul, satirize the search for meaning through pseudo-religious and mystical fads.
Where it surfaces
II
Priscilla's embrace of astrology, New Thought, and the occult as a substitute for her former worldly pleasures.
VIII
The conversation touches on church attendance, Mr. Barbecue-Smith's preference for nature worship, and Priscilla's reading about hell, highlighting a spectrum of religious attitudes.
IX
Mr. Bodiham's fervent apocalyptic preaching and his interpretation of current events through biblical prophecy dominate the chapter, contrasting with the congregation's indifference.
XVIII
Contrast between Ivor's Catholic devotion and Mr. Bodiham's stern Anglican sermon, highlighting differing religious practices.
Self-Consciousness and Identity
Denis's acute self-awareness, his obsession with his appearance and others' perceptions, and his discovery of Jenny's caricature notebook reveal the painful gap between his inner self and how the world sees him.
Where it surfaces
I
Denis is painfully aware of his age (23) and his perceived failures, constantly critiquing his own actions and thoughts.
III
Denis is acutely self-conscious about his novel, his social standing, and his jealousy of Gombauld, reflecting his insecurity and search for identity.
IV
Denis is acutely self-conscious about his appearance, his intellectual habits, and his inability to act naturally, contrasting with Anne's ease.
Mr. Barbecue-Smith Arrives
Denis feels humiliated and self-conscious when compared to Barbecue-Smith, highlighting his insecurity as a writer.
VII
Mary's self-analysis and her concern with symptoms like dreams reveal a heightened self-consciousness about her own identity and desires.
IX
Bodiham's self-awareness of his failure to move his flock and his iron-willed but weary sense of identity as a prophet are central to his character portrayal.
