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Barbara Pym: Notes on her novels

Some Tame Gazelle (1950)

The characters in this novel have their basis in Barbara Pym's own life. The sisters Belinda and Harriet Bede are based on Barbara Pym and her sister, Hilary; Henry Hoccleve is based on Henry Harvey, for whom Pym cherished a passion during her university years at Oxford; another close friend, Rober "Jock" Liddell, shows up as Nicholas Parnell. Agatha Hoccleve is a version of Alison West-Watson, whom Harvey had a romance with; Edith Liversedge is based on a friend, Honor Tracy; Count Bianco is based on an Italian count who attended Oxford, Count Roberto Weiss; and another acquaintance, Julia Pakenham, provided at least the physical model for Lady Clara Boulding.

Pym began writing this book in the 1930s, when she and all the others were still young, shortly after she finished Oxford. She was accepting the fact that her love for Henry Harvey was unrequited, and she projected herself and her friends into their fifties to imagine their relationships then. The novel went through many revisions before publication in 1950. (Information from A Lot to Ask: A Life of Barbara Pym, by Hazel Holt.)

I believe the setting to be the 1930s, because there is no mention of post-WWII rationing or other war experiences, as there is in Pym's later novels. So, although Pym advanced her age and that of the other characters, she did not push them forward in time.

Character Names

Belinda Bede: Belinda starts with a B, like Barbara. Bede is the name of one of the earliest historians of England, the Venerable Bede.

Harriet Bede: Harriet starts with an H, like Hilary. Same last name as her sister.

Henry Hoccleve: Henry, the first name of Henry Harvey. The initials of both are H.H. Hoccleve was the name of a poet and civil servant during the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V, Thomas Hoccleve.

Edgar Donne: Donne was the name of the great 17th Century poet and divine, John Donne.

Edward Plowman: Piers Plowman is a poem written in Middle English about the Christian life.

CHAPTER ONE

his combinations: a "combination suit" is a type of long underwear very similar to what Amercans call "Union suits."

Young's Night Thoughts: The Complaint: or Night Thoughts on Life, Death & Immortality, 1558, by Edward Young (1683-1765).This volume of poetry will recur in numerous conversations in STG. According to the Wikipedia article on Young, it may have been written in response to the deaths, within four years, of his step-daughter, her husband, and his own wife, and it helped popularize literature with a "moonlight and melancholy" theme. It was written over the course of several years.

the dear Earl of Rochester's Poems on Several Occasions: Poems on Several Occasions, 1680, by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680). It must be ironic that Belinda thinks of him with this sentimental phrase, as apparently he was notorious for his wild living, even in Restoration society. However, his Poems on Several Occasions were probably not risquee (I was unable to find an online manuscript); this volume was simply a number of poems he wrote in his life, gathered and published by friends and admirers after his death. The Earl of Rochester's work will feature in several conversations in STG.

Michaelmas daisies: Michaelmas is September 29 and is associated with the autumn equinox. English boarding schools sometimes call their fall semester Michalmas term. According to Wikipedia, Michaelmas daisies are the flowers called Asters, for their star-shaped flowers, and there are just two kinds in the UK, one very rare and the other being Aster tripolium, or Sea Aster.

Vicar: A parish priest in the Church of England. A parish priest could be a vicar, rector, or curate. The different titles reflect how they used to be paid. Rectors received the greater tithes (on wood, hay, and wheat) and the lesser tithes (on everything else) of their parish. Vicars were appointed by monastaries (before the Reformation); the monastary was the rector and appointed a vicar to act on its behalf; vicars received only the lesser tithes. Curates were assistant priests. Traditionally a vicar or rector paid a curate out of his own income. A perpetual curate was appointed and paid by the diocese (the area ruled by a bishop). According to the wikipedia article on vicars, the term often is used generally for any parish priest today.

Archdeacon: A rank just below a bishop. An archdeacon acts on behalf of the bishop to oversee parishes. An archdeacon may be addressed as "the Venerable" instead of "the Reverend."

Canon: A priest who is a member of the chapter of a cathedral, that is, the group of clergy that administers a cathedral.

Deaconess: Deacons are not priests, but they assist priests in the Church of England. They read the Gospel, preach, and help serve the sacrament, though they cannot bless the elements themselves--a priest must do that. When women were not allowed to become priests in the Anglican tradtition, they often became deacons.

Nonconformists: Churches in England other than the Church of England.

celanese vest and knickers: Celanese is an acetate fabric; Celanese is a trade name derived from "cellulose," the chemical involved in making the fabric, and "ease"; celanese was marketed as "artificial silk" (source). British people call that garment a "vest" that Americans would refer to as an "undershirt." "Knickers" is the Britsh word for what Americans would call "underpants."

her blue marocain: Marocain is a ribbed crepe fabric.

semi-evening: I searched the web and find the phrase "semi-evening" all over the place, but no definition of it. I suspect it means a dress that is "dressy" but not full length, as an evening gown would be. If you know for sure, e-mail me.

Excellent Women (1952)

Jane and Prudence (1953)

Less Than Angels (1955)

A Glass of Blessings (1958)

No Fond Return of Love (1961)

An Unsuitable Attachment (rejected 1963; published 1982)

Quartet in Autumn (1977)

The Sweet Dove Died (1978)

A Few Green Leaves (1980)




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	Barbara Pym: Notes on her novels Some Tame Gazelle (1950) The characters in this novel have their basis in Barbara Pym's own life. The sisters Belinda and Harriet Bede are based on Barbara Pym and her sister, Hilary; Henry Hoccleve is based on Henry Harvey, for whom Pym cherished a passion during her university years at Oxford; another close friend, Rober "Jock" Liddell, shows up as Nicholas Parnell. Agatha Hoccleve is a version of Alison West-Watson, whom Harvey had a romance with; Edith Liversedge is based on a friend, Honor Tracy; Count Bianco is based on an Italian count who attended Oxford, Count Roberto Weiss; and another acquaintance, Julia Pakenham, provided at least the physical model for Lady Clara Boulding. Pym began writing this book in the 1930s, when she and all the others were still young, shortly after she finished Oxford. She was accepting the fact that her love for Henry Harvey was unrequited, and she projected herself and her friends into their fifties to imagine their relationships then. The novel went through many revisions before publication in 1950. (Information from A Lot to Ask: A Life of Barbara Pym, by Hazel Holt.) I believe the setting to be the 1930s, because there is no mention of post-WWII rationing or other war experiences, as there is in Pym's later novels. So, although Pym advanced her age and that of the other characters, she did not push them forward in time. Character Names Belinda Bede: Belinda starts with a B, like Barbara. Bede is the name of one of the earliest historians of England, the Venerable Bede. Harriet Bede: Harriet starts with an H, like Hilary. Same last name as her sister. Henry Hoccleve: Henry, the first name of Henry Harvey. The initials of both are H.H. Hoccleve was the name of a poet and civil servant during the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V, Thomas Hoccleve. Edgar Donne: Donne was the name of the great 17th Century poet and divine, John Donne. Edward Plowman: Piers Plowman is a poem written in Middle English about the Christian life. CHAPTER ONE his combinations: a "combination suit" is a type of long underwear very similar to what Amercans call "Union suits." Young's Night Thoughts: The Complaint: or Night Thoughts on Life, Death & Immortality, 1558, by Edward Young (1683-1765).This volume of poetry will recur in numerous conversations in STG. According to the Wikipedia article on Young, it may have been written in response to the deaths, within four years, of his step-daughter, her husband, and his own wife, and it helped popularize literature with a "moonlight and melancholy" theme. It was written over the course of several years. the dear Earl of Rochester's Poems on Several Occasions: Poems on Several Occasions, 1680, by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680). It must be ironic that Belinda thinks of him with this sentimental phrase, as apparently he was notorious for his wild living, even in Restoration society. However, his Poems on Several Occasions were probably not risquee (I was unable to find an online manuscript); this volume was simply a number of poems he wrote in his life, gathered and published by friends and admirers after his death. The Earl of Rochester's work will feature in several conversations in STG. Michaelmas daisies: Michaelmas is September 29 and is associated with the autumn equinox. English boarding schools sometimes call their fall semester Michalmas term. According to Wikipedia, Michaelmas daisies are the flowers called Asters, for their star-shaped flowers, and there are just two kinds in the UK, one very rare and the other being Aster tripolium, or Sea Aster. Vicar: A parish priest in the Church of England. A parish priest could be a vicar, rector, or curate. The different titles reflect how they used to be paid. Rectors received the greater tithes (on wood, hay, and wheat) and the lesser tithes (on everything else) of their parish. Vicars were appointed by monastaries (before the Reformation); the monastary was the rector and appointed a vicar to act on its behalf; vicars received only the lesser tithes. Curates were assistant priests. Traditionally a vicar or rector paid a curate out of his own income. A perpetual curate was appointed and paid by the diocese (the area ruled by a bishop). According to the wikipedia article on vicars, the term often is used generally for any parish priest today. Archdeacon: A rank just below a bishop. An archdeacon acts on behalf of the bishop to oversee parishes. An archdeacon may be addressed as "the Venerable" instead of "the Reverend." Canon: A priest who is a member of the chapter of a cathedral, that is, the group of clergy that administers a cathedral. Deaconess: Deacons are not priests, but they assist priests in the Church of England. They read the Gospel, preach, and help serve the sacrament, though they cannot bless the elements themselves--a priest must do that. When women were not allowed to become priests in the Anglican tradtition, they often became deacons. Nonconformists: Churches in England other than the Church of England. celanese vest and knickers: Celanese is an acetate fabric; Celanese is a trade name derived from "cellulose," the chemical involved in making the fabric, and "ease"; celanese was marketed as "artificial silk" (source). British people call that garment a "vest" that Americans would refer to as an "undershirt." "Knickers" is the Britsh word for what Americans would call "underpants." her blue marocain: Marocain is a ribbed crepe fabric. semi-evening: I searched the web and find the phrase "semi-evening" all over the place, but no definition of it. I suspect it means a dress that is "dressy" but not full length, as an evening gown would be. If you know for sure, e-mail me. Excellent Women (1952) Jane and Prudence (1953) Less Than Angels (1955) A Glass of Blessings (1958) No Fond Return of Love (1961) An Unsuitable Attachment (rejected 1963; published 1982) Quartet in Autumn (1977) The Sweet Dove Died (1978) A Few Green Leaves (1980)