The Demon in the House

Tony Morland has his say

The Demon in the House is the third book of Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire novels, and I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a story centered on a force of nature like the cheerfully self-involved, hyper-talkative, 12 or 13 year-old Tony Morland--the “demon” of the title--but for the most part I loved it. Many of the characters from High Risings, the first of Thirkell’s Barsetshire books, are back and it was a pleasure to catch up with old friends.

Several sections of the story evoke with breath-taking clarity the mostly unruly but sometimes sublime passions of childhood--especially chapter 5, which is titled Paradise Pool because Tony discovers a particularly lovely view of the lake where a group of show more grown-ups and children have gathered to picnic and swim. The youngsters are full of high spirits, playing, squabbling loudly, and running off with each other’s toys, but then Tony and his mostly silent friend Donk climb down to muck around in a stream that’s below the level of the main body of water, and from that lower angle the lake looms like a magic pool suspended in midair, a vision that awes and moves them both and temporarily silences the almost pathologically loquacious Tony--it’s a lovely piece of writing.

Thirkell apparently didn’t think much of her own books. Like Tony’s mother she wrote because she needed to earn a living and didn’t expect or want her well educated friends to read her novels, but but for “fluff” her stories are witty and socially aware. Because they were written during the time when they're set, in this case the 1930’s, the stories also offer interesting and often unexpected (to me) insights about the daily life and attitudes of the era, including a few eyebrow-raising off-hand comments by characters that are offensive today.

Virago is re-releasing many of Thirkell’s novels, but so far not not this one, which means that most or all of the available copies are the Moyer Bell editions which do have some editing errors. show less

High Rising, the first of Angela Thirkell's Barsetshire novels, introduced readers to Laura Morland, a widowed author, and her family including young son Tony. In The Demon in the House,12-year-old Tony takes center stage. Thirkell chronicles the boyish antics and exploits that occur when Tony is home for school holidays at Easter, in the summer, and at Christmas.

Tony is quite a handful, tolerated by his mother while trying the patience of nearly every other adult he comes in contact with. He boasts of superior abilities at just about everything, and when things inevitably go wrong it is always due to circumstances beyond his control. Tony also lords his superiority over his school friends, as well as the Vicar's daughters, Dora and show more Rose, the only friends he has at home.

Tony's adventures are related in a breezy style and Thirkell is clearly poking fun. And some of the vignettes were indeed amusing. However, viewed through a 21st century lens I really disliked his bullying the girls, and the tacit acceptance of this behavior. I confess I was ready to be done with young Tony! show less

This is the second book (or third, depending on whose order you look at) in the Barsetshire series by Angela Thirkell. I was utterly charmed by the first book but this one is hard to find. I finally found a paperback copy in the library in the next county. The series is set in the 1930’s in the fictional county of Barsetshire originally created by Anthony Trollope.

This one focuses on Laura Morland’s 13 year old son Tony. He is both delightful and completely obnoxious due to his overwhelming enthusiasm for whatever happens to be his latest obsession as well as his complete overestimation of his own abilities in every endeavor. The book is a series of his visits home during one year of school. He has plenty of adventures and they show more usually involve his mother imagining his gruesome death at some point. His school friend who rarely speaks was my favorite character in a book populated with quirky and fun characters.

While still fun, this particular book wasn’t quite as charming as the first in the series. A little of Tony goes a long way. show less

A set of linked short stories featuring the irrepressible Tony Morland, who is now 13 and in his last year at prep school. Written as a sort of sequel to High Rising, the stories are told with a mixture of exasperation and semi-concealed maternal pride. Essentially, though, it's Just William from the parent's POV. Nicely done, often very funny, but in the end you have the feeling that other people's children are a bit like other people's holiday snaps, best in rather smaller doses.

This little demon did remind me of Just William. I do wonder if Angela Thirkell was familiar with Richmal Crompton. I have to admit I found Tony to be quite annoying. I felt for Dora and Rose. Three cheers for the doctor and Sylvia who knew how to put him in his place. Not much change or growth in the characters. Perhaps in one of the later Barsetshire books. I'll have to look them out. Some good laughs here.

Not much progress today. I digressed to see what various declared candidates have on their websites, but I didn't get far. Buttigieg seems nnice, but doesn't have many positions outlined. Elizabeth Warren however made a big impression: lots of text (ready!) lots of ways to address economic disparities, inclusive. Can't imagine she'll get too far on a "make the rich actually pay" platform, but a girl can dream. Economic justice. Green energy. Free college like all the other developed nations.

Meanwhile, back in Low Rising, Tony is worrying his mother to death gallivanting about on a rented bike. She is plagued by visions of finding him in a ditch and such, but womanfully sucking up that fear and letting him go anyway. It's a racing bike show more and he is twelve, and so full of himself. He wears terrible ties and too much hair product, and he is simultaneously adorable and loathsome.

Thirkell is my new favorite early 20th c writer. Delighted that all my Gorey reading brought her to me. Especially after the disappointment of Burnett-Compton.

***

Review attempt 2.0

The gist of this morning's review is gone, snowed under by the interesting comments that I had missed. So instead of whatever was lost, that was probably awfully anyway, I'm going to belatedly join my own thread. Apparently at some point I turned off notifications for comments. That at least is remedied.

Moving on. Ivy Compton-Burnett: the worst. I really don't get the appeal. One novel is enough to put me off all the rest. I was thinking she'd have been better had she actually written plays, but in the interval I reread a Stoppard play, and no, she wouldn't have been funny as a playwright either.

Twee kids? It is weird reading along and having her talk about the "little boys" and they're twelve which now would put them over 6 feet with five o'clock shadows. Or not, but modern 12-ywear-old-boys could certainly fall within the realm of adolescence, whereas, as Miriam points out, Tony and Donk don't just don't compare. Ignore the age number, though, and I feel like Thirkell does well by the kids. None of them are stereotypes. She does an excellent job of showing extremes: Tony suffers from a truly annoying excess of esteem, and we get to see Laura being annoyed as hell with him, and embarrassed by him, and also feel sorry for him when he's been horrible and lost his temper and gone to sleep crying and clutching his old stuffy. Silent Donk has hidden depths, too.

It's hard to process so much more childhood, and so little adolescence. It's a bit creepy to have a middle-aged man court a woman in her early twenties (outside of the movies). Of course, middle-aged is rather older than it once was, too. There may even be a reference to how Laura's only in her 40s, but has three adult sons, and Sibyl's more than a decade younger than her husband, I think.

Strange. But lovely. I like Laura looking forward to being all on her own soon, despite how much she dotes on her annoying youngest.

Library copy show less

Very entertaining, but really only endless tales of the amusing/appalling things Laura's irrepressible son Tony does and says (as opposed to actually having any plot) and therefore rather one tone. I liked Tony's effectively mute friend Donk with his love of babies.