“And what’s the value of it all?” asked Maud.
“Probably from ten to twelve guineas, if I calculated.”
“I meant, what was the literary value of it?” said his sister, with a smile.
“Equal to that of the contents of a mouldy nut.”
A delicious dialogue—delicious for the reason that Maud and Jasper understand each other perfectly. Maud could easily take the role of a protagonist.
“It’s rubbish, but rubbish of a very special kind, of fine quality.”
In other words: literary entertainment.
“You think I talk of nothing but money?”
“I know too well what it means to be without money.”
I appreciate that Gissing’s characters speak in a blunt way—quite unsentimental; quite contemporary.
Join us on December 13 for a virtual discussion of New Grub Street with Yiyun Li.
"Why did he always recur to the subject of money? 'I shall allow nothing to come in my way;' he once said that as if meaning, 'certainly not a love affair with a girl who is penniless.' ... But it only meant that he would not be in haste to declare himself. Of a certainty there was conflict between his ambition and his love, but she recognised her power over him and exulted in it."
The one wrinkle in Marian's joyful infatuation with Jasper. She can only stay optimistic by believing that her charms and Jasper's unflagging confidence in himself will overcome his more practical considerations. This hopeful and positive outlook is a new thing for her. But what does this cloud over her bliss foreshadow?
Jasper's proclamation left me pondering: “I am rather despicable, you know; it's part of my business to be so. But a friend needn’t regard that. There is a man apart from his necessities.” Somehow, such hubris (confidence?) is considered appealing; indeed (for many – even today) it is the epitome of masculinity. Imagine the response if “woman” was inserted as an alternative for “man” here! “Jezebel,” comes to mind.