Precious Bane (Virago Modern Classics)

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Stanley Baldwin suggested that the strength of Precious Bane lies in “the fusion of elements of nature and man”. Do you agree? What was the effect, for you, of Mary Webb’s representation of the natural world? The Old Shropshire dialect was very difficult for me, I must admit. I stumbled through for a while, but eventually the bumpy ride smoothed out as I adjusted to it, and in the end I found the dialect gave a richness and authenticity to the text. I will leave this book with a link to a folk song that recurs constantly during its telling. I found the recording and thought it was too perfect, for it captures the atmosphere of the tale and wrings a tear. In 1927 Mary’s health was deteriorating, her marriage was failing and she returned to Shropshire alone. Her final novel Armour Wherin He Trusted remained unfinished. There are numerous townspeople we come to know and there is the mother of Prue and Gideon, who only wants to be respected and some rest from her endless labors. And then there is the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, who besots the women who see him, and for whom Prue longs, despite knowing no such man would ever accept a “hare-shotten” woman.

Precious Bane | Victorian England, Rural Life, Nature Precious Bane | Victorian England, Rural Life, Nature

This is such a beautifully written book that is so underrated and that could be because it is not well known. I had not heard of it before it was chosen as a group read and what a shame if I had never had the opportunity to know Prue and her story. The prose immerses one in the countryside and gives one a feel for the archaic dialect unique to this area. I felt that this gave the novel an authentic touch. Being able to transport a reader to a world unfamiliar is a sure sign of an adept writer. It was so pleasant to hear the songs of the willow wrens and see the fields of sweet barley. Or to watch the dragonflies or “daffodowndillies” fluttering up into the sky. I especially enjoyed learning about the rural customs like the ‘love spinning’ where the ladies gather to spin the wool that will be woven into the fabric for the wedding. Another curious tradition was called ‘sin eating’ when a person takes over the sins of a deceased person. Precious Bane, set in the early 1800s, is the story of Gideon and Prue Sarn. A brother and sister entirely different: one all darkness, the other all brightness; one consumed by the lightning inside and the other emanating warmth; one ruthlessly desiring more whilst the other knows the value of her little piece of here and now. Their tale of love lost and won, betrayal and murder is played out against the Shropshire landscape, where questions about humanity’s relationship with the land abide. There was a sigh from everybody then, like the wind in dry bents. Even the oxen by the gate, it seemed to me, sighed as they chewed the cud." Her mother, Sarah Alice Scott was from an Edinburgh family reputedly connected with Sir Walter Scott. Then Gideon drank the wine all of a gulp, and swallowed the crust. There was no sound in all the place but the sound of his teeth biting it up.Like Mary, the movie has had something of a renaissance. It had a decidedly mixed reception from critics, and flopped on its British release. A heavily reworked version released to American audiences as The Wild Heart fared no better. Literary critic John Sutherland refers to the genre as the "soil and gloom romance" and credits Webb as its pioneer. [16] In 1926 she was awarded the prestigious Prix Femina for Precious Bane. This was awarded for 'the best imaginative work in prose or verse descriptive of English life by an author who has not gained sufficient recognition.' But Mother cried and moaned all night after. And when the Sexton said 'Be there a Sin Eater?' she cried again very pitifully, because Father had died in his wrath, with all his sins upon him, and besides, he had died in his boots, which is a very unket thing and bodes no good. So she thought he had great need of a Sin Eater, and she would not be comforted. Prue sees the landscape as “like a book” waiting to be read; “a riddle with no answer”. To what extent does the glory of landscape depend on its mystery? Are we less enchanted by the landscape now that we know more about it?

Precious Bane | Victorian England, Rural Life, Nature

Precious Bane is a historical romance by Mary Webb, first published in 1924. It won the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize in 1926. I think, times, that in our mortal language there are no words for the things that are of most account."Hammill, Faye Cold Comfort Farm, D. H. Lawrence, and English Literary Culture Between the Wars, Modern Fiction Studies 47.4 (2001) 831-854 Adapted in a 1950 film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Jennifer Jones as Hazel Woodus. It was later re-edited, shortened and retitled for its American release, and fell into relative obscurity. In 1985, the full 110-minute restored version was released by the National Film Archive, to critical acclaim. [18]