Valmouth

Valmouth is a 1919 novel by British author Ronald Firbank.

Plot introduction

A black woman moves into a spa-resort inhabited by wealthy centenarians.

Explanation of the title

Valmouth is the spa resort where the action takes place, inhabited by many centenarians owing to its famed pure air.

Plot summary

On a March evening, Mrs Hurstpierpoint, Mrs Thoroughfare and Father Colley-Mahoney are riding a barouche to Valmouth. They are met by Douce, David Tooke's dog, and by another carriage with Dr Dee and La Yajnavalkya. The next day, Miss Thetis Tooke is down by the riverside, and Bobby Jolly fetches her upon David Tooke's word. A little later, La Yajnavalkya visits Mrs Tooke for chiropody, and Thetis goes to the river.

Later, Lady Parvula comes to dinner at Hare-Hatch House - along with Father Colley-Mahoney, they eat gorgeous food and talk about boring books. On another day, Lady Parvula goes to Yajnavalkya for medical care, and they talk about Indian culture and her husband, who is said to be 'choice'.

During a thunderstom, Mrs Thoroughfare is afraid and prays, while Mrs Hurstpierpoint brushes her fears away. Later, Yajnavalkya visits the Tooke farm, and there she talks about the Bible, the Ganges and Allah.

There is then a party at Hare-Hatch House. Later, Lady Parvula moans about her deceased husband, walks up to Mr Comedy's house and is joined by Yajnavalkya. Similarly, Thetis is sulking after her foregone lover by the river, and there she meets Carry Smith, with whom she is seen 'wrestling on the beach'.

Finally, there comes a wedding day, that of Esther.

Characters in "Valmouth"

* Mrs Eulalia Hurstpierpoint, a dowager. She lives at Hare-Hatch House.
* Seth, Mrs Hurstpierpoint's gardener.
* Mrs Eliza Thoroughfare, another dowager.
* Dick, Mrs Thoroughfare's son, away in Jamaica.
* Father Colley-Mahoney, a priest.
* La Yajnavalkya, a dark-skinned woman; a chiropodist.
* Carry Smith, Yajnavalkya's apprentice.
* Dr Dee, an older man.
* David Tooke
* Mrs Tooke, whose daughter-in-law died on giving birth and whose son consequently committed suicide.
* Miss Thetis Tooke, the granddaughter, infatuated with a lover who has gone away.
* Bobby Jolly, a young child.
* Lady Parvula de Panzoust, a widow (her husband was called Henry).
* Hon. Gilda Vintage, Lady Parvula's daughter. She studies music in Milan.
* Niri-Esther, a friend of Yajnavalkya.
* Mrs Comedy, a party-guest.
* Mère Marie de Coeurbrisé, a party-guest.
* The Abbot of Up-More, a party-guest.
* Victor Vatt, a painter.
* Lieutenant Whorwood, a man said to be 'vain'.
* Lady Laggard

Major themes

* Racism, through La Yajnavalkya.
* Male effeminacy is suggested throughout the novel.

References to other works

* Homer's Iliad is referred to in chapter 3, concerning Thetis's name.
* Books by John Bunyan and Rabelais are disparaged as dull, in chapter 4.
* Paintings by Ingres, Rubens, Poussin, Cézanne.
* Music by Chopin, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky.
* Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is mentioned at the party at Hare-Hatch House.
* Jean de Tinan's "Un Document sur l'Impuissance d'Aimer" is mentioned in chapter 9.
* Walt Whitman is also alluded to in the last chapter.

References from other works

* Protagonist William Beckwith reads "Valmouth" in Alan Hollinghurst's 1988 novel The Swimming Pool Library.

Theatrical adaptations

In 1950s, a musical was adapted from the novel by Sandy Wilson. [ [http://www.nodanw.com/shows_v/valmouth.htm Valmouth ] ]

Footnotes