Endymion (Disraeli novel)
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''Endymion'' is a
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
published in 1880 by
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...
, the former
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
. He was paid £10,000 for it. It was the last novel Disraeli published before his death. He had been writing another, '' Falconet'', when he died; it was published, incomplete, after his death.


Background

Like most of Disraeli's novels, ''Endymion'' is a romance, although Disraeli took the unusual step of setting it between 1819 and 1859. This meant that the hero of the novel–Endymion Ferrars–had to be a Whig, rather than a
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
. The time period that Disraeli chose was dominated by the Whig party; there would have been little opportunity for a young, rising Tory. Given that, it seems likely that Disraeli chose the time period in order to move a final time in the world in which he grew up and began his ascent.


Plot

William Pitt Ferrars, a rising
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
politician with cabinet ambitions, is disappointed of his hopes by the fall of the Tory ministry of the
Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...
in 1832, and his party's overwhelming defeat in that year's parliamentary election. He retires from his opulent house in Hill Street, London, to the modest country estate of Hurstley; his failure to reenter the government in
Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
's brief ministry in 1835, and his inability to secure a parliamentary seat in the subsequent elections, leads his wife to die of sorrow and disillusionment, and ultimately to his own suicide. He leaves behind him two adolescent children, Endymion and Myra, who are determined to redeem their father's legacy. Endymion has received a clerkship in
Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...
, a government office, and takes lodgings at the home of the Rodneys, former protégés of his parents; at Somerset House he becomes acquainted with fellow clerks Trenchard, Seymour Hicks, and the aspiring but pretentious novelist St. Barbe; Trenchard lays the foundations for his future career by introducing him to the debating club of the politically minded Bertie Tremaine. In the meantime his sister is hired as a companion to the daughter of Adrian Neuchatel, a great Whig magnate and banker. Myra becomes a favorite member of the household, and her position enables her to introduce Endymion to the high society of the Whig party. Myra herself is wooed and won by Lord Roehampton, secretary of state in the
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
ministry. This places her in a position to forward Endymion's career, and she recommends him for private secretary to the Whig cabinet minister Sidney Wilton, an old friend of her father. Her brother distinguishes himself. In the elections of 1841, however, the Whigs are voted out of office, and Endymion loses his position. He compensates for this by getting elected to parliament in a constituency controlled by the Whig Lord Montfort, whose wife Endymion has befriended. In Parliament, under the guidance of Lord Roehampton, Endymion's makes his mark among the Whig opposition; and when his party returns to power in 1846 he becomes under-secretary of state to Lord Roehampton; when the latter dies of overwork, Endymion resigns rather than serve under his successor. Meanwhile, Prince Florestan, a pretender in exile from his country, whom Endymion knew at
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
, has returned to his country and successfully established himself on his throne. He now offers the widowed Myra (whom he has met at the Neuchatels) the crown as his queen. She accepts. Endymion, devastated at this separation from his sister, finds consolation in the love of Lady Montfort, whose husband has died. Although his party is soon again evicted from government, he is now a prominent member of the out-of-power Whigs, headed by Sidney Wilton; with the fall of the Tory ministry Sidney Wilton becomes Prime Minister, and Endymion his secretary of state; through success in foreign wars and prosperous management of relations with the continent, Endymion makes himself the natural successor to Sidney Wilton. When the latter resigns, Endymion is charged by the
queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
with the formation of the next government.


Characters

The title character's name is a reference to the shepherd
Endymion Endymion primarily refers to: * Endymion (mythology), an Ancient Greek shepherd * ''Endymion'' (poem), by John Keats Endymion may also refer to: Fictional characters * Prince Endymion, a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime franchise * Raul ...
of Greek mythology, familiar in 19th-century culture as the title of an 1818 John Keats poem among other references. It is explained in the text as a traditional name of his noble family since the time of Charles the First, and is in fact represented historically among English nobles such as
Endymion Porter Sir Endymion Porter (1587–1649) was an English diplomat and royalist. Early life He was descended from Sir William Porter, sergeant-at-arms to Henry VII, and son of Edmund Porter, of Aston-sub-Edge in Gloucestershire, by his cousin Angela, ...
. It is very like his own autobiography, with his retrospection of English politics woven into the thread of a story. The action and conversations are distributed between characters who had figured in English politics or the fashionable romance of Europe during the last forty years. Endymion is Disraeli in his youth. Zenobia, a queen of fashion, is based on his Lady Blessington with a combination of some other great lady. She was Benjamin Disraeli's first great patroness, who opened the avenue of his wonderful career. Zenobia later retires to the background to give place to Lady Montfort. She is a combination of Lady Blessington and Mrs. Wyndham Lewis (the latter Disraeli married) so we have in Lady Montfort at once the patroness and the wife. St Barbe, the journalist in " Endymion " is an intended caricature of Thackeray, and Gushy is
Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
. Vigo, a minor character of the novel, is a combination of Poole, the tailor, and
George Hudson George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 – 14 December 1871) was an English railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King"—a title conferr ...
, the Sunderland railway king, as he was styled in his time. Prince Florestan is probably a sketch of
Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
in his early days in England. He is constantly presented as a child of destiny wailing for the European revolution of '48 to give him back his throne. Job Thornberry comes into the story with the
Anti-Corn-Law League The Anti-Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected landowners’ interests by levying taxes on imported wheat, thus raising the price of bread at a time ...
, representing the remarkable change in English politics which made the Whigs so different from what they were fifty years earlier and which necessitated the passage of Reform Bills even by the Conservative Derby-Disraeli ministries. Job Thornberry may be
Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865) was an English Radical and Liberal politician, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti-Corn Law League and the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty. As a you ...
; for he certainly has much of Cobden's subject in him. The energetic and capable minister Lord Roehampton is taken to be
Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...
, and Count Ferrol is perhaps Bismarck. Neuchatel, the great banker, is the historical
Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by sign ...
; Cardinal
Henry Edward Manning Henry Edward Manning (15 July 1808 – 14 January 1892) was an English prelate of the Catholic church, and the second Archbishop of Westminster from 1865 until his death in 1892. He was ordained in the Church of England as a young man, but con ...
figures as the tendentious papist Nigel Penruddock.Margaret Drabble (editor), ''The Oxford Companion to English Literature'', fifth edition (Oxford University Press, 1985), p. 318, ''Endymion''. *William Pitt Ferrars, ''Endymion's father, distinguished Tory politician in 1830s'' *Mrs Ferrars, ''Endymion's mother'' *Endymion Ferrars *Myra Ferrars, ''Endymion's twin sister, wife of Lord Roehampton, later of Florestan'' *Earl of Roehampton, ''Secretary of state, prominent Whig politician, and Endymion's patron'' *King Florestan, ''Endymion's childhood friend, and exiled pretender to a continental throne (presumably France)'' *Berengaria, Lady Montfort, ''distinguished Whig society lady, Endymion's patroness, later his wife'' *Lord Montfort, ''eccentric Whig nobleman'' *Count Ferrol, ''continental statesman'' *Baron Sergius, ''continental statesman, friend of Florestan'' *The Duke of St Angelo, ''Florestan's chamberlain'' *Bertie Tremaine, ''prominent MP, leader of ''third party'' in house of commons of 1841; of ambiguous principles'' *Tremaine Bertie, ''brother of the latter, MP, member of his party'' *Job Thornberry, ''leader of Anti-Corn-Law League, radical MP'' *Nigel Penruddock, the
Archbishop of Tyre The see of Tyre was one of the most ancient dioceses in Christianity. The existence of a Christian community there already in the time of Saint Paul is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Seated at Tyre, which was the capital of the Roman provi ...
, ''rejected lover of Myra, churchman,
Tractarian The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...
'' *St. Barbe, ''vain, envious satirical novelist'' *Trenchard, ''Whig MP, Endymion's friend'' *Seymour Hicks, ''social climber, Endymion's friend'' *Mr Rodney, ''protégé of Pitt Ferrars, Endymion's friend, Tory MP'' *Mrs Rodney, ''protégée of Lady Ferrars'' *Earl of Beaumaris, ''tenant of the Rodneys, socially reclusive, prominent Tory politician'' *Lady Beaumaris, ''sister of Mrs Rodney, prominent Tory society figure in 1840s'' *Zenobia, ''prominent Tory society figure in 1830s'' *Sidney Wilton, ''Whig minister, Endymion's patron, ultimately Prime Minister'' *Lord Waldershare, ''tenant of the Rodneys, eccentric nobleman, Tory MP.''


Themes

The novel is full of political lessons and conceits, and its pictures of aristocratic circles, with the semi-ministerial management of English affairs by the queens of fashionable society on behalf of their Endymions, not only expose the romance of Disraeli's own life, but also reveal the things behind the scenes which, perhaps, none so well could have done as this Jewish ex-premier of England in the literary winding up of his strange eventful life. It is this inner view of Disraeli's novel which gives its real significance.


Publication

Internet Archive
Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3
(The author's name appears only on the spine.)


References

* *Blake, Robert. "The Dating of Endymion" in ''The Review of English Studies,'' New Series, Vol. 17, No. 66. (May, 1966), 177–182.


Bibliography

*


External links


Project Gutenberg e-book
{{Benjamin Disraeli 1880 British novels Novels by Benjamin Disraeli Books written by prime ministers of the United Kingdom