Troubles (novel)
Encyclopedia
Troubles is a 1970 novel by the English
author J.G. Farrell. It won the Lost Man Booker Prize
and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
. Troubles concerns the dilapidation of a once grand Irish hotel (the Majestic), in the midst of the political upheaval during the Irish War of Independence
(1919–1921).
The novel is the first installment in Farrell's acclaimed 'Empire Trilogy', preceding The Siege of Krishnapur
and The Singapore Grip
. Although there are similar themes within the three novels (most notably that of the British Empire), they do not form a sequence of storytelling.
Troubles was adapted into a made-for-television film in 1988, starring Ian Charleson
and Ian Richardson
.
in 1919. Archer is convinced he is engaged, though sure he had never actually proposed, to Angela Spencer, the daughter of Edward Spencer, the elderly owner of the Majestic Hotel. She has written to him since they met in 1916 while on leave from the trench warfare of the Western Front.
The Spencers are an Anglo-Irish
Protestant family, strongly Unionist
in their attitudes towards Ireland's ties to the UK. Archer functions as a confused observer of the dysfunctional Spencer family, representing the Anglo-Irish, and the local Catholic population. As the novel progresses, social and economic relationships break down, mirrored by the gentle decay of the hotel.
Other characters include:
While the Irish War of Independence
forms the background to the events of the novel, the political upheaval is not treated as a theme. Apart from occasional news reports concerning the war, the only references to it are chance remarks from the novel's characters. The novel's action takes place mostly within the hotel, with the remainder of the scenes taking place almost entirely in the surrounding areas. As a result, the only characters given a major airing are the Major and the Spencer family, which adds to the claustrophobic, unreal mood of the novel.
said in The Guardian
on October 10, 1970, that the novel was a "clever book" and "a tour de force of considerable quality."
Vivian Mercier
wrote in The Nation
on November 8, 1971 that Farrell was a "a born story-teller".
as Major Archer, Ian Richardson
as Edward Spencer, and Emer Gillespie as Sarah.
, a one-time award chosen among books published in 1970 which had not been considered for the honour at the time. The novel, one of six nominated for the 'Lost' prize, had missed out the first time around because rules about publication dates had changed that year. On 19 May 2010, Troubles was declared the winner.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author J.G. Farrell. It won the Lost Man Booker Prize
Lost Man Booker Prize
The Lost Man Booker Prize was a special edition of the Man Booker Prize awarded by a public vote in 2010 to a novel from 1970, described by The New York Times as "an act of literary reparation"...
and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
The Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize is a British literary prize established in 1963 in tribute to Geoffrey Faber, founder and first Chairman publisher Faber & Faber...
. Troubles concerns the dilapidation of a once grand Irish hotel (the Majestic), in the midst of the political upheaval during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
(1919–1921).
The novel is the first installment in Farrell's acclaimed 'Empire Trilogy', preceding The Siege of Krishnapur
The Siege of Krishnapur
The Siege of Krishnapur is a novel by the author J. G. Farrell, published in 1973.Inspired by events such as the sieges of Cawnpore and Lucknow, the book details the siege of a fictional Indian town during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from the perspective of the British residents...
and The Singapore Grip
The Singapore Grip
The Singapore Grip is a novel by the author J. G. Farrell which was published in 1978.Broadly satirical in nature, it details events during the beginning of World War Two and the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore. The action centers around a British family who controls one of the...
. Although there are similar themes within the three novels (most notably that of the British Empire), they do not form a sequence of storytelling.
Troubles was adapted into a made-for-television film in 1988, starring Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. He is also well known for his portrayal of Rev...
and Ian Richardson
Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
.
Plot summary
The novel concerns the arrival of Englishman Major Brendan Archer, recently discharged from the British Army, at the Majestic Hotel on the Wexford coast in south-east IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1919. Archer is convinced he is engaged, though sure he had never actually proposed, to Angela Spencer, the daughter of Edward Spencer, the elderly owner of the Majestic Hotel. She has written to him since they met in 1916 while on leave from the trench warfare of the Western Front.
The Spencers are an Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
Protestant family, strongly Unionist
Unionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
in their attitudes towards Ireland's ties to the UK. Archer functions as a confused observer of the dysfunctional Spencer family, representing the Anglo-Irish, and the local Catholic population. As the novel progresses, social and economic relationships break down, mirrored by the gentle decay of the hotel.
Characters
- Major Brendan Archer – ex Army Officer and fiancee of Angela Spencer. Archer also appears in Farrell's later novel The Singapore GripThe Singapore GripThe Singapore Grip is a novel by the author J. G. Farrell which was published in 1978.Broadly satirical in nature, it details events during the beginning of World War Two and the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore. The action centers around a British family who controls one of the...
. - Edward Spencer – owner of the Majestic hotel, his mental decline echoes the physical decline of the hotel itself and also the violence in Ireland.
- Angela Spencer – daughter of Edward Spencer.
- Sarah Devlin – a girl the Major meets early in the novel and after Angela's death becomes increasingly obsessed with. Apparently disabled in the early parts of the novel.
- Charity and Faith – young girls at the start of the novel, they develop into young women. Often depicted as coy and naive.
Other characters include:
- The old ladies staying at the hotel.
- Various servants of the hotel including Sean Murphy, a somewhat suspect groundsman.
- The inhabitants of Kilnalough, the village near to the hotel, including Sarah's father, a doctor, a priest and others.
Analysis
Farrell develops the insulated environment of the run-down hotel as a reflection on the attitudes of the historically privileged Anglo-Irish, in denial of the violent insurgency of the overwhelming majority (Nationalists/Republicans).While the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
forms the background to the events of the novel, the political upheaval is not treated as a theme. Apart from occasional news reports concerning the war, the only references to it are chance remarks from the novel's characters. The novel's action takes place mostly within the hotel, with the remainder of the scenes taking place almost entirely in the surrounding areas. As a result, the only characters given a major airing are the Major and the Spencer family, which adds to the claustrophobic, unreal mood of the novel.
Reviews
William TrevorWilliam Trevor
William Trevor, KBE is an Irish author and playwright. He is considered one of the elder statesman of the Irish literary world and widely regarded as the greatest contemporary writer of short stories in the English language....
said in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on October 10, 1970, that the novel was a "clever book" and "a tour de force of considerable quality."
Vivian Mercier
Vivian Mercier
Vivian Mercier was an Irish literary critic. He was born in Clara, County Offaly, Ireland and educated first at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, and then at Trinity College, Dublin. He became a Scholar of the College and edited the student magazine T.C.D...
wrote in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
on November 8, 1971 that Farrell was a "a born story-teller".
Film
In 1988, Troubles was adapted into a 208-minute film for television. The film stars Ian CharlesonIan Charleson
Ian Charleson was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. He is also well known for his portrayal of Rev...
as Major Archer, Ian Richardson
Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
as Edward Spencer, and Emer Gillespie as Sarah.
Booker Prize
In 2010, Troubles was awarded the 'Lost' Man Booker PrizeMan Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
, a one-time award chosen among books published in 1970 which had not been considered for the honour at the time. The novel, one of six nominated for the 'Lost' prize, had missed out the first time around because rules about publication dates had changed that year. On 19 May 2010, Troubles was declared the winner.