Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Oxford University Press, USA (1981), Paperback, 130 pages
Description
The Castle Rackrent estate is owned by four generations of Englishmen, each dissipated, cruel or improvident in some way. Their lives are chronicled by the estate's Irish steward, Thady Quirk. He is one of the first examples in literature of the unreliable narrator, and as the story progresses we see how the estate is kept from ruin by Quirk's son - to his own advantage and benefit.
User reviews
LibraryThing member RebeccaAnn
I'm going to start off this review by saying I was forced to read this book for a class, which is never the best way to find books you like.
That said, Castle Rackrent wasn't too bad. It was more boring than anything else. The book is being told as if Thady, the Rackrent's butler (for lack of a
That's about it. An okay story, but it just seems there wasn't a point to it. I can appreciate what this did for literature as a whole, being the first Anglo-Irish novel and whatnot, and there were some very funny parts, especially the names of places (such as Crookaghnawaturgh, Gruneaghoolaghan, and Allballycarricko'shaughlin, to name a few) but I doubt I would have read it if it wasn't for a class and I doubt I'll read it ever again.
That said, Castle Rackrent wasn't too bad. It was more boring than anything else. The book is being told as if Thady, the Rackrent's butler (for lack of a
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better word) were narrating to you out loud the history of the family. You go through four generations of Rackrents and learn about their good points and their bad, how some were good people but weak-minded and how one locked up his wife for eight years because she wouldn't give him her diamond necklace.That's about it. An okay story, but it just seems there wasn't a point to it. I can appreciate what this did for literature as a whole, being the first Anglo-Irish novel and whatnot, and there were some very funny parts, especially the names of places (such as Crookaghnawaturgh, Gruneaghoolaghan, and Allballycarricko'shaughlin, to name a few) but I doubt I would have read it if it wasn't for a class and I doubt I'll read it ever again.
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LibraryThing member Cariola
Late 18th-century satire on British landlords in Ireland, supposedly written by a trusted longtime servant. Edgeworth paints an intriguing portrait fo corruption and its effects on both the haves and have-nots.
LibraryThing member dczapka
I almost certainly would never have even picked up Castle Rackrent if it weren't for the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list. Its cover is a strange mix of pastoral beauty and Gothic foreboding. (At least, MY cover is.) I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this book, and in the
The book pretends to tell the family history of the Rackrent family, a history that is marked by a successive series of enigmatic patriarchs and by a writing style that, though seemingly narrated by a minor (and therefore uneducated) figure in the family steward, Thady Quirk. The estate slowly but surely becomes mismanaged by each new heir, and the tragedies of each Rackrent generation is mirrored by the descent of the property into unexpected and surprising hands.
The novel is replete with amusing descriptions of the Rackrent men--not all of whom are necessarily stupid, but all of whom are negligent in some way--interspersed with Thady's commentary. Thady doesn't try to do too much as a narrator, but he's not the most reliable of characters, primarily because he (and his son, Jason) are not as "stupid" as the reader may assume they are. This inversion of class and intelligence is what drives the book, and it's quite an interesting twist.
This dynamic is reinforced by the heavy use of footnotes, which adds a strangely academic feel to a book that, though pretending to be historical, is also very conversational. Thady's simpleton nature and casual turns of phrase necessitate the use of a glossary, in which he defines the phrases and words he uses, many of which are self-evident. It's a really neat trick that puts the reader on his toes, making him wonder who's really the smart one.
At the end of the day, though, the plot is fairly thin, and this is what causes the book to suffer a bit. Whether it's ignorance, illness, or idiosyncrasy that does him in, each Rackrent is ultimately done in, in vaguely predictable fashion. The big "twist" at the end is interesting, and one I feel is best left unrevealed here, but it seems to fit entirely within the context of the themes of the book as I've explained here. I suppose it's silly to have expected more from a book so small, but I did.
In the end, Castle Rackrent is, like the Rackrents themselves, more interesting for its idiosyncrasies than for its story. It features a couple neat twists, and is short enough that you'll never wonder if reading it is really worth your time. It's not exactly great, but to my mind, it's just good enough. Not the most glowing recommendation, I know, but, paradoxically, I guess you just have to read it yourself to see what I mean.
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end, I found it to be an interesting artifact but, otherwise, fairly slight.The book pretends to tell the family history of the Rackrent family, a history that is marked by a successive series of enigmatic patriarchs and by a writing style that, though seemingly narrated by a minor (and therefore uneducated) figure in the family steward, Thady Quirk. The estate slowly but surely becomes mismanaged by each new heir, and the tragedies of each Rackrent generation is mirrored by the descent of the property into unexpected and surprising hands.
The novel is replete with amusing descriptions of the Rackrent men--not all of whom are necessarily stupid, but all of whom are negligent in some way--interspersed with Thady's commentary. Thady doesn't try to do too much as a narrator, but he's not the most reliable of characters, primarily because he (and his son, Jason) are not as "stupid" as the reader may assume they are. This inversion of class and intelligence is what drives the book, and it's quite an interesting twist.
This dynamic is reinforced by the heavy use of footnotes, which adds a strangely academic feel to a book that, though pretending to be historical, is also very conversational. Thady's simpleton nature and casual turns of phrase necessitate the use of a glossary, in which he defines the phrases and words he uses, many of which are self-evident. It's a really neat trick that puts the reader on his toes, making him wonder who's really the smart one.
At the end of the day, though, the plot is fairly thin, and this is what causes the book to suffer a bit. Whether it's ignorance, illness, or idiosyncrasy that does him in, each Rackrent is ultimately done in, in vaguely predictable fashion. The big "twist" at the end is interesting, and one I feel is best left unrevealed here, but it seems to fit entirely within the context of the themes of the book as I've explained here. I suppose it's silly to have expected more from a book so small, but I did.
In the end, Castle Rackrent is, like the Rackrents themselves, more interesting for its idiosyncrasies than for its story. It features a couple neat twists, and is short enough that you'll never wonder if reading it is really worth your time. It's not exactly great, but to my mind, it's just good enough. Not the most glowing recommendation, I know, but, paradoxically, I guess you just have to read it yourself to see what I mean.
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LibraryThing member Prop2gether
The story of a dissolute family and the faithful retainer, as told by the faithful retainer, was not as entertaining as it may sound. For the record, I read the digital.library,upenn download of this novel, but I liked this cover.
LibraryThing member mlbelize
Found the dynamics of interaction between the tenants, servants and gentry to be fascinating. A fast easy read.
LibraryThing member Clancy.Coonradt
Good book for identifying what the Big House lifestyle was like in Ireland around the end of the 19th century. The possibility for Honest Thady to be telling a slave narrative is very appealing although there are clear differences in some of the claims that it fits neatly in this category.
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Recommended read for anyone curious about Irish history. Show Less
LibraryThing member soniaandree
Good book, if you want an introduction to Irish Studies and literature. However, I got bored with stereotypical 2-dimensional characters and social classes - the rich are too pompous, the poors too servile and silly - there are so many 'Your Honour's honour' (feel free to count them), that the
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whole thing becomes comical to the extreme. Truly, the loss of Irish catholic landowners is no laughing matter, and wasn't then either, but Edgeworth's book did not serve the cause. Instead, I think it contributed to a certain point of view of the Irish as poor, lowly beggars or thieves, well into the nineteenth or twentieth century. To be read, surel, but with a bit of distance and a big pinch of salt as to the narrative and authorial intention. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Thady Quirk, aged retainer of the Rackrent family, recounts the family history in typically Irish style. The Quirk family's association began with Sir Patrick O'Shaughlin, who changed his name to Rackrent as a condition of inheritance from a childless cousin. The story concludes with the last of
Edgeworth was a contemporary of Jane Austen. Austen referred to Edgeworth's novels in her own novels. Readers who have read their way through Austen's novels might enjoy branching out into works by an author that Austen herself read.
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the Rackrents, Sir Conolly, and his loss of the estate. Edgeworth had an ear for dialect. Unfortunately, the flow of Thady's story is interrupted by footnotes and endnotes. Even the footnotes have footnotes.Edgeworth was a contemporary of Jane Austen. Austen referred to Edgeworth's novels in her own novels. Readers who have read their way through Austen's novels might enjoy branching out into works by an author that Austen herself read.
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
I skipped the lengthy introduction (~25% of this Kindle book!).
I wonder whether Susanna Clarke (author of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell") was a fan of this classic because Edgeworth's glossary and Clarke's footnotes were similar in style!
I found many of the anecdotes amusing but the final story
I wonder whether Susanna Clarke (author of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell") was a fan of this classic because Edgeworth's glossary and Clarke's footnotes were similar in style!
I found many of the anecdotes amusing but the final story
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about Sir Condy struck me as rather sad. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMorr
Published in 1800, Castle Rackrent is described in the introduction as one of the most famous unread novels in English.
Also from the introduction, 'combining the subtle wit of the French tale, the Gaelic cadences of Irish oral tradition, and Gothic intrigue over property and inheritance, Castle
How all this could fit in 114 pages, which includes a preface and a glossary by the author, is pretty amazing. But on reflection I guess it does! I read this along with the glossary and explanatory notes - the glossary was so much more than a glossary, taking 3 pages to explain the Irish lamentation for the dead, a couple of pages on Fairy Mounts and explaining well and truly what a raking pot of tea is (raised eyebrows...). It's about four inhabitants of the Castle Rackrent, Sir Patrick, Sir Murtagh, Sir Kit and Sir Conolly and how the run their estate.
I picked this up ostensibly to fit in a short 1001 book that also met the March RandomCAT and I'm so glad I did!
Also from the introduction, 'combining the subtle wit of the French tale, the Gaelic cadences of Irish oral tradition, and Gothic intrigue over property and inheritance, Castle
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Rackrent has gathered a dazzling array of firsts - the first regional novel, the first socio-historical novel, the first Irish novel, the first Big House novel, the first saga novel.'How all this could fit in 114 pages, which includes a preface and a glossary by the author, is pretty amazing. But on reflection I guess it does! I read this along with the glossary and explanatory notes - the glossary was so much more than a glossary, taking 3 pages to explain the Irish lamentation for the dead, a couple of pages on Fairy Mounts and explaining well and truly what a raking pot of tea is (raised eyebrows...). It's about four inhabitants of the Castle Rackrent, Sir Patrick, Sir Murtagh, Sir Kit and Sir Conolly and how the run their estate.
I picked this up ostensibly to fit in a short 1001 book that also met the March RandomCAT and I'm so glad I did!
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LibraryThing member PatsyMurray
I was glad I read this because it has such a prominent place in literary history, but I did not find it as amusing as it is meant to be.
LibraryThing member japaul22
I read this brief novel by Irish author Maria Edgeworth because it was on the 1001 books to read before you die list and I'm always interested in female authors on the list. This book was published in 1800 and seems to have been written about a "typical" Irish gentry family for the English public.
This book is important historically because the English ate it up and took it as a real insight into the rise of the middle class in Ireland and the bad habits of the Irish landed gentry. But the writing, plot development, and character development are basically non-existent. Thady's voice gives some character and there are a few funny moments, but this is basically a long run-on sentence in 90 pages. Any book published in the early 1800s will be compared by me to Jane Austen and there is zero comparison here. I'm always impressed with Austen's tight plot and character development and coherence when compared to her contemporaries.
This was interesting from a historical perspective, but not really a pleasurable reading experience.
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She certainly didn't give Ireland the best representation! This book is narrated by Thady, a servant for the Rackrent family, who witnesses three generations squander away their money and land through poor management, gambling, drink, and unwise marriages. Their land ends up in the hands of Thady's son. This book is important historically because the English ate it up and took it as a real insight into the rise of the middle class in Ireland and the bad habits of the Irish landed gentry. But the writing, plot development, and character development are basically non-existent. Thady's voice gives some character and there are a few funny moments, but this is basically a long run-on sentence in 90 pages. Any book published in the early 1800s will be compared by me to Jane Austen and there is zero comparison here. I'm always impressed with Austen's tight plot and character development and coherence when compared to her contemporaries.
This was interesting from a historical perspective, but not really a pleasurable reading experience.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
I did not get on with this novel. It purports to be a series of accounts of the lives and fortunes of a number of heirs to an estate in late 18th century Ireland, narrated unreliably by an estate steward. Essentially this is a novella prefaced by an introduction and other surrounding material by a
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narrator who is describing the real life estate of Edgeworth's own father. While it's an interesting experiment and must have been well researched, I could not get into it. Show Less
LibraryThing member brakketh
Multigenerational tale capturing the flaws of the English presence and landowning in Ireland.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1800
Physical description
130 p.; 7.17 inches
ISBN
0192815393 / 9780192815392