Dave's Book Blog: "Manservant and Maidservant" by Ivy Compton-Burnett

Wednesday 30 October 2024

"Manservant and Maidservant" by Ivy Compton-Burnett

This is a classic ICB novel. It is set in a large house with an extended family (husband and paterfamilias, Horace, wife, Charlotte, five children, cousin, Mortimer, and aunt) and a cast of servants of whom the main ones are Bullivant the butler, Mrs Selden the cook, workhouse boy George being trained as a manservant and orphanage girl Miriam, being trained as a cook's assistant. Horace is a domestic tyrant, imposing penny-pinching economies despite (or because of) the fact that he depends on his wife's money. The servants have low wages, the fires are starved of coal and therefore inadequate against the cold, the children have tattered clothing. But tyranny fosters rebellion from servants who refuse to 'know their place' to Mortimer who plans to replace Horace in Charlotte's affections. Even after Horace mends his ways, the resentment he has caused still festers.

The story is presented in ICB's utterly individual style. It is very heavy on dialogue. (She once said: “I do not see why exposition and description are a necessary part of a novel. They are not of a play, and both deal with imaginary human beings and their lives.”) The dialogue that there is is highly formal. Even the children, down to the youngest, speak in perfectly parsed sentences: “Is father gone now? I don't want him to come here. He is always in all the places. I don't want him to come where I sleep. I don't like to think he might look at me in the night.” (Ch 2) The butler observes of the Cook: "You have language, Mrs Selden, beyond what would be looked for." (Ch 3) They all have. But on the analogy of a play, one could argue that Shakespeare rarely gave his characters realistic dialogue and yet ...

There's plenty of plot. One of the wonderful things about ICB novels is that her forensic scrutiny of everyday life can provide plenty of excitement. "We only have to look at what is near us, to find the drama of existence," says Charlotte in chapter 11. Everywhere, in this novel, is conflict. George, a young trainee servant recruited from the workhouse (a consequence of Horace's cheese-paring ways) and coming into daily contact with the idle rich finds it hard to accept his subservience; as a result he clashes with the older servants who recognise the futile frustration of challenging the status quo. Mortimer, the poor relation, is nettled by his dependency, though he affects urbanity. The children fear and hate their father.

But there's humour too, often detected in the gap between what people say and what they mean and what they do:

“‘She is the most blameless creature. I'm sure she has never heard a fly.’ ‘Well, that is nice of her. Most of us do begin by hurting flies.’” (Ch 6)
“‘The truth is the kindest thing.’ ‘Is that so? I wonder what would be the unkindest.’” (Ch 6)
“‘Dear, dear, dear!’ said Cook. ‘Well, well, well!’ said Bullivant. ‘Come, come’ said Miss Buchanan, suppressing an impulse to say the word a third time.” (Ch 8)
“You said you were not going to speak about it ... and you keep on all the time.” (Ch 10)

You need to concentrate to read an ICB novel but the effort is rewarding for the fun, the humour, and especially for the way her dissection of everyday life allows her to make penetrating insights into human nature as it must be twisted to fit into our hierarchical society.

Selected quotes:

“Horace had married her for money, hoping to serve his impoverished estate, and she had married him for love, hoping to fulfil herself. The love had gone and the money remained, so that the advantage lay with Horace.” (Ch 1)
“We cannot ask Bullivant about it ... because he is not paid quite enough himself. Of course we do not dare to pay him much too little. We only oppress the weak.” (Ch 1)
“I wonder who began this treating of people as fellow creatures ... It is never a success.” (Ch 1)
“Her look at her father might have been one of aversion, if it had been possible; and it was possible.” (Ch 2)
“‘We are waiting for time to pass.’ ‘What a way to talk about time, the most precious thing there is! Those are terrible words to use.’ ‘There seems to be plenty, and it is not much good. We don't know what to do with it.’” (Ch 2)
“Horace felt that an argument ended in his favour, when his opponent wept, and as he always pursued one to this point, had no experience of defeat in words.” (Ch 2)
“I wish they would not think ... Their thinking can be done for them.” (Ch 2) Apropos the servants.
“This one is afraid of himself, and I am always afraid of people then. it shows there is something to be afraid of.” (Ch 3)
“Well, Miriam, does staring teach you anything? In which case you must be attaining a standard by now.” (Ch 3)
“‘The gentry follow their own ways more than others do,’ said Bullivant. ‘ The higher they are, the more is that the case.’ ‘ They have less call to conform,’ said Cook.” (Ch 3)
“‘Isn't it better to be high up?’ said Miriam. ‘It is not always better for the people themselves,’ said Bullivant. ‘ From royalty downwards that is the trend.’ ‘We are a good way down from royalty,’ said George. ‘Well, there are intervening steps,’ said Cook. ‘But those who are further down still, can hardly estimate the matter. it is for them to do their duty at their point of the scale.’” (Ch 3)
“‘I see no advantage in delay, if it is the destined thing.’ ‘Well, we will hope it is not.’ ‘What good will that do? People talk as if their hopes will influence the future.’ ‘And also as though their prophecies will.’” (Ch 5)
“I see no reason for forgoing a good thing, because some people abuse it.” (Ch 8)
“I have not behaved like a man. Or rather I expect that is what I have done. The words, ‘behave like a man,’ seem to have assumed the sense of behaving like a god.” (Ch 9)