Innocent: Her Fancy and His Fact

Last updated

Innocent: Her Fancy and His Fact
Innocent, Her Fancy and His Fact.jpg
First edition
Author Marie Corelli
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SubjectMistreatment of illegitimate children
Genre Victorian novel
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date
1914

Innocent: Her Fancy and His Fact is a 1914 English novel by Marie Corelli. Its theme is the mistreatment of illegitimate children. It also contains several proto-feminist polemics against marriage. [1] it was adapted into the 1921 silent film Innocent .

Contents

Plot

Raised on the prosperous farm of Hugo Jocelyn, descendant of a French knight, Innocent has always believed herself to be Jocelyn's illegitimate daughter by his fiancee before her death. She is an idealistic woman, inspired by the romanticism of the medieval French literature preserved by her ancestor; indeed, she feels she knows "Sieur Amadis" personally.

As an infant, Innocent was dumped at the farm during a violent storm, by a stranger who explained he had to keep going but feared endangering the child. He promised to return, but never did, instead sending money every six months. Jocelyn reveals this in a deathbed confession.

After his death, Innocent receives a visit from her birth mother, Lady Blythe. A shallow and pretentious noblewoman, she explains that Innocent was the result of a fling she had with artist Pierce Armitage. He was probably the one who left her at the farm.

Innocent departs for London, planning to earn her living by writing and "make a name" for herself, since she has none by birthright. She has one book already written; it is wildly successful, and she writes another. In the usual Corellian coincidences, Innocent's landlady had had a serious relationship with Pierce Armitage, and Lord Blythe had been his friend at school. Lady Blythe confesses all, then dies. In Italy, Lord Blythe discovers Armitage alive and tells him of Innocent; Armitage at once prepares to claim his daughter legally.

However, Innocent has been lured into a romance with a modern-day Amadis Jocelyn, descendant of her "Sieur Amadis"' brother. She mistakes his flirtations and romantic gestures for real love, but he thinks of it as a mere fling. When he casts her out, Innocent is heartbroken, and returns to her farm to die.

Reception

The New York Times called Innocent "the kind of book once beloved by the romantic and unsophisticated schoolgirl." [2] William Robertson Nicoll endorsed the book as "A beautiful and tender love story.... With consummate skill the whole heart of a woman is shown us.... Innocent is one of the heroines that will never be forgotten." [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Corelli</span> English novelist (1855–1924)

Mary Mackay, also called Minnie Mackey and known by her pseudonym Marie Corelli, was an English novelist.

The Protector of the Small quartet is a series of books written by Tamora Pierce that tells the story of Keladry of Mindelan, a heroine in the fictional kingdom of Tortall. This is the third series written in the Tortallian Universe, but fourth in the in-universe timeline. It follows Keladry, the first girl to openly seek knighthood in centuries. In the FAQ section of her website, Tamora Pierce confirmed that Kel is aromantic asexual.

<i>Wormwood: A Drama of Paris</i> 1890 novel by Marie Corelli

Wormwood: A Drama of Paris is an 1890 novel by Marie Corelli. It tells the sensational story of a Frenchman, Gaston Beauvais, driven to murder and ruin by the potent alcoholic drink absinthe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Jane Grey</span> Claimant to the English throne in 1553

Lady Jane Grey, also known as Lady Jane Dudley after her marriage and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 to 19 July 1553.

<i>Squire</i> (novel)

Squire is the third book in the series Protector of the Small by fantasy author Tamora Pierce. It details Keladry of Mindelan's (Kel's) continuing quest for knighthood.

Invitation to the Castle is a 1947 satirical play by the French playwright Jean Anouilh. It was adapted in 1950 by Christopher Fry as Ring Round the Moon. The play concerns twins, a cold, manipulative playboy Hugo, and his sensitive brother Frédéric. Frédéric is madly in love with Diana, the spoiled daughter of a self-made millionaire. She herself wants Hugo, as his impenetrability teases her. To show to Frédéric that Diana is not worth his attentions, Hugo invites to a ball Isabelle, a lower-class dancer, whom he Pygmalion-like transforms into an aristocratic beauty.

Isabella of England was the eldest daughter of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, and the wife of Enguerrand de Coucy, Earl of Bedford, by whom she had two daughters. She was made a Lady of the Garter in 1376.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yonec</span>

"Yonec" is one of the Lais of Marie de France, written in the twelfth century by the French poet known only as Marie de France. Yonec is a Breton lai, a type of narrative poem. The poem is written in the Anglo-Norman dialect of Old French in rhyming couplets of eight syllables each. This lai tells the story of a woman who seeks to escape a loveless marriage, and of the child born from the love that she found elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Allitsen</span> English composer

Mary Frances Allitsen was an English composer. One of her most popular songs is a setting of Psalm 27, "The Lord is My Light".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Andrew Agnew, 8th Baronet</span> British politician

Sir Andrew Agnew, 8th Baronet DL was a Scottish politician and baronet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Temple, Viscountess Palmerston</span> British countess; (1787–1869)

Emily Temple, Viscountess Palmerston, styled The Honourable Emily Lamb from 1787 to 1805 and Countess Cowper from 1805 to 1839, was a leading figure of the Almack's social set, sister of Prime Minister Lord Melbourne, wife of the 5th Earl Cowper, and subsequently wife of another Prime Minister Lord Palmerston.

Glenarvon was Lady Caroline Lamb's first novel. It created a sensation when published on 9 May 1816. Set in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the book satirized the Whig Holland House circle, while casting a sceptical eye on left-wing politics. Its rakish title character, Lord Glenarvon, is an unflattering depiction of her ex-lover, Lord Byron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne de Montafié, Countess of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis</span> Suo jure Countess of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, Countess of Montafié, and Lady of Lucé and Bonnétable

Anne de Montafié, Countess of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, was a French heiress and the wife of Charles de Bourbon, Count of Soissons, a Prince of the Blood, and military commander during the French Wars of Religion. Following her marriage in 1601, she was styled Countess of Soissons. She was the Countess of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, Countess of Montafié, Lady of Lucé and Bonnétable in her own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal bastard</span> Child of a reigning monarch born out of wedlock

A royal bastard is a child of a reigning monarch born out of wedlock. The king might have a child with a mistress, or the legitimacy of a marriage might be questioned for reasons concerning succession.

dEstaing family

The d'Estaing family was one of the most notable noble families of the Rouergue and Auvergne regions of France. They originated from Estaing, in the modern Aveyron department, where their châtelain was first mentioned in 1028.

<i>Three Weeks With Lady X</i>

Three Weeks With Lady X is a historical romance written by Eloisa James and published in 2014. It was a New York Times Bestseller and was nominated for two Romantic Times awards.

Innocent is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Madge Stuart, Basil Rathbone and Edward O'Neill. The film marked the screen debut of Rathbone, with his casting as a villainous figure pointing towards the sort of roles he would play in later British and Hollywood films. The film was made by Stoll Pictures, Britain's leading film company of the era, at Cricklewood Studios.

<i>Vendetta!</i> 1886 romance by Marie Corelli

Vendetta!, or The Story of One Forgotten is an 1886 romance by Marie Corelli. Corelli's second novel, it tells the story of an Italian count who, after being mistakenly declared dead, returns home to find his wife romantically involved with his best friend and seeks revenge on them both. The book was a popular success, but received tepid notices from critics.

<i>Marie Corelli: the Writer and the Woman</i>

Marie Corelli: the Writer and the Woman is a 1903 biography of British novelist Marie Corelli written by Thomas F. G. Coates and R. S. Warren Bell. It was written while Corelli was still alive, around halfway through the 40-year period during which she was actively writing.

References

  1. Innocent at Project Gutenberg. Page found 2011-07-10.
  2. Latest Fiction: Novels by Elizabeth Jordan, Marie Corelli, J.C. Lincoln & Others. New York Times, November 22, 1914. Page found 2011-07-10.
  3. "Books that demand notice". The Independent. 14 December 1914. Retrieved 24 July 2012.