“The simple, sober truth has no chance whatever of being listened to, and it’s only by volume of shouting that the ear of the public is held.”
Amen. People change very little.
“What they want is the lightest and frothiest of chit-chatty information—bits of stories, bits of description, bits of scandal, bits of jokes, bits of statistics, bits of foolery.”
Whelpdale—or, Gissing—really sees things very astutely. In a way, Whelpdale is truly a pioneer—in starting a business to teach aspiring writers, in becoming a literary agent, in foreseeing what the public will spend much of their time on in 150 years.
One has to admire Milvain’s financial sense. His negotiating for Maud’s marriage settlement is a very nice touch after he has done the honorable and great service to Reardon and Biffen.
Join us on December 13 for a virtual discussion of New Grub Street with Yiyun Li.
"Jasper of the facile pen" - now that we're nearing the end, he has surprised us the least of all the characters, I think. His persistent confidence paired with his honest self-assessments balance his cynical approach to his business and his love life. And he is magnanimous! (he may launch Biffen's career and redeem Edwin's)
Maud ("You say nothing, but you add an insult") has leveraged her good looks to escape poverty, and Dora (no "doll of super finewax") may be on the path to literary success as she enjoys pulling on the strings of her marionette, Whelpdale, who may be on the verge of starting USA Today! Also, did we know that Dora so reviled Amy?
I am amused by impoverished writers who intersperse their conversations with Latin phrases and deride the uneducated ("incapable of sustained attention"). I am reminded of our own large supply of barista MFA's in literature who write peoples names on the sides of coffee cups
I agree with Yiyun, there is so much about publishing and readers with short attention spans that seems eerily modern. Some great humor as well: “The paper is rubbish,” remarked Jasper, “and the kind of rubbish— oddly enough—which doesn't attract people."
Jasper, like Reardon, is such a complex character. Self-aware, self-mocking, self-serving, and vain. But he also brings people together and lives enthusiastically in the world around him. He does kindnesses for his friends, however these kindnesses ultimately serve him. Seems he is trying to impress the newly wealthy Amy, explaining the motivation for helping both Reardon and Biffen.