The contrast, Volume 1 (of 3) by Marquess of Constantine Henry Phipps Normanby
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The contrast, Volume 1 (of 3) by Marquess of Constantine Henry Phipps Normanby is a novel written in the early 19th century. It contrasts the calculated polish of London society with the unspoiled candor of a remote coastal community, centering on young Lord Castleton’s tug-of-war between a jaded liaison with Lady Madelina Manfred and a sudden fascination with the innocent Lucy Darnell. Around them orbit the self-advertising host Sir North Saunders and
a gallery of clergy, tradespeople, and tenants, through whom questions of class, sincerity, and female character are sharply observed. The opening of the novel follows a London party to Sir North’s newly vaunted Hornscliff Abbey, where theatrical landscaping and social pretensions meet rugged cliffs and a sublime bay. On a guided excursion, Castleton trades flirtations with Lady Madelina for a first encounter with Lucy and her cousin George, a sturdy lad about to go to sea; over a picnic of politics and gossip, Castleton’s interest shifts decisively toward the quiet grace he sees by the fishing boat, punctuated by his impulsive gift of a watch. The scene then turns to the Darnell household: kind, easy Farmer Richard; his precise, grievance-prone wife; and solitary, thoughtful Aunt Alice, who nurtures Lucy’s imagination with Shakespeare. George’s farewell ride to Mayton with his uncle ends at the Queen’s Head, amid a convivial widow landlady and two idle townsmen, before he catches the night coach. Four years later a sketching “stranger” arrives—soon lodged with the Darnells—while a private letter reveals him as Castleton, disillusioned by past worldly entanglements and resolved to test pure affection by concealing his rank as he seeks the simple heart he once glimpsed on that northern shore. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Normanby, Constantine Henry Phipps, Marquess of, 1797-1863 |
|---|---|
| Title | The contrast, Volume 1 (of 3) |
| Original Publication | London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, 1832. |
| Credits | Carol Brown, MWS and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | English fiction -- 19th century |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 78688 |
| Release Date | May 15, 2026 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1188 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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