Lady Eleanore's Mantle
Encyclopedia
"Lady Eleanore's Mantle" is the third legend in the four-part short story
"Legends of the Province-House" by American
author Nathaniel Hawthorne
. This short story first appeared in The United States Democratic Review (Dec. 1838, Vol 2. Issue 12), and was later collected in an updated edition of Twice-Told Tales
.
. She is known not only for her immense pride but also her magnificently embroidered mantle, which was made by a dying woman and is believed to possess magical qualities.
When she arrives in town, Jervase Helwyse, a man who loves her but only receives her scorn, offers for her to step on him as she exits her coach. She accepts his offer.
A ball is held in honor of her arrival. Although she remains within a circle, Rochcliffe looks upon the festivities with scorn. Helwyse arrives and asks Rochcliffe to drink from his silver cup to prove that she has not placed herself above the sympathies of others. He also asks her to remove her mantle. Laughing at him, she pulls it tighter over her head.
Shortly thereafter, an epidemic of smallpox
appears. It attacks the rich and proud before affecting the poor. Red flags are erected outside the houses of the infected. Everyone believes that the mantle is the source of the epidemic, since it was made by a dying woman and is worn by one who has placed herself above human sympathies.
Helwyse arrives at Rochcliffe's province house and finds her on her death bed. Rochcliffe says Nature has retaliated against her since she has scorned others. She is buried with her mantle, and Helwyse leads the casket waving a red flag. Soon after, the epidemic subsides.
. That was in 1716.
From 1721 to 1722 Boston suffered from a smallpox epidemic.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Legends of the Province-House" by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
. This short story first appeared in The United States Democratic Review (Dec. 1838, Vol 2. Issue 12), and was later collected in an updated edition of Twice-Told Tales
Twice-Told Tales
Twice-Told Tales is a short story collection in two volumes by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first was published in the spring of 1837, and the second in 1842...
.
Plot synopsis
Lady Eleanore Rochcliffe moves to Boston to live with her distant relative, Colonel ShuteSamuel Shute
Samuel Shute was a military officer and royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. After serving in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, he was appointed by King George I as governor of Massachusetts in 1716...
. She is known not only for her immense pride but also her magnificently embroidered mantle, which was made by a dying woman and is believed to possess magical qualities.
When she arrives in town, Jervase Helwyse, a man who loves her but only receives her scorn, offers for her to step on him as she exits her coach. She accepts his offer.
A ball is held in honor of her arrival. Although she remains within a circle, Rochcliffe looks upon the festivities with scorn. Helwyse arrives and asks Rochcliffe to drink from his silver cup to prove that she has not placed herself above the sympathies of others. He also asks her to remove her mantle. Laughing at him, she pulls it tighter over her head.
Shortly thereafter, an epidemic of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
appears. It attacks the rich and proud before affecting the poor. Red flags are erected outside the houses of the infected. Everyone believes that the mantle is the source of the epidemic, since it was made by a dying woman and is worn by one who has placed herself above human sympathies.
Helwyse arrives at Rochcliffe's province house and finds her on her death bed. Rochcliffe says Nature has retaliated against her since she has scorned others. She is buried with her mantle, and Helwyse leads the casket waving a red flag. Soon after, the epidemic subsides.
Historical setting
Hawthorne mentions that this story takes place shortly after Shute assumed the governorship of Massachusetts Bay ColonyMassachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
. That was in 1716.
From 1721 to 1722 Boston suffered from a smallpox epidemic.