Evelyn Smith, Ph. D. in English, Texas Christian University (1995)
M.S. in Information Science, University of North Texas (2012)
Questions to Consider
The following questions should help Entwined Minds Book Club members more fully understand Jane Gardam’s contemporary British novel, Old Filth (2004):
1) Reviewers often comment upon Edward and Betty Feathers’ cold, sexless marriage. Are there any hints within the text that suggest that others may be seeing only the surface of their relationship? Is he that emotionally needy, or is Edward and Betty’s life together really an atypical romance or perhaps a love story seen through the filter of old age?
2) Literary critics generally divide all literature into two types of narratives: 1) coming of age stories and 2) travelogues. Does Old Filth’s story combine both these themes, or like Peter Pan, does Feathers never grow up but remain forever a raj orphan?
3) Both soldiers and civilians who suffer from severe, prolonged stress show symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder—physical and emotional injury, anger, confusion, difficulty concentrating, social withdrawal, and flashbacks. Accordingly, could Judge Feathers' reaction to Betty’s death be seen as a “shell shock” response that forces him to relive painful memories? If so, what are some clues that show that Old Filth is not reacting to her death in his customary, reserved manner?
4) Except for reviews in The New Yorker and The San Francisco Chronicle, Old Filth has not caught on with American readers. However, “middle-class” British newspapers like The Guardian and The [London] Telegraph gave it rave reviews. Is this novel too stereotypically “British” to appeal to American readers, or can the reader find parallels to “Old Filth” in the American experience?
5) As Judge Feathers reviews his life, does he clearly assess his weaknesses and strengths, or does he inaccurately remember long ago incidents? Is he too hard on himself, or does he rationalize his actions?
6) Although on the surface Old Filth is a study of a compulsively self-controlled, self-contained individual, how does the novel actually explore the theme of friendship? What are some of the qualities of friendship that Judge Feathers holds dear? How does Betty Feathers’ definition of friendship differ from her husband’s?
7) How do Judge Feathers’ memories mirror the loss of empire and an accompanying loss of confidence in the British psyche?
8) Betty and Edward Feathers did not have any children, so did their life together—as symbolized by Betty’s act of burying her pearls and a boy finding them—produce a lasting legacy?
Definitions
· Comedy of manners: This type of novel or play makes fun of the manners and affectations of a social class that is often represented by stock characters like a British colonial judge.
· Mock epic: Unlike the epic that focuses on larger than life heroes and their quests, the mock epic adapts the lofty style of an epic to a trivial subject.
· Tragi-comedy: Tragicomedy blends together both elements of tragedy and comedy. A tragedy deals with a great person whose downfall comes from a flaw in his or character whereas the character in a comedy achieves a happy ending since he or she overcomes adversity.
Virtual Annotated Bibliography
Brace, Marianne (2004, November 26). Old Filth by Jane Gardam. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam], The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/revews/old-filth-by-jane-gardam
Brace praises Jane Gardam’s “especially good” portrayal of the English stiff-upper-lip in her re-accounting of the “gently, old-fashioned” colonial British judge.
Chisholm, Kate. (2004, December 12). When love is a foreign country. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam], The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3633142/when-love-is-a-foreign-country.html
Chisholm characterizes Old Filth’s life as a lifetime of “disciplined charm”.
Davies, Steve. (2004, November 19). Pearls beyond price. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam]. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/nov.20//featuresreviewss.guardianreview13/print
Davies sees a retired judge’s wanderings as a mock epic that Gardam writes in a tragi-comic style. Only offering the surface qualities of Old Filth’s character, the novel recalls the hollow characters found in Charles Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend.
Echlin, Helena. (2006, June 25). Stiff upper lip finally softens at least a little. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam]. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved from
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=c/a/2006/06/25/RVGP2JFN061.DTL
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=c/a/2006/06/25/RVGP2JFN061.DTL
Noting that Judge Feathers has no secure place, Echlin finds that Gardam’s novel underscores a theme of displacement as she catalogs a life of aborted or loveless relationships. Edward Feathers slogs through life with pathetic stoicism. Thus, Feathers’ career descends from the exalted to the common place.
Flynn, Julia. (2004, December 12). Behind the stiff upper lip. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam]. The Telegraph. Retrieved from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3633147/Behind-the-stiff-upper-lip.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3633147/Behind-the-stiff-upper-lip.html
Flynn sees Gardam’s tragicomedy as more than a comedy of manners novel, but as “a psychological thriller that suffers from a certain predictability of childhood traumas” since Edward Feathers’ emotional distancing stems from the emotional deprivations he endured as a child.
Gray, Paul. (2006, July 23). Orphan of the Empire. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam]. New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/books/review/23gray.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/books/review/23gray.html
Gray views Old Filth through a dark comedy of manners lens whereupon the reader gleams snippets of Sir Edward Feathers’ character by listening in on the comments of others, although Gardam never allows circumstances to disclose fully Old Filth’s true character, so the reader only glimpses the veneer of Feathers as a social climber. Gardam manages her story line through two controlling devices—Feather’s skewed memories of what happened to Ma Didds and Betty Feather’s two strands of pearls—one given to her by her husband and one given to her by a long ago lover, and Feathers’ arch rival. Gray also notes that Gardam’s chronicling of Feather’s childhood as a raj orphan took its inspiration from Rudyard Kipling’s short story “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep”.
McDowell, Lesley. (2004, November 24). Old Filth by Jane Gardam: The terrified boy in the cupboard. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam]. Independent on a Sunday. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/old-filth-by-jane-gardam-6157607.html
McDowell believes that Judge Feathers’ “emotional constipation” results from a “vicious childhood”. Even so, “Old Filth” survives with some admirable traits, including efficiency and pride.
Mortimer, John. (2004, November 6). Orphan of the Raj. Book reviews. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam]. The Spectator. Retrieved from http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/21165/orphan-of-the-raj.html
Mortimer finds Old Filth not only emotionally stunted, but self-contained and modest.
Old Filth. (2006, July 3). Books briefly noted. New Yorker. [Review of the book, Old Filth. By Jane Gardam]. Retrieved from
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/03/060703crbn>brieflynoted1
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/03/060703crbn>brieflynoted1
The economic prose of Gardam’s “mordantly funny novel” looks back on the life of a dried up barrister.
Old Filth’s Story Continues
Those readers who enjoyed Old Filth might like to see the story of Edward and Betty Feathers’ marriage told from Betty’s point of view in Jane Gardam’s The Man in the Wooden Hat (2009).
