Contarini Fleming

Last updated
Contarini Fleming: A Psychological Romance
Author Benjamin Disraeli
LanguageEnglish
PublisherJohn Murray
Publication date
1832
Media typePrint

Contarini Fleming: A Psychological Romance is the fourth and most autobiographical novel written by Benjamin Disraeli, who would later become a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was published anonymously in May 1832 but despite the author considering it his best novel, was a financial failure.

Contents

Synopsis

Contarini Fleming is the only child of a "Saxon nobleman of ancient family" and his Venetian first wife. His mother dies giving birth to him and he takes his first name from the fallen Venetian dynasty of which she was one of the last members. His father Baron Fleming remarries and Contarini becomes withdrawn. On going to college, however, he develops an increasingly outgoing and popular personality on account of his wit before withdrawing again when he realises he wishes to become a great poet. Ruminating on his unhappiness with his first serious literary attempt, he meets a painter in the ruins of a gothic abbey. The painter gives him a book on the history of Venice, which reveals the former pre-eminence there of the Contarinis.

A retrospective portrayal (1852) of Disraeli as a young man when he wrote Contarini Fleming Dizzy-grant.jpg
A retrospective portrayal (1852) of Disraeli as a young man when he wrote Contarini Fleming

Contarini therefore resolves to run away to Venice but early on his journey is robbed of his possessions and takes refuge with a woodman and his wife. Their son has been missing for 15 years but returns that evening and turns out not only to be the Chevalier de Winter, a painter of international repute, but also the man Contarini had met in the ruined abbey.

Contarini returns home and discovers that his father is foreign secretary, thus inspiring him to become an international statesman. His father sends him to university where he again initially impresses, this time with his writing, before emerging as the ringleader of a rebellious group who eventually quit the university and set up their home in a disused castle in the middle of a forest. When their antics attract the attention of the police, they all decide to return to their former lives except for Contarini who carries on his travels. He soon meets Christiana, one of his childhood crushes, who is now a countess and stays with her and her husband.

When Christiana rejects Contarini after he declares his undying love, he returns once again to his family and becomes extremely successful as his father’s secretary. When the prime minister dies, Contarini helps to manoeuvre his father to power. As his secretary, Contarini now operates successfully on an international stage and also anonymously publishes a novel. As people come to realise he is the author, Contarini is increasingly embarrassed by this work and resolves to leave the country (an unspecified Scandinavian one). Before he can, however, his father sends him on a diplomatic mission to Paris, as a precursor to going on to England.

From Paris, Contarini diverts to Italy and goes to Venice where he meets and falls in love with his cousin, Alcesté Contarini. As the price for leaving a convent, she had been betrothed to a Venetian nobleman and so she and Contarini elope to Crete. There they are blissfully happy until Alcesté dies giving birth to a stillborn son. Contarini attempts to commit suicide but recovers and derives some artistic inspiration from his recent upheavals. He is, however, unable to satisfactorily convey this inspiration to paper and so suffers a nervous breakdown.

Having been in a catatonic state for some months, Contarini is visited by Winter who inspires him to travel and so he goes on a grand tour taking in Spain, Albania, Athens, Constantinople, Egypt, Syria, Jerusalem and parts of Africa. He resolves to settle in Cairo but on hearing news of his father's illness, travels home. En route he receives news of his father's death, accompanied by a letter from his dying father drawing parallels between their two lives. The novel ends with Contarini settling down in Naples, contemplating involvement in active politics.

Reception

Although Disraeli regarded Contarini Fleming as his best novel, it was a financial failure. [1] Author and publisher shared the profits, amounting to just £18 each. [2] Nevertheless, it was read by the actress and writer Fanny Kemble and was a favourite of the Irish diplomat Lord Strangford. [3] [4]

Literary historians have taken a mixed view of the novel. The New Monthly Magazine pronounced it "a vast improvement on Vivian Grey ", and Henry Milman described it as the equal of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage . [5] [6] However, in 1977, referring to Disraeli's intention that the novel reveal the development of his poetic character, Professor Charles Nickerson wrote:

Contarini is full of fine sentiments and painfully contrived expressions; yet little is presented in a way that seems genuinely and deeply felt...The effect is finally one of appalling emptiness. [7]

Significance

Written in the first person, Contarini Fleming is thought to be the most autobiographical of Disraeli's novels. [8] Its principal theme is the author's, "internal debate about his future: was his career to be literary or political?" [9] More specifically, Disraeli's difficult relationship with his mother, his unhappy schooldays and "the conquest of a hostile or indifferent world" are all reflected in the novel. [10] Descriptions of Contarini's travels draw heavily from Disraeli's grand tour which he had undertaken in 1830-1. [11] Other experiences Contarini and Disraeli share include a nervous breakdown and embarrassment from an anonymously published novel, in Disraeli's case Vivian Grey . [12]

Although Contarini Fleming lacks any overarching political credo, the author repeatedly criticises the education system and its "museum of verbiage" for their excessive focus on words and grammar (often in dead languages) and not on ideas. [13] He is particularly critical of "moral philosophy" believing that education should be based on "demonstration instead of dogma" and founded upon man's nature. [14] Disraeli also criticises students of politics for trying to identify the best system of government whereas, in his opinion, whatever its systemic nature, government can only be successful by adapting to local people and culture. [15]

Quotes

From a prime ministerial perspective, it refers to cabinet members as being a collection of, “secret enemies, necessary tools and tolerated incumbrances.” [16] In a forerunner to the style of language Disraeli would deploy when speaking of his great political rival William Gladstone, Contarini refers to an adversary spouting "the most ludicrous medley of pomposity." [17]

Given the autobiographical nature of the work, written before Disraeli was even a member of Parliament, perhaps the most prophetic quote is when Contarini’s father, on becoming prime minister of a minor "northern" state, says to him, “My son, you will be Prime Minister of...; perhaps something greater." [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Disraeli</span> Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1874 to 1880

Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, was a British statesman, Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation of the modern Conservative Party, defining its policies and its broad outreach. Disraeli is remembered for his influential voice in world affairs, his political battles with the Liberal Party leader William Ewart Gladstone, and his one-nation conservatism or "Tory democracy". He made the Conservatives the party most identified with the British Empire and military action to expand it, both of which were popular among British voters. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been born Jewish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gasparo Contarini</span> Italian diplomat, cardinal and Bishop of Belluno

Gasparo Contarini was an Italian diplomat, cardinal, and Bishop of Belluno. He advocated for dialogue with Protestants during the Reformation. Born in Venice, he served as the Republic's ambassador to Charles V during its war with him. He was the first to explain the time discrepancy in the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation due to Earth's rotation. He participated in diplomatic efforts and reconciliations, and became a cardinal, even though he was initially a layman. Contarini was a leader in the reform movement within the Roman Catholic Church. He played a role in the papal approval of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He was also involved in attempts to restore religious unity in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac D'Israeli</span> British writer

Isaac D'Israeli was a British writer, scholar and the father of British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli. He is best known for his essays and his associations with other men of letters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hughenden Manor</span> Grade I listed house in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

Hughenden Manor, Hughenden, Buckinghamshire, England, is a Victorian mansion, with earlier origins, that served as the country house of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield. It is now owned by the National Trust and open to the public. It sits on the brow of the hill to the west of the main A4128 road that links Hughenden to High Wycombe.

<i>Endymion</i> (Disraeli novel) 1880 novel by Benjamin Disraeli

Endymion is a novel published in 1880 by Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, the former Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was paid an advance of £10,000 for it. It was the last novel Disraeli published before his death. He had been writing another, Falconet, when he died; it was published, incomplete, after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contarini</span> One of the founding families of Venice

The Contarini is one of the founding families of Venice and one of the oldest families of the Italian Nobility. In total eight Doges to the Republic of Venice emerged from this family, as well as 44 Procurators of San Marco, numerous ambassadors, diplomats and other notables. Among the ruling families of the republic, they held the most seats in the Great Council of Venice from the period before the Serrata del Maggior Consiglio when Councillors were elected annually to the end of the republic in 1797. The Contarini claimed to be of Roman origin through their patrilineal descendance of the Aurelii Cottae, a branch of the Roman family Aurelia, and traditionally trace their lineage back to Gaius Aurelius Cotta, consul of the Roman Republic in 252 BC and 248 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Smythe, 7th Viscount Strangford</span> British Conservative politician

George Smythe, 7th Viscount Strangford, styled The Honourable George Smythe until 1855, was a British Conservative politician, best known for his association with Benjamin Disraeli and the Young England movement. He served briefly as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1846 under Sir Robert Peel.

Coningsby, or The New Generation is an English political novel by Benjamin Disraeli, published in 1844.

<i>Tancred</i> (novel) 1847 novel by Benjamin Disraeli

Tancred; or, The New Crusade (1847) is a novel by Benjamin Disraeli, first published by Henry Colburn in three volumes. Together with Coningsby (1844) and Sybil (1845) it forms a sequence sometimes called the Young England trilogy. It shares a number of characters with the earlier novels, but unlike them is concerned less with the political and social condition of England than with a religious and even mystical theme: the question of how Judaism and Christianity are to be reconciled, and the Church reborn as a progressive force.

Giovanni Battista Falcieri (1798–1874) was the personal servant of Lord Byron and was present at his death in Missolonghi in 1824. He later accompanied Benjamin Disraeli on his tour of the Orient, before becoming the valet of Isaac D'Israeli.

Elizabeth Sara Sheppard was a 19th-century British novelist.

<i>Charles Auchester</i>

Charles Auchester is a novel by Elizabeth Sara Sheppard, published in 1853. Its hero is an idealised portrait of the composer Felix Mendelssohn. The novel, which is notable for its positive portrayal of Jewish musicality, was praised by Benjamin Disraeli and was initially very popular, remaining in print for over seventy years.

The Wondrous Tale of Alroy is the sixth novel written by Benjamin Disraeli, who would later become a Prime Minister of Britain. Originally published in 1833, a "new edition” was published in 1834, a heavily revised edition in 1846 entitled Alroy: A Romance and another in 1871 based on that. It is a fictionalised account of the life of David Alroy. Its significance lies in its portrayal of Disraeli's "ideal ambition" and for its being his only novel with a distinctive Jewish subject. Cecil Roth described it as perhaps the earliest Jewish historical novel and Adam Kirsch as "a significant proto-Zionist text". Philip Rieff described an answer by Alroy as "perhaps one of the earliest Zionist perorations given in Western literature".

Henrietta Temple is the ninth novel written by Benjamin Disraeli, who would later become a Prime Minister of Britain.

<i>The Young Duke</i> 1831 novel by Benjamin Disraeli

The Young Duke - a moral tale though gay is the third novel written by Benjamin Disraeli who would later become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Despite its moderate success, Disraeli came to dislike the novel which was a hindrance to his political career.

The Voyage of Captain Popanilla is the second novel by Benjamin Disraeli, who later became a prime minister of the United Kingdom. Its allegory of a fantastic voyage is a satire on contemporary society.

The Rise of Iskander is the seventh novel written by Benjamin Disraeli who would later become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

The Infernal Marriage is the eighth novel written by Benjamin Disraeli who would later become Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Ixion in Heaven is the fifth novel written by Benjamin Disraeli who would later become a Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Falconet is the name generally given to the untitled, final and unfinished novel of the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, who died before completing it.

References

  1. ↑ Blake p86
  2. ↑ Blake p107
  3. ↑ Butler, Frances Anne (1835). Journal of a Residence in America. Paris: A and W Galignani & Co. p. 180.
  4. ↑ Blake p123
  5. ↑ "Asmodeus at Large, No.V". New Monthly Magazine. 35: 27. 1832. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  6. ↑ "Benjamin Disraeli 1804-81". edigg.com biography. edigg.com. Retrieved 1 July 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ Nickerson, Charles. "Benjamin Disraeli's Contarini Fleming and Alroy". jrul.libraries.rutgers.edu. The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries (Vol 39 No. 2 (1977) pp 78-9). Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  8. ↑ Blake p50
  9. ↑ Nickerson p75
  10. ↑ Blake, Robert (1966). Disraeli (Prion Books 1998 ed.). Eyre & Spottiswoode. pp. 15–17. ISBN   1853752754.
  11. ↑ Nickerson pp73-4
  12. ↑ Diniejko, Andrzej. "Benjamin Disraeli's autobiographical reveries in Contarini Fleming". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  13. ↑ Bradenham ed pp 16-17, 41-42, 183, 321
  14. ↑ Bradenham ed pp 209,243
  15. ↑ Bradenham ed pp 320-332
  16. ↑ Disraeli, Benjamin (1832). Contarini Fleming A Psychological Romance (Vol IV Bradenham (1927) ed.). John Murray. p. 154.
  17. ↑ Bradenham ed p66
  18. ↑ Bradenham edition p173
  19. ↑ Diniejko
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.