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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
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If you've been here for a while then you may remember that this was one of my dissertation texts, only problem was that it's over 1,000 pages, and I was pressed for time. On 31st of October 2018, I can announce that I have finally finished! Varney is a penny dreadful from the mid 19th century and is absolutely terrible, but in the best way. The plot is pretty much what you'd expect for a vampire novel from this period, complete with at least three interrupted weddings, the murder of a monk, and buckets of dramatic irony. You have to have a lot of patience to get through it, but I can't not recommend it.
If you've been here for a while then you may remember that this was one of my dissertation texts, only problem was that it's over 1,000 pages, and I was pressed for time. On 31st of October 2018, I can announce that I have finally finished! Varney is a penny dreadful from the mid 19th century and is absolutely terrible, but in the best way. The plot is pretty much what you'd expect for a vampire novel from this period, complete with at least three interrupted weddings, the murder of a monk, and buckets of dramatic irony. You have to have a lot of patience to get through it, but I can't not recommend it.
I think I bought the Kindle edition of this for about a pound a while back and then forgot about it. As I had a cold a few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to read something that required minimal neural activity and picked this. As I started to feel better I became mildly annoyed to realise that the Kindle edition has an error in its page count and I has therefore accidentally committed myself to reading 1,966 pages of 19th century penny dreadful, longer than War and Peace, Middlemarch or The Man Without Qualities. Essentially a extended abuse of the serialised novel format, the general experience of reading this is roughly analogous to being forced to wade through congealed treacle. The plot shuffles and lumbers about, frequently contradicting itself; Rymer probably had forgotten what he'd written 500 ages earlier. Repetition, hesitation and deviation are basically Rymer's authorial credo.
The results of this make for a book that is wildly inconsistent. The first and third volumes are the most obviously gothic throughout; the Italian scenes in the third are reminiscent of Walpole and Radcliffe while the English scenes are pretty comparable to Fanu and Stoker. The second volume regurgitates a Dickensian style plot where Varney intrigues to marry for money, only to be foiled repeatedy at the wedding. Characters like Admiral Bell are decidedly Dickensian as well, giving an overall effect similar to Lucy Westenra being replaced by Mrs Gamp and Dr Seward replaced by Pecksniff. I did rather warm to some of the Admiral Bell's catchphrases though; discovering 'I'll have none of your gammon' and 'Stop it with your gammoning' as slang phrases made a lot of the novel worthwhile. In fairness, it should also be said that there's an intriguingly Faustian aspect to Varney's character, who remains horrified by his crimes throughout. Human characters like Marchdale and the mob that destroys Varney's house are treated considerably less sympathetically.
The results of this make for a book that is wildly inconsistent. The first and third volumes are the most obviously gothic throughout; the Italian scenes in the third are reminiscent of Walpole and Radcliffe while the English scenes are pretty comparable to Fanu and Stoker. The second volume regurgitates a Dickensian style plot where Varney intrigues to marry for money, only to be foiled repeatedy at the wedding. Characters like Admiral Bell are decidedly Dickensian as well, giving an overall effect similar to Lucy Westenra being replaced by Mrs Gamp and Dr Seward replaced by Pecksniff. I did rather warm to some of the Admiral Bell's catchphrases though; discovering 'I'll have none of your gammon' and 'Stop it with your gammoning' as slang phrases made a lot of the novel worthwhile. In fairness, it should also be said that there's an intriguingly Faustian aspect to Varney's character, who remains horrified by his crimes throughout. Human characters like Marchdale and the mob that destroys Varney's house are treated considerably less sympathetically.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Okay, I'm going to free myself from this book since I haven't touched it since 2017.
I finished the first volume and got a little bit into the second.
I liked it. It's wordy and the two brothers are too enamored with being gentlemen, but it's still an amusing read. There's plenty of slapstick that gave me a chuckle, and is one of the reasons I didn't want to sell off this book until I had entirely finished it, but alas. Admiral Bell and Jack Pringle are like quarreling boyfriends and it was rather amusing.
It was interesting to see what powers people imagined vampires had before the publication of Carmilla and Dracula. At times Varney seems weak compared to the characters we're more familiar with.
I definitely would have finished this if it were abridged. RIP.
I finished the first volume and got a little bit into the second.
I liked it. It's wordy and the two brothers are too enamored with being gentlemen, but it's still an amusing read. There's plenty of slapstick that gave me a chuckle, and is one of the reasons I didn't want to sell off this book until I had entirely finished it, but alas. Admiral Bell and Jack Pringle are like quarreling boyfriends and it was rather amusing.
It was interesting to see what powers people imagined vampires had before the publication of Carmilla and Dracula. At times Varney seems weak compared to the characters we're more familiar with.
I definitely would have finished this if it were abridged. RIP.
Varney is an imposing read. This tome is 807 pages long and should be more as the size is 12 by eight inches with standard margins. (Some one who is a publisher can do the math) It's a five star tome because the characters are very well developed, the plots are good, the story line that connects all the shorter, 100 to 500 pages, stories is excellent. In this edition the original printing errors, misspelling, terrible syntax, missing lines are all there, but these original discrepancies don't distract from the overall enjoyment of the read. Honestly I couldn't put this one down.
Lets look at some of the characters.
First off Varney himself. Introduced as the typical vampire, but soon becomes something else. By the end of the first book(?) the reader and the other characters actually feel sorry for him and the abuse heaped upon him. This is where the subtitle "The Feast of Blood" is a real misnomer. With this title I was expecting a very vampire like story along the lines of the end of Fanu's Carmilla. Lots of blood, buckets of blood, crypts erupting with blood. NO one vampire attack and a lot of blood shed by village mobs chasing the vampire, each other, anyone suspected of being in league with the vampire, and each other getting killed and maimed by their own foolishness. Varney, our Vampire, only makes one unsuccessful attack. The first 400 to 500 pages are more a social commentary on Victorian morals and the mob mentality. The last 400 pages are more stories of Varney trying to collect two things. One, a good meal. it is not until the first three stories are completed, around page 600, that we get to see Varney get a good meal of blood. Two is Varney's continuing hunt for more cash. Living forever costs a lot of money and having to feed on virgins means having to move around in the upper strata's of society and that requires cash.
However through out the book many of Varney's potential victims also are trying to marry him for his supposed large estate. With a husband with one foot in the grave. Sorry but I could not resist the pun. The other on a banana peel, one is left to wonder if these victim's do become a meal is that not poetic justice? This is another staple of Victorian life, especially for young women. Find a rich husband and marry him for the estate. Love has nothing to do with it. In many ways Varney the Vampire is a picture of Victorian life as seen from the underside. The strata, the injustice, the misogyny, the economic strife of the poor are all seen in these 800 pages.
We also need to mention some of the other characters. Flora Bannerworth comes first. She is Varney's first victim. She starts as a typical Victorian damsel being attacked. She swoons when Varney first bites her, she adds nothing to her own defense that her brothers want to provide, she is described as pale, she is supposed to be the victim. But, there are flashes where she breaks out of this mold. She actually shoots Varney and causes him grievous injury. She sits and talks to him about not only her own fate, but the fate of her family and future husband. She gleans information from the vampire that is discarded by her "protectors" until they figure it our themselves. In many cases her protectors mule headedness in not listing to Flora is most maddening to the reader. Rymer, Varney's author, had no choice but to paint her this way. It was standard convention and he was writing for the masses. Even so Flora is NOT a women to be played with. She still comes across as one of the smarter characters and is quite capable of looking after here self if given the means: a brace of pistol would be a good start.
Two more characters who must be mentioned, Admiral Bell and his First mate Jack Pringel. These two combined are one of the funniest comic characters ever written. Admiral Bell is a Nelson type officer who has served well and with honor. Jack Pringel is the seamen who has been with the Admiral for 30+ years and the Admiral continually threatens to "Put him on the beach" IE discharge him and then bring jack back into the bosom of the family. Jack is a Seamen of the early 1800's or 1700's, 1900's, 21st Century or 12th Century. He drinks hard, fights hard, is exceptionally street smart or savvy, has a huge amount of common sense and his relation ship with the Admiral is one of love, respect, and commitment. Many times during the story one thinks of the two as an old married couple. They can't stand the other at times, but as soon as one or the other is gone the one that stayed misses the one that went dreadfully. Jack also provides many comic moments. Imagine you are a bride that has been forced to marry an old man. That during the wedding a guest announces that the old man is a Vampire. That on this most joyous day of your life this announcement starts a chase through your wedding party, a fist fight, and the discovery that the man you actually love is in the room. As your true love takes you to the dinning room and try's to settle you down in comes Jack Pringel. Bottle of champagne in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other. He hands you the rum and says that he knew the old Baron was Varney but he let the Admiral do the honors and now that the Admiral and house hold was a chasseing the Vampire he was going to enjoy the show. Jack then leaves you already three sheets to the wind. As the reader knows Jack may be drunk but he almost always gets to Varney first, drunk or sober. One is left wondering if Jack will once again pull that neat trick off. Many times I got strange looks from people in the library when I was laughing so hard that I cried over Jacks antics, then the people would look at the title. As I said many misnomers in that subtitle.
If you enjoy vampire stories this is a must read. Many of the vampire motifs we most associate with modern vampire stories got there starts here. Varney is also a very deep character who has wishes and dreams that we never see with other vampires. Rymer created a deep troubling character in Varney while also making social commentary on Victorian morals, the place of women, foreigners, the economic system, and the hunt for money by all levels of society. Even if you aren't a fan of the vampire genera this is still a good read on Victorian England in the 1850's and also well worth the time. This edition is especially good as the editor has added many useful comments on the penny dreadful/penny blood not only from himself but other academics who specialize in the genre. A great read.
Lets look at some of the characters.
First off Varney himself. Introduced as the typical vampire, but soon becomes something else. By the end of the first book(?) the reader and the other characters actually feel sorry for him and the abuse heaped upon him. This is where the subtitle "The Feast of Blood" is a real misnomer. With this title I was expecting a very vampire like story along the lines of the end of Fanu's Carmilla. Lots of blood, buckets of blood, crypts erupting with blood. NO one vampire attack and a lot of blood shed by village mobs chasing the vampire, each other, anyone suspected of being in league with the vampire, and each other getting killed and maimed by their own foolishness. Varney, our Vampire, only makes one unsuccessful attack. The first 400 to 500 pages are more a social commentary on Victorian morals and the mob mentality. The last 400 pages are more stories of Varney trying to collect two things. One, a good meal. it is not until the first three stories are completed, around page 600, that we get to see Varney get a good meal of blood. Two is Varney's continuing hunt for more cash. Living forever costs a lot of money and having to feed on virgins means having to move around in the upper strata's of society and that requires cash.
However through out the book many of Varney's potential victims also are trying to marry him for his supposed large estate. With a husband with one foot in the grave. Sorry but I could not resist the pun. The other on a banana peel, one is left to wonder if these victim's do become a meal is that not poetic justice? This is another staple of Victorian life, especially for young women. Find a rich husband and marry him for the estate. Love has nothing to do with it. In many ways Varney the Vampire is a picture of Victorian life as seen from the underside. The strata, the injustice, the misogyny, the economic strife of the poor are all seen in these 800 pages.
We also need to mention some of the other characters. Flora Bannerworth comes first. She is Varney's first victim. She starts as a typical Victorian damsel being attacked. She swoons when Varney first bites her, she adds nothing to her own defense that her brothers want to provide, she is described as pale, she is supposed to be the victim. But, there are flashes where she breaks out of this mold. She actually shoots Varney and causes him grievous injury. She sits and talks to him about not only her own fate, but the fate of her family and future husband. She gleans information from the vampire that is discarded by her "protectors" until they figure it our themselves. In many cases her protectors mule headedness in not listing to Flora is most maddening to the reader. Rymer, Varney's author, had no choice but to paint her this way. It was standard convention and he was writing for the masses. Even so Flora is NOT a women to be played with. She still comes across as one of the smarter characters and is quite capable of looking after here self if given the means: a brace of pistol would be a good start.
Two more characters who must be mentioned, Admiral Bell and his First mate Jack Pringel. These two combined are one of the funniest comic characters ever written. Admiral Bell is a Nelson type officer who has served well and with honor. Jack Pringel is the seamen who has been with the Admiral for 30+ years and the Admiral continually threatens to "Put him on the beach" IE discharge him and then bring jack back into the bosom of the family. Jack is a Seamen of the early 1800's or 1700's, 1900's, 21st Century or 12th Century. He drinks hard, fights hard, is exceptionally street smart or savvy, has a huge amount of common sense and his relation ship with the Admiral is one of love, respect, and commitment. Many times during the story one thinks of the two as an old married couple. They can't stand the other at times, but as soon as one or the other is gone the one that stayed misses the one that went dreadfully. Jack also provides many comic moments. Imagine you are a bride that has been forced to marry an old man. That during the wedding a guest announces that the old man is a Vampire. That on this most joyous day of your life this announcement starts a chase through your wedding party, a fist fight, and the discovery that the man you actually love is in the room. As your true love takes you to the dinning room and try's to settle you down in comes Jack Pringel. Bottle of champagne in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other. He hands you the rum and says that he knew the old Baron was Varney but he let the Admiral do the honors and now that the Admiral and house hold was a chasseing the Vampire he was going to enjoy the show. Jack then leaves you already three sheets to the wind. As the reader knows Jack may be drunk but he almost always gets to Varney first, drunk or sober. One is left wondering if Jack will once again pull that neat trick off. Many times I got strange looks from people in the library when I was laughing so hard that I cried over Jacks antics, then the people would look at the title. As I said many misnomers in that subtitle.
If you enjoy vampire stories this is a must read. Many of the vampire motifs we most associate with modern vampire stories got there starts here. Varney is also a very deep character who has wishes and dreams that we never see with other vampires. Rymer created a deep troubling character in Varney while also making social commentary on Victorian morals, the place of women, foreigners, the economic system, and the hunt for money by all levels of society. Even if you aren't a fan of the vampire genera this is still a good read on Victorian England in the 1850's and also well worth the time. This edition is especially good as the editor has added many useful comments on the penny dreadful/penny blood not only from himself but other academics who specialize in the genre. A great read.
The girl has swooned, and the vampyre is at his hideous repast!
Alright, at 325 pages, I am admitting defeat. This behemoth has beaten me.
The most infamous of all penny dreadfuls, the grandaddy of all Vampire fiction, Varney starts as a genuinely creepy atmospheric tale, descends into hilarious madcap adventures... and then just keeps going... and going... and going.
I mean, god bless, cause a boy's gotta get paid, and James Rymer knew how to keep that wordflow going. But around the time he casually changes a character's name with no explanation, and gives up on having this narrative make any sort of sense, I decided to give up too.
Alright, at 325 pages, I am admitting defeat. This behemoth has beaten me.
The most infamous of all penny dreadfuls, the grandaddy of all Vampire fiction, Varney starts as a genuinely creepy atmospheric tale, descends into hilarious madcap adventures... and then just keeps going... and going... and going.
I mean, god bless, cause a boy's gotta get paid, and James Rymer knew how to keep that wordflow going. But around the time he casually changes a character's name with no explanation, and gives up on having this narrative make any sort of sense, I decided to give up too.