''Sybil, or The Two Nations'' is an 1845 novel by

Benjamin Disraeli 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 ...

. Published in the same year as

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels"
'' The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844'', ''Sybil'' traces the plight of the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

es of England. Disraeli was interested in dealing with the horrific conditions in which the majority of England's working classes lived — or, what is generally called the Condition of England question. The book is a

roman à thèse A ''Roman à thèse'' (French: 'thesis novel') is a novel which is didactic or which expounds a theory. Scholar Susan Suleiman talked about "authoritarian fiction" List of ''romans à thèse'' * ''Candide'' by Voltaire * '' Sybil'' by Benjamin ...

, or a novel with a thesis — which was meant to create a furor over the squalor that was plaguing England's working class cities. Disraeli's novel was made into a silent film called ''

Sybil Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece. Sybil or Sibyl may also refer to: Films * ''Sybil'' (1921 film) * ''Sybil'' (1976 film), a film starring Sally Field * ''Sybil'' (2007 film), a remake of the 19 ...

'' in 1921, starring

Evelyn Brent Evelyn Brent (born Mary Elizabeth Riggs; October 20, 1895 – June 4, 1975) was an American film and stage actress. Early life Brent was born in Tampa, Florida, and known as Betty. When she was age 10, her mother Eleanor (née. Warner) died, ...

and Cowley Wright. Disraeli's interest in this subject stemmed from his interest in the

Chartist movement Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement, w ...

, a working-class political reformist movement that sought universal male suffrage and other parliamentary reforms. (

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, ...

sums up the movement in his 1839 book ''Chartism''.) Chartism failed as a parliamentary movement (three petitions to Parliament were rejected); however, five of the "Six Points" of Chartism would become a reality within a century of the group's formation. Chartism demanded: #

Universal suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political sta ...

for men #

Secret ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vo ...

# Removal of property requirements for Parliament # Salaries for

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MPs) # Equal

electoral districts An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

# Annually elected

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

Characters

*Sybil Gerard *Charles Egremont *Lord Marney *Lord Henry Sydney *Lord de Mowbray *Rigby *Taper *Tadpole *Lady St. Julians *Marchioness of Deloraine *Baptist Hatton *Aubrey St. Lys *Sidonia *Devilsdust *Dandy Mick *Walter Gerard (Sybil's father) *Stephen Morley *Mr. Mountchesney

Bibliography

Editions

There is no critical edition of Disraeli's novels. Most editions use the text of Longmans Collected Edition (1870–71). *Disraeli, Benjamin ''Sybil''. (Harmondsworth:

Penguin Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adap ...

, 1987) . Edited with an introduction by

Rab Butler Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, (9 December 1902 – 8 March 1982), also known as R. A. Butler and familiarly known from his initials as Rab, was a prominent British Conservative Party politician. ''The Times'' obituary c ...

and notes by Thom Braun. *Disraeli, Benjamin ''Sybil''. (Oxford:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 1998) . Edited with an introduction and notes by Sheila Smith.

Works of criticism

*Braun, Thom ''Disraeli The Novelist''. (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1981) .

References

External links