Court Royal is a novel by Sabine Baring-Gould originally serialized in monthly installments in Cornhill Magazine between April 1885 and June 1886, then released in three volumes in 1886.[1]
Set in southwest England during the decline of the landed interest and the rise of trade, it tells the story of the last act in the ruin of a ducal family brought low by chronic extravagance.
The novel explores the conflict between the English aristocracy and nineteenth century individualism and capitalism, contrasting the effete, decaying aristocrats, imprisoned in their rank and incapable of change, with the vivid, ambitious, hardworking Joanna.[2]
Plot edit
The Eveleigh family, headed by the Duke of Kingsbridge, lives in splendid rural isolation at the ducal seat of Court Royal. However, their declining financial power forces them to borrow money to maintain the estate, and they become debtors of a Jewish pawnbroker named Lazerus and a self-made London businessman called Cheek.
The relationship between these three families unfolds amidst the story of Joanna Rosevere, the novel’s heroine. A tough and intelligent young woman without wealth or family, Joanna grows up the servant of Lazarus. While he plots the downfall of the Duke in revenge for a long-past transgression, Joanna faces her own trials and navigates complicated relationships.[3]
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse
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References edit
- ↑ "Title: Court Royal". www.victorianresearch.org. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
- ↑ TREZISE, SIMON DAVID (1998). "DICKENSIAN INFLUENCES ON THE LIFE AND WORK OF SABINE BARING-GOULD". Dickens Quarterly 15 (2): 123–132. ISSN 0742-5473.
- ↑ Mitchell, Charlotte (2005-09-03). "A devotee of Devon". The Spectator (in en-US). Retrieved 2023-03-14.