Conceit (novel)
Encyclopedia
Conceit is a novel by the Canadian author Mary Novik
, published in 2007 by Doubleday Canada
.
Set in 17th century London
, Conceit is the story of Pegge Donne, the daughter of the metaphysical poet John Donne
, a contemporary of Shakespeare. Other fictional characters based on historical people are Donne's wife Ann More, the diarist Samuel Pepys
, the fisherman Izaak Walton
and, appearing briefly, Christopher Wren
. Both old and new St Paul's Cathedral
(of which Donne was Dean, 1621-1631) and the Great Fire of London
1666 feature in the novel, which has been praised for bringing London
vividly to life. The story is told from the point of view of several characters, including Pegge and her parents Ann and John Donne. Featured in the narrative are Donne's love poems, his Devotions, and his sermons--in particular, Death's Duel, a sermon the moribund Donne preached to Charles I
. The novel also draws upon Izaak Walton's
1640 biography, more myth than history, The Life of Dr John Donne.
After the clandestine marriage to Ann More that ruined his career, John Donne reportedly said, "John Donne. Ann Donne. Undone." In Novik's novel, Pegge obsesses about their love affair. Piecing together the story she finds in her father's love poems, she identifies with her mother and invents a fiction about their lives. When her father tries to place his two sons in careers and arrange marriages for his five daughters, Pegge defies him, seeking a passion to equal his.
The title of Novik's novel, Conceit, alludes to both the vanity of her fictionalized John Donne and the conceit
, a literary device used by the metaphysical poets
. The metaphysical conceit is a far-fetched comparison, as when Donne, in his poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning", compares two separated lovers to a geometry compass with its legs roaming apart. Several critics, including Edward O'Connor and Gudrun Will, have pointed out that Novik's novel is itself a conceit, "in the best literary sense of the word".
Conceit was chosen as a Book of the Year by both The Globe and Mail
and Quill & Quire
and as a Canadian Book of the Year by Abebooks
.
Mary Novik
- Biography :Born in Victoria, British Columbia and raised in Victoria and Surrey, Novik now lives in Vancouver. Her debut novel, Conceit is about Pegge Donne, the daughter of the Metaphysical poet John Donne, and is set in 17th century London...
, published in 2007 by Doubleday Canada
Doubleday Canada
Doubleday Canada is an imprint of the publishing company Random House of Canada. The company was previously known as Forboys, and was incorporated in 1936 and since 1945, has been known as Doubleday Canada Limited. Since 1986 Doubleday Canada Limited has been owned by Bertelsmann AG.See...
.
Set in 17th century London
Stuart London
This article covers the history of London during the Stuart period from 1603 to 1714.-James I:The preparations for the coronation of King James I were interrupted by a severe plague epidemic, which may have killed over thirty thousand people...
, Conceit is the story of Pegge Donne, the daughter of the metaphysical poet John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
, a contemporary of Shakespeare. Other fictional characters based on historical people are Donne's wife Ann More, the diarist Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
, the fisherman Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
and, appearing briefly, Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
. Both old and new St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
(of which Donne was Dean, 1621-1631) and the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
1666 feature in the novel, which has been praised for bringing London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
vividly to life. The story is told from the point of view of several characters, including Pegge and her parents Ann and John Donne. Featured in the narrative are Donne's love poems, his Devotions, and his sermons--in particular, Death's Duel, a sermon the moribund Donne preached to Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. The novel also draws upon Izaak Walton's
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
1640 biography, more myth than history, The Life of Dr John Donne.
After the clandestine marriage to Ann More that ruined his career, John Donne reportedly said, "John Donne. Ann Donne. Undone." In Novik's novel, Pegge obsesses about their love affair. Piecing together the story she finds in her father's love poems, she identifies with her mother and invents a fiction about their lives. When her father tries to place his two sons in careers and arrange marriages for his five daughters, Pegge defies him, seeking a passion to equal his.
The title of Novik's novel, Conceit, alludes to both the vanity of her fictionalized John Donne and the conceit
Conceit
In literature, a conceit is an extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem. By juxtaposing, usurping and manipulating images and ideas in surprising ways, a conceit invites the reader into a more sophisticated understanding of an object of comparison...
, a literary device used by the metaphysical poets
Metaphysical poets
The metaphysical poets is a term coined by the poet and critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century, who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them, and whose work was characterized by inventiveness of metaphor...
. The metaphysical conceit is a far-fetched comparison, as when Donne, in his poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning", compares two separated lovers to a geometry compass with its legs roaming apart. Several critics, including Edward O'Connor and Gudrun Will, have pointed out that Novik's novel is itself a conceit, "in the best literary sense of the word".
Conceit was chosen as a Book of the Year by both The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
and Quill & Quire
Quill & Quire
Quill & Quire, a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry, was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, but its publisher claims a readership of 25,000...
and as a Canadian Book of the Year by Abebooks
Abebooks
AbeBooks is an online marketplace for books. Most books listed are used, many are rare or out-of-print, and a growing number are new books. The company is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with offices in Düsseldorf, Germany, and in the US. It was incorporated in 1995 and launched its...
.
Awards and nominations
- Winner of Ethel Wilson Fiction PrizeEthel Wilson Fiction PrizeThe Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, established in 1985 as one of the BC Book Prizes, is awarded annually to the best work of fiction by a resident of British Columbia, Canada....
, 2008 - Long-listed for the Scotiabank Giller PrizeScotiabank Giller PrizeThe Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
, 2007