CRAMPTON HODNET

by Barbara Pym ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 29, 1985

Barbara Pym, in the 1940s, considered Crampton Hodnet too dated to be published. But now it is the book's very datedness--it is set in Oxford in the 1930s--that provides much of its charm. And in this early manuscript Pym introduced character types she would develop more fully later in her career: Miss Maude Doggett, the tyrannous elderly spinster, and her companion, Miss Jessie Morrow, ""a plain woman no longer young."" Jessie Morrow is at the heart of the book--she is the detached, bemused Pym heroine. When a young curate, Stephen Latimer, comes to North Oxford, it is settled upon that he will reside at Miss Doggett's. An attachment rapidly develops between Latimer and Miss Morrow, much to her curious alarm. While this attachment develops, Miss Doggett's nephew, the married and middle-aged Francis Cleveland, a University Lecturer in English Literature, is startled and then gratified by the interest he inspires in the beautiful senior scholar Barbara Bird. Meanwhile, Cleveland's daughter, Anthea, is falling in love with the young undergraduate Simon Beddoes, who dreams of becoming prime minister. The overriding self-interest of these various ""lovers"" makes for trouble, of course. Young clergyman Latimer tells a lie just so that he can have a walk with Miss Morrow. His fabrication does not win the esteem of the woman whom, as he says, ""he could do worse than to marry."" Barbara Bird, for her part, desires a more ""spiritual"" passion than the one Francis Cleveland has in mind. And Anthea, well, she finally takes to her bed (though she is able to manage a piece of walnut cake) when Simon takes up with Another. A funny and fast-moving book, Crampton Hodnet will delight Pym lovers as well as provide an enlightening introduction for those unfamiliar with an author who has been compared by many with Jane Austen.

Pub Date: May 29, 1985

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1985

Categories: FICTION