Cedric knew absolutely nothing about this, he only knew that his father was an Englishman; but he died when Cedric was very young, and therefore he did not remember very much about him; he only remembered that dad was tall that he had blue eyes and a long mustache and that it was incredibly fun to travel through rooms sitting on his shoulder. After his dad's death, Cedric became convinced that it was better not to talk to his mom about him. During his illness, Cedric was taken away from home, and when Cedric returned, it was all over and his mother, who was also very sick, had just moved from her bed to her chair by the window. She was pale and thin, the dimples had disappeared from her sweet face, her eyes looked sad, and her dress was completely black.
“Darling,” asked Cedric (dad always called her that, and the boy began to imitate him), “Darling, is dad better?”
He felt her hands tremble, and, raising his curly head, looked into her face. She apparently could barely restrain herself from bursting into tears.
“Darling,” he repeated, “tell me, is he feeling good now?”
But then his loving little heart told him that it was best to put both arms around her neck, press his soft cheek to her cheek and kiss her many, many times; he did so, and she lowered her head on his shoulder and cried bitterly, hugging him tightly to her.
“Yes, he’s good,” she sobbed, “he’s very good, but you and I have no one else left.”
Although Cedric was still just a small boy, he realized that his tall, handsome, young father would never return, that he died like other people die; and yet he could not understand why this happened. Since mom always cried when he talked about dad, he decided to himself that it was better not to mention him too often. The boy soon became convinced that he should not let her sit silently and motionlessly for a long time, looking into the fire or out the window.
He and his mother had few acquaintances, and they lived completely alone, although Cedric did not notice this until he got older and found out the reasons why they did not have guests. Then they told him that his mother was a poor orphan who had no one in the world when her father married her. She was very pretty and lived as a companion to a rich old lady who treated her badly. One day, Captain Cedric Errol, having come to visit this lady, saw a young girl going up the stairs with tears in her eyes, and she seemed to him so lovely, innocent and sad that from that moment he could not forget her. They soon met, fell deeply in love with each other and finally got married; but this marriage caused the displeasure of the people around them. The most angry of all was the captain's father, who lived in England and was a very rich and noble gentleman, famous for his bad character. In addition, he hated America and Americans with all his heart. Besides the captain, he had two more sons. By law, the eldest of them was supposed to inherit the family title and all of his father's vast estates. In the event of the death of the eldest, the next son became the heir, so there was little chance for Captain Cedric to ever become rich and noble person, although he was a member of such a noble family.
But it so happened that nature endowed the youngest of the brothers with wonderful qualities that the elders did not possess. He had Beautiful face, graceful figure, courageous and noble posture, clear smile and sonorous voice; he was brave and generous and, moreover, had the kindest heart, which especially attracted all the people who knew him to him. His brothers were not like that. Even as boys at Eton they were not loved by their comrades; Later, at the university, they did little research, wasted time and money, and failed to make true friends. They constantly upset their father, the old count, and insulted his pride. His heir did not honor his name, continuing to remain a selfish, wasteful and narrow-minded man, devoid of courage and nobility. The old count was very offended that only the third son, who was destined to receive only a very modest fortune, possessed all the qualities necessary to maintain the prestige of their high social position. Sometimes he almost hated young man for the fact that he was endowed with those data that seemed to be supplanted from his heir by a high-profile title and rich estates; but in the depths of his proud, stubborn old heart, he still could not help but love his youngest son. During one of his outbursts of anger, he sent him to travel around America, wanting to remove him for a while so as not to be irritated constant comparison him with his brothers, who just at that time were causing him a lot of trouble with their dissolute behavior.
But after six months he began to feel lonely and secretly longed to see his son. Under the influence of this feeling, he wrote a letter to Captain Cedric, demanding his immediate return home. This letter differed from the captain’s letter, in which he informed his father of his love for the pretty American girl and his intention to marry her. Upon receiving this news, the old count became incredibly angry; no matter how bad his character was, his anger had never reached such proportions as when he received this letter, and his servant, who was in the room, involuntarily thought that his Excellency would probably suffer a blow. For a whole hour he ran around like a tiger in a cage, but finally, little by little, he calmed down, sat down at the table and wrote a letter to his son, ordering him never to approach his house and never write to him or his brothers. He wrote that the captain could live where he wanted and how he wanted, that he was cut off from his family forever and, of course, could no longer count on any support from his father.
The captain was very sad; he loved England very much and was strongly attached to home; he even loved his stern old father and pitied him, seeing his grief; but he also knew that from that moment on he could no longer expect any help or support from him. At first he did not know what to do: he was not accustomed to work, he was deprived of practical experience, but he had a lot of courage, but then he hastened to sell his position in the English army; after much trouble he found a place in New York and got married. The change from his previous life in England was very noticeable, but he was young and happy and hoped that hard work would help him create a good future for himself. He bought a small house in one of the remote streets of the city, his little son was born there, and his whole life seemed to him so good, cheerful, joyful, albeit modest, that he did not for a minute regret that he had married the pretty companion of a rich old woman solely because she was lovely and that they loved each other tenderly.
His wife was truly charming, and their little son was equally reminiscent of his father and mother. Although he was born in a very humble environment, it seemed that in the whole world there was no child as happy as him. Firstly, he was always healthy and never caused anyone any trouble, secondly, he had such a sweet character and such a cheerful disposition that he brought nothing but pleasure to everyone, and thirdly, he was unusually handsome. In contrast to other children, he was born with a whole cap of soft, thin, golden curly hair, which by the age of six months had turned into lovely long curls. He had large brown eyes with long eyelashes and a pretty face; his back and legs were so strong that at the age of nine months he had already learned to walk; At the same time, he was distinguished by such rare behavior for a child that everyone tinkered with him with pleasure. He seemed to consider everyone his friends, and if one of the passers-by approached him while he was being pushed in a small carriage along the street, he usually fixed a serious look on the stranger, and then smiled charmingly. It is not surprising after this that everyone who lived in the neighborhood of his parents loved and spoiled him, not excluding even the petty merchant, who was reputed to be the most gloomy man in the world.
Cedric himself knew nothing about this. They didn't even mention it to him. He knew that his father was English because his mother told him about it; but his father died when he was still very small, so he remembered almost nothing about him - just that he was tall, with blue eyes and a long mustache, and how wonderful it was when he carried Cedric on his shoulder around the room. After his father's death, Cedric discovered that it was better not to talk about him with his mother. When his father fell ill, Cedric was sent to stay with friends, and when he returned, it was all over; and mother, who was also very ill, had just begun to get out of bed to sit in a chair by the window. She turned pale and thinner, the dimples disappeared from her pretty face, and her eyes became large and sad. She was dressed in black.
“Darling,” said Cedric (that’s what his father called her, and the boy adopted this habit from him), “Darling, is daddy well?”
Her shoulders trembled, and he looked into her face. She had such an expression in her eyes that he knew she was about to cry.
“Dear,” he repeated, “is dad better?” Suddenly his heart told him that he needed to quickly hug her, and kiss her, and press his soft cheek to her face; he did so, and she bowed her head on his shoulder and cried bitterly, hugging him tightly with her arms, as if not wanting to let go.
“Oh, yes, he’s better,” she answered with a sob, “he’s very, very good!” And you and I have no one else. No one in the whole wide world!
And then, no matter how small he was, Cedric realized that his father, so big, young and handsome, would never return; that he died like some other people he had heard about dying, although he did not understand what it was and why his mother was so sad. But since she always cried when he talked about his father, he decided to himself that it was better not to talk to her about him; and he also noted that it was better not to let her think while looking out the window or into the fire playing in the fireplace. He and his mother had almost no acquaintances, and they lived very secludedly, although Cedric did not notice this until he grew up and found out why no one visited them.
The fact is that when his father married his mother, his mother was an orphan and she had no one. She was very pretty and lived as a companion to a rich old woman who treated her poorly, and one day Captain Cedric Errol, invited to visit the old woman, saw the young companion run up the stairs in tears; she was so lovely, tender and sad that the captain could not forget her. And after all sorts of strange incidents, they met and fell in love with each other, and then got married, although some people did not like their marriage.
The captain's old father was the most angry - he lived in England and was a very rich and noble aristocrat; he had quite bad temper and hated America and Americans. He had two sons, older than Captain Cedric; the eldest of these sons was legally destined to inherit the family title and magnificent estates; in the event of the death of the eldest son, the second became the heir; Captain Cedric, although he was a member of such a noble family, could not hope for wealth. However, it so happened that nature generously endowed the youngest son with everything that she denied to his older brothers. He was not only handsome, slender and graceful, but also courageous and generous; and had not only a clear smile and a pleasant voice, but also an extremely kind hearted and, it seemed, knew how to earn universal love.
The older brothers were denied all this: they were not distinguished by their beauty, good character, or intelligence. Nobody was friends with them at Eton; in college they studied without interest and only wasted time and money, not finding real friends here either. They endlessly upset and embarrassed the old count, their father; his heir did not honor the family name and promised to become simply a narcissistic and wasteful nonentity, devoid of courage and nobility. The Count thought bitterly that younger son, who was destined to receive only a very modest fortune, was a sweet, handsome and strong young man. At times he was ready to be angry with him for the fact that he received all those advantages that would be so suitable for a magnificent title and magnificent estates; and yet the stubborn and arrogant old man loved his youngest son with all his heart.
Once, in a fit of frustration, he sent Captain Cedric to America - let him travel, then he would not be constantly compared with his brothers, who at that time especially annoyed his father with their antics. However, six months later, the count began to secretly miss his son - he sent Captain Cedric a letter in which he ordered him to return home. At the same time, the captain also sent his father a letter in which he said that he fell in love with a pretty American girl and wanted to marry her. The Count, having received the letter, was furious. No matter how severe his temper was, he never gave him free rein as on the day he read the captain's letter. He was so angry that the valet, who was in the room when the letter was brought, was afraid that my lord would have a stroke. In his anger he was terrible. A whole hour he rushed about like a tiger in a cage, and then sat down and wrote to his son, telling him never to show his face again and not to write to either his father or his brothers. He can live as he wants and die where he wants, but let him forget about his family and let him not expect any help from his father until the end of his days.
The captain was very sad when he read this letter; he loved England, and even more - beautiful house, in which he was born; he even loved and sympathized with his wayward father; however, he knew that now he had no hope for him. At first he was completely confused: he was not accustomed to work, he had no experience in business; but he had plenty of determination and courage. He sold his officer's patent, found himself - not without difficulty - a place in New York and got married. Compared with his previous life in England, the change in circumstances seemed very great, but he was happy and young and hoped that, by diligent work, he would achieve much in the future. He bought a small house on one of the quiet streets; his baby was born there, and everything there was so simple, cheerful and sweet that he never for a moment regretted that he married the pretty companion of a rich old woman: she was so charming and loved him, and he loved her.
She really was absolutely lovely, and the baby looked like both her and his father. Even though he was born in such a quiet and modest home, it seemed that a happier baby could not be found. Firstly, he was never sick, and therefore did not cause anyone any worries; secondly, his character was so sweet and he behaved so charmingly that he only made everyone happy; and thirdly, he was surprisingly good-looking. He was born with wonderful hair, soft, thin and golden, not like other babies who are born with a bare head; his hair curled at the ends, and when he was six months old, it curled into large rings; he had large brown eyes, long, long eyelashes and a charming face; and his back and legs were so strong that at nine months he had already begun to walk; he always behaved so well that you will fall in love with him. It seemed that he considered everyone his friends, and if anyone spoke to him when he was taken out for a walk in the carriage, he looked attentively with his brown eyes, and then he smiled so affably that there was not a single person in the neighborhood who would not be happy to see him, not excluding the grocer from the corner store, whom everyone considered a grouch. And every month he became smarter and prettier.
When Cedric grew up and began to go out, dragging a toy cart behind him, for a walk, he called universal admiration, he was so sweet and comfortable in his short white Scottish skirt and large white hat on his golden curls. Back home, Nanny told Mrs. Errol how the ladies would stop their strollers to look at him and talk to him. How they rejoiced when he chatted cheerfully with them, as if he had known them forever! What captivated him most of all was that he could easily make friends with people. This most likely happened because of his gullibility and kind heart - he was disposed towards everyone and wanted everyone to feel as good as he did. He easily guessed people's feelings, perhaps because he lived with parents who were loving, caring, gentle and well-mannered people. Little Cedric never heard an unkind or harsh words; he was always loved, cared for, and his childish soul was filled with kindness and open affection. He heard that his father called his mother by tender and affectionate names, and he himself called her the same; he saw that her father protected and cared for her, and he himself learned to do the same. And therefore, when he realized that his father would not return again, and saw how sad his mother was, he was gradually overcome by the idea that he should try to make her happy. He was still just a child, but he thought about it when he sat on her lap, kissed her and laid his curly head on her shoulder, and when he showed her his toys and picture books, and when he climbed onto the sofa to lie next to her. her. He was still small and did not know what else he could do, but he did everything he could, and did not even suspect what a comfort he was to her. One day he heard her say to the old maid:
Ah, Mary, I see that he wants to console me in his own way. He sometimes looks at me with such love and bewilderment in his eyes, as if he pities me, and then suddenly he comes up and hugs me or shows me something. He is real little man, and it really seems to me that he knows everything!
As he grew, he developed his own habits, which greatly amused and occupied all who knew him. He spent so much time with his mother that she hardly needed anyone else. They walked, chatted, and played together. He learned to read very early, and having learned, he usually lay down in the evening on the rug in front of the fireplace and read aloud - either fairy tales, or large books for adults, or even newspapers; and Mary, on such occasions, more than once heard Mrs. Errol laughing in her kitchen at his funny remarks.
And that’s to say,” Mary once told the grocer, “you don’t want to listen to what he says, but you’ll laugh.” He says everything so funny and so politely! But that evening, when they elected a new president, he came to my kitchen, stood at the stove, pens in his pockets, a picture, and that’s all, but his face was as stern as a judge. And he says: “Mary, she says, I’m very interested in the elections. I am a Republican, he says, and so is Darling. Are you, Mary, a Republican?” - “No, I say, sorry. I say, I’m a democrat, and one of the strongest.” And he looked at me so that my heart sank, and said: “Mary, she says, the country will perish.” And from that time on, not a day goes by without him arguing with me, he keeps convincing me to change my views.
***
Mary became very attached to the baby and was very proud of him. She entered the home when he was just born; and after the death of Captain Errol she was the cook, and the maid, and the nanny, and did everything around the house. She was proud of Cedric - his manners, dexterity and health, but most of all - his golden curls that curled above his forehead and fell in lovely curls onto his shoulders. She worked tirelessly and helped Mrs. Errol sew his clothes and keep them in order.
He's a real aristocrat, huh? - she used to say. - Honestly, you won’t find another child like him even on Fifth Avenue! And how well he performs in the black velvet suit that we altered from the owner’s old dress. He holds his head high, and his curls fly and shine... Well, just a little lord, truly! Cedric had no idea that he looked like a little lord - he didn’t even know the word.
His greatest friend was the corner grocer - an angry grocer who, however, was never angry with him. The grocer's name was Mr. Hobbs, and Cedric respected and admired him. He considered Mr. Hobbs very rich and powerful: after all, he had so many different things in his shop - figs and prunes, biscuits and oranges; and he also had a horse and cart. Cedric loved the baker, the milkman, and the apple seller, but he loved Mr. Hobbs most of all and was such a friend of him that he visited him every day and often sat with him for a long time, discussing last news. What didn't they talk about! Well, at least about the Fourth of July. US National Day: On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Once the conversation turned to the Fourth of July, there was no end in sight. Mr. Hobbs spoke very disparagingly of “the British,” recounted the entire history of the Revolution, recalled amazing and patriotic stories of the cruelty of the enemy and the courage of the heroes of the Revolution, and even quoted large portions of the Declaration of Independence. Cedric became so excited that his eyes shone and his curls bounced over his shoulders. Returning home, he looked forward to them having dinner - he so wanted to tell his mother everything. Perhaps he picked up his interest in politics from Mr. Hobbs. Mr. Hobbs loved to read newspapers - and Cedric now knew about everything that was going on in Washington; Mr. Hobbs never failed to tell him whether the President was doing his duty or not. And one day, during the elections, everything was going, in his opinion, just great, and of course, if it weren’t for Mr. Hobbs and Cedric, the country would simply have perished. Mr. Hobbs took him with him to watch the great torchlight procession, and many of the townspeople who carried torches that night later remembered the plump man who stood at the lamppost, holding on his shoulder handsome boy who was shouting something and waving his hat.
Soon after the elections (Cedric was already in his eighth year at that time), one thing happened amazing event, which changed his whole life at once. It is curious that on this day he was just talking with Mr. Hobbs about England and the Queen, and Mr. Hobbs spoke very harshly about the aristocracy - he was especially indignant at all sorts of earls and marquises. The morning was hot; Having played enough of the war with his comrades, Cedric went into the shop to rest and saw that Mr. Hobbs was leafing through the Illustrated London News with a gloomy look.
“Look,” said Mr. Hobbs, showing Cedric a photograph of some court ceremony, “this is how they are having fun now!” But wait, they will still get it when those they enslaved rise up and they fly upside down - all these counts, marquises and others! This cannot be avoided, let them be careful!
Cedric settled himself on the high stool on which he usually sat, pushed his cap to the back of his head, and, in imitation of Mr. Hobbs, put his hands in his pockets.
Have you met many marquises and dukes, Mr. Hobbs? - Cedric asked.
No,” answered Mr. Hobbs indignantly, “no, no, no! If at least one tried to show up here, he would have seen it then! I won't have these greedy tyrants sitting here on my cookie boxes!
And he looked around with pride and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.
Maybe they would give up their titles if they knew what was what,” Cedric suggested. He felt a little sorry for these unfortunate aristocrats.
Oh no! - Mr. Hobbs snorted. - They are proud of them. They were born that way. Vile little souls!
So they were talking - when suddenly the door opened and Mary entered the shop. Cedric thought that she had popped in to buy sugar, but he was mistaken. She was pale and seemed agitated about something.
Let’s go home, my dear,” she said, “the mistress is calling you.”
Cedric slid off the stool.
She wants me to go out with her, right, Mary? - Cedric asked.
Goodbye, Mr. Hobbs. See you soon.
He was surprised to notice that Mary was looking at him with wide eyes and for some reason shaking her head.
What's wrong with you, Mary? - he was surprised. -Are you feeling unwell? It's because of the heat, right?
No,” answered Mary, “strange things are happening here.”
Maybe Darling has a headache from the sun? - he became worried. But that was not the point.
Approaching the house, he saw a stroller at the door, and in the small living room someone was talking with his mother. Mary quickly took him upstairs, dressed him in a cream-colored evening suit, tied a red scarf around his waist, and combed his curls.
Ah, that's how it is, my lords? - she muttered. - Both the nobility and the nobles... Yes, they failed! Something else was missing - all sorts of lords!
All this was incomprehensible, but Cedric had no doubt that his mother would explain everything to him, and did not ask Mary about anything. When his toilet was finished, he ran down the stairs and entered the living room. A thin old gentleman with a smart face sat in a chair. In front of him, pale, with tears in her eyes, stood his mother.
Ah, Seddie! - she cried and, rushing to him, hugged and kissed him with excitement and fear. - Oh, Seddie, my dear!
A tall, thin gentleman rose from his chair and cast a penetrating glance at Cedric, stroking his chin with bony fingers. He looked pleased.
“So here he is,” said the thin gentleman slowly, “here is little Lord Fauntleroy.”
One of the brightest and kindest impressions of people of the older generation is a small book by the Anglo-American writer Frances Hodgson Burnett “ Little Lord Fauntleroy”, which was published under the title “Little Lord”, and “The Adventures of the Little Lord”. The author of these lines happened to read it in the distant pre-war years. And to this day I remember the warm, joyful feeling with which I picked up this book with scattered leaves, how carefully it was passed on to friends and how the faces of those who spoke about it brightened.
In Russia, “Little Lord Fauntleroy” became famous two years after its publication in the United States. In 1888, the magazine “Rodnik” published a translation, which, as often happened in those days, did not contain the name of the translator, but was marked: “edited by E. Sysoeva” (Ekaterina Sysoeva and Alexey Almedingen published the magazine and its supplements) . Less than a year has passed since this translation was published in a luxurious, large-format volume with a colorful cover. It was published by the St. Petersburg book publisher A.F. Devrien. It was, so to speak, a gift edition, which subsequently went through more than one reproduction. Then the translations - and everyone is different! - rained down like from a cornucopia. Where has “The Little Lord” been published? In St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv, in the publishing houses of I. D. Sytin, M. O. Wolf, E. V. Lavrova and N. L. Popov, V. I. Gusinsky... Each publisher chose its own translator (or the publisher’s translator), but all reproduced, better or worse, the illustrations of Reginald Birch.
The translations were completed quite “satisfactorily” for their time (as reviewers assessed them), although some felt rushed. To the modern reader, however, the transliteration of names will seem strange (the little lord is called “Cedric” by one translator, and “Cedric” by another, and the writer herself becomes Franziska), and the transfer of English realities, especially those relating to the relationship of the landowner-landlord with his tenants, and sentimentality, often turning into tearfulness. But what is most surprising is the freedom with which the text is handled: the translator either skips entire paragraphs, then conveys them in a few words, or interprets the meaning quite arbitrarily. However, we shouldn't be surprised. Translators of the end of the last century (and the first quarter of our century too) considered such liberties to be completely legitimate. In accordance with the guidelines of that time, they often did not translate, but retold the text, simultaneously correcting, shortening or explaining it, guided by their own ideas about what a book should be. Reviewers pointed out some particular shortcomings of the emerging translations of Little Lord Fauntleroy.
“The translation is quite satisfactory,” one of them noted about the work of M. and E. Solomin, published in the edition of O. Popova. “Unfortunately, the translator, adhering to the original, replaced the pronoun “you” with the English “you,” which sounds strange to the Russian ear.”
Let us say right away that no shortcomings of the translation prevented the Russian reader from falling in love with The Little Lord. The reason for this lies in the very nature of the writer’s literary gift, correctly noted by Russian criticism. Here is what Frances Hodgson Burnett V. Abramova wrote in a review of the work of Frances Hodgson in 1913:
“She has a characteristic literary physiognomy, valuable quality, making it impossible to confuse her with any other author. Burnett passionately and tenderly loves the people she describes. She absolutely cannot treat her characters objectively and impartially. These are her children, if not flesh of flesh, then spirit of spirit. She lives in them, and that’s probably why her works are read with such enthusiasm, it’s hard to tear yourself away from them... The impression of artistry comes from the casual lightness of the language, from the liveliness of the dialogues and from the ability to depict the person or locality being described in a few words.”
And S. Dolgov, in the preface to the translation published by Sytin’s publishing house, notes:
“In some of its features, the talent of Mrs. Burnet (sic!), who has won herself a flattering reputation in America, is reminiscent of Dickens, who, with the heroes of his greatest and best novels I also took children and teenagers. But we know from experience that this does not make his novels lose any interest for us adults, but, on the contrary, they acquire an even more special charm.”
At the beginning of the century, some other works of the writer appeared in Russian - the novel “Wild”, the story “Sara Crewe”, “In a Locked Room”, “Little Ascetic” and others. All of them quickly sold out and were a success, but for the Russian reader Burnett remained the creator of “The Little Lord”.
October put an end to reprints of Fauntleroy. In 1918, he still came out in last time in partnership with I. Knebel - in the old spelling, with yat, fita, etc. - but that’s where it all ended. Over the next seventy-three years, The Little Lord was not reprinted, and seemed to be completely forgotten. In rare references that were sometimes found in our criticism, he was called sentimental, without going into the question of whether this was so bad. Now, finally, after all these years, Fauntleroy is returning from obscurity.
Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (Burnett was the surname of her first husband, under which she was published, omitting the middle name given to her at baptism) was English by birth. She was born on November 24, 1849 in Manchester at the height of the industrial crisis and the charter struggle. Her father was a hardware merchant; at the cost of great effort, he rose to sell bronze, candlesticks, candelabra and other luxury hardware items to rich houses, which in a strictly regulated Victorian England allowed him to be considered a representative of the “middle class,” which he was quite proud of.
When Frances was three years old, her father died and her mother had to take over the family business. The calm, prosperous life soon came to an end. Three years later, the family moved to another house, located on a street along which the border between a respectable city and slums ran. From the windows of the new house one could see the neighboring street where the factory poor lived. Here, for almost a decade, young Frances observed the life of the poor, for whom she retained deep interest and sympathy until the end of her days.
Frances discovered her literary abilities when she was a small student. private school, located on the same street. She wrote down her stories in notebooks for kitchen expenses.
Her teacher Sarah Hatfield later recalled:
“Frances loved to read passionately, and the “dryness” of the text did not stop her. Her talent as a storyteller emerged very early; at school, children surrounded her and stood and listened, enchanted, when she composed for their entertainment some story with the most unusual adventures.”
Her younger sister Edith, who was usually the first - and always enthusiastic! - listener, remembers these early stories:
“These stories were very romantic. They always had one hero - sick, abandoned and unhappy, who for some reason was very unlucky, and another - brave, strong and kind. The strong had to overcome all sorts of difficulties and trials. But in the end, everything ended well, like in a fairy tale.”
Frances retained this desire to arrange the fate of her heroes, overcoming misfortune and evil and allowing good to triumph, throughout her life.
When Frances was sixteen years old, her mother sold the business that was bringing only losses and decided to go to America, where her brother lived in Knoxville (Tennessee), who ran a small grocery store (wasn’t he the prototype for Mr. Hobbs, a friend of little Lord Fauntleroy?) .
The first years in Tennessee were very difficult - ended Civil War, defeated The south lay in ruins. The Hodgsons settled in a simple wooden cabin in a village near Knoxville; the decent dresses brought from England, with which the girls amazed the neighbors who were flaunting in burlap, soon wore out; I had to earn my living by the simplest labor, not disdaining any kind of income.
Frances began writing to help her family. “My goal is reward,” she admitted in one of her first letters, enclosed in the parcel with the manuscript. In her autobiography, she said that she hired herself out to work picking grapes to pay the postage of sending manuscripts to various magazines. Her stories are various pseudonyms- began to appear in print.
Mrs. Hodgson died in 1870; Twenty-year-old Frances remained the head of the family. They paid attention to her stories; one of the serious magazines, Scribner's, appreciated her talent, despite the naivety of her first attempts. She was lucky: she ended up with a good editor who did a lot to develop her talent. Her collaboration begins with Scribner's magazine and some other prestigious magazines, the literary level of which is significantly higher than usual periodicals. Soon, Scribner's began publishing Frances's books in its publishing house; This collaboration continued, with minor exceptions, throughout her life.
In 1873, Frances married her Knoxville neighbor, Dr. Swan Burnett. From this marriage she had two sons: Lionel and Vivien, who served as the prototype for Cedric Errol. Dr. Burnett was a prominent specialist in eye diseases; he later wrote a classic work in this area. He took over all of his wife's publishing affairs and turned out to be a very businesslike literary agent. The marriage was not happy, and when the children grew up, the couple separated.
Frances Hodgson Burnett (she kept this name after the divorce) turned out to be an ideal mother. She not only loved dearly, but also understood her sons well and, never imposing her will on them (and she was strong-willed woman), knew how to live by their interests and help them in every possible way. In her autobiography and the book of memoirs, written later by Vivien, there are many lively sketches that shed light on their relationship. Let's limit ourselves to one of them.
One day, when Frances was lying sick in bed, the boys started fussing in the next room. They tried to reason with them, but they got excited, threw pillows, screamed, etc. Suddenly Frances appeared on the threshold. There was silence. Then Vivien threw a pillow at her feet and said: “Darling, if you’re going to spank us, then please stand on the pillow, otherwise your feet are bare.” The boys called their mother “Darling” - Cedric Errol borrowed this form of address from them, as well as a number of episodes from their biography.
By the 1980s, Burnett was already a well-known writer; her novels and stories are published on both sides of the ocean. Among her best works is her first novel, “That Lowry Girl,” written from the memories of the Manchester poor, stories and novels from American and English life, stories and novellas for youth.
She lives in Washington, New York, Boston, travels to England and the continent, lives there for a long time, communicating with Americans who went to Europe, and with the most famous of them, Henry James. She buys and sells houses, arranges the fate of her family and friends, does charity, helps...
She is friends with Mark Twain, Oliver Wendell Holmes; Oscar Wilde visits her house on his sensational tour of the United States; Among the admirers of her work are Harriet Beecher Stowe, the American poet James Russell Lowell, the English Prime Minister Gladstone, American President Garfield. Mark Twain dreams of carrying out the following plan with her and Howells: having chosen some plot and characters, write - each in his own style - a story and compare them. What a pity that this plan was not destined to come true! Henry James corresponds with her and prophetically notes in an anonymous article, written before he personally met the writer, that her style has “a touching simplicity, which, together with its inherent ingenuity, will be very useful in a moral tale for youth.”
“Little Lord Fauntleroy,” which Burnett worked on in 1885, turned out to be such a story. The writer herself defined its genre as a novel; however, it should be kept in mind that English word“novel” is interpreted quite broadly, including both novels themselves and stories. The magazine version began publication in the same year (Burnett worked quickly, and in in this case- and with rapture); it was published in full in 1886. At the same time, separate publications appeared in the USA and England; they were followed by translations into European languages. Fauntleroy immediately became a bestseller.
In the first year after its publication, 43 thousand copies were sold - a huge figure for that time! In total, over a million copies have been sold since its publication - in English alone, not counting translations. Performances were staged and films were made based on Fauntleroy - in one of them the title role was played by Bester Keaton, in the other by Mary Pickford, who also played Mrs. Errol. More recently, a television production was shown in England, which had considerable success.
What is the reason for such popularity of this simple book? First of all, it is precisely in the simplicity and universality of its theme. A little boy separated from his widowed mother, a stern old aristocrat gradually softening under the influence of an open and noble child's heart - this romantic theme could not help but conquer the hearts of readers.
Burnett wrote “from life”: the image of the boy is beyond doubt, he is so convincing that you believe in him immediately and unconditionally. “Of course, this is not a portrait,” Burnett’s friend, who lived with her while writing the book, once remarked, “but, undoubtedly, if Vivien had not existed, there would have been no Fauntleroy.”
The writer herself recalls the birth of the idea for this book:
“Vivien was such a patriot, such a passionate young American; he was so excited about the upcoming presidential election; his thoughts were so interesting! I began, among other things, to think about how he, all flushed and with the most enthusiastic look, would begin to share these thoughts with conservative Englishmen...
At first it was just a passing fancy, but one day I thought: I will write a book about him. Let him find himself in a completely new environment - let's see how he behaves.
But how can one bring together a little American and an English aristocrat, irritable, conservative, unpleasant? He must live with him, talk with him, reveal to him his naive innate democracy. It is best if it is a child who lived in a very simple conditions. Eureka! I will make him the son of the youngest son, who separated from his stern aristocratic father because he married a poor and beautiful American woman. The boy's father dies, his older brothers die, and the boy becomes heir to the title. How this will surprise him! Yes, it is decided, and Vivien will become that hero - Vivien with his curly hair and his eyes, with his friendly and kind heart. Little Lord So-and-so... What good name! Little lord... Little lord... What should we call him? A day later he became Little Lord Fauntleroy. This kind of story is easy to write. Part of it was unfolding before my eyes.”
It was a time when the Anglo-American or American-English theme aroused universal interest on both sides of the ocean. IN in a certain sense Burnett developed the same topic as her great friend Henry James, only, of course, on a completely different material and level.
The little republican who ends up in conservative old England is a kind of “savage”, “scout”, “scout”, looking at old world with a fresh child's gaze. Everything is new to him, incomprehensible - the tried and tested technique of “defamiliarization” allows the author to say a lot, to pass judgment or even a sentence on a lot. At the same time, all his perplexities and mistakes are so touching, so natural and funny!
Let's just remember the scene when Cedric, waking up for the first time in the castle bedroom, meets his nanny. He does not know that in the old houses of the English aristocracy it is customary to call servants by their last name, and he politely inquires: “Miss Dawson or Mrs. Dawson?”, which makes not only his nanny, but also his readers smile. But this is not a mocking smile: the little democrat awakens best feelings in the hearts of their readers. It is no coincidence that servants are the harshest and impartial judges of their masters! - without hesitation, they declare Cedric a real gentleman.
This is not the place to consider the evolution of this concept, so important for understanding the psychology of the British. Let us only note that end of the 19th century century there was a decisive shift towards purely moral, moral assessments. Burnett's position echoes the position of such very various writers, as J.-B. Shaw, J.-M. Barry, F.-M. Ford, later W.-S. Maugham...
“The main secret is not,” wrote J.-B. The show is whether you have bad manners or good ones and whether you have them at all, but to have the same manner in relation to any human soul.”
And Cedric, with equal pride introducing the guests to his grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, and his friend, the grocer Mr. Hobbs, Cedric, caring for the poor, Cedric, who, losing his title and inheritance, thinks only about whether his grandfather will still love him , certainly appears in Burnett's book as an ideal moral behavior, like a real gentleman in this new, changed sense of the word.
Of course, as one critic astutely noted, Burnett managed to combine incompatible things in her story: her hero is a young Republican and at the same time an undoubted aristocrat, heir to a title and estate. As a result, her American readers were able to enjoy life on an old English estate without compromising their principles and retain the sense of superiority inherent in supporters of democratic government. The critic sees this as another reason for the popularity of Burnett’s book, which is perhaps difficult to argue with.
Frances Hodgson Burnett, as we have already seen, is often compared to Dickens. Despite all the dissimilarity in the scale and nature of their talents, this is not without well-known reasons. Sympathy for the poor and orphaned, kindness, humor - these traits undoubtedly bring the two writers closer together.
Let us mention one more property that was inherent in the early Dickens and in highest degree typical of Burnett. This is that unwavering, holy faith in the final victory of good, which is sometimes called fabulousness. “Her works are read with such enthusiasm that it is difficult to tear yourself away from them,” writes V. Abramova in the article cited above. - While reading, you see the author’s shortcomings, you feel that three quarters of what she passes off as truth is fiction, but still you read with pleasure and finish the book with the thought: this is all a fairy tale, despite its strictly real form, but the fairy tale is fascinating and artistic." And a little lower he adds: “Burnett wants to make life a beautiful fairy tale. And he does it with such passion that it captivates the reader too.”
All this is true. Other critics also point out some inconsistencies in the plot of the story about the little lord. Burnett biographer Anne Tveit, for example, noted the implausibility of the incident that helps Dick, a bootblack in America, expose the pretender to the title of Fauntleroy. According to Tveit, only Burnett's extraordinary gift as a storyteller allowed her to overcome these and similar difficulties.
At the same time, I would like to draw the readers’ attention to another possible explanation. The extraordinary success of Burnett’s book is due, it seems to us, to the fact that she, perhaps without realizing it, appeals to the most ancient archetypes, embedded at the mythological level of consciousness. As the latest research shows, it is these mythological structures, which later penetrated in a slightly modified form into fairy tales, that serve as a powerful lever of influence on readers.
The “fabulousness” of Burnett’s story takes on a different explanation in this sense. The “Cinderella Syndrome” receives a unique development here, but one that is quite recognizable to many readers. Cedric is the son of the third, youngest son, whose two older brothers are obvious “losers” (we will use here the terminology of V. Ya. Propp, whose classic work “Morphology of a Fairy Tale” (1928) will allow us to clarify the structure of “Fauntleroy” and some of its “functions” characters). The “luck” of Cedric’s father, the youngest son of the Earl of Dorincourt, lies, as it should be in a fairy tale, only in his beauty, kind and honest disposition. This “luck” is passed on to his only son after his death. Throughout the book, a kind of “test” of strength, dexterity, courage, and patience takes place, from which Cedric emerges with honor. The fabulous “sabotage” and “stealing of prey” also receive a certain refraction in the book with the appearance of the applicant and his mother, but, perhaps, most impressive episode there is a scene associated with the fairy-tale “recognition” by the “mark” (scar on the chin), and the subsequent exposure of the “false hero” or “saboteur”, played by Ben’s son and his mother. All this, together with the “Cinderella syndrome”, in full accordance with which the hero from poverty and a humiliated position ends up (in a traditional fairy tale) in the royal palace, is clearly read in the book, appealing to the deep layers of consciousness of its readers and ensuring its success.
Let us note, by the way, that much of what Burnett describes is not at all as far from realism as her critics seem to think. The description of the plight of the peasants on the estate of the Earl of Dorincourt, for example, is taken from life. In the early 80s, there were several shortages in England, a wave of epidemics among livestock, villager were in a terrible situation Agriculture found itself in a deep crisis. In describing this situation, Burnett shifts the emphasis, placing the blame for the plight of the peasants solely on the count and his manager, but this does not make the situation itself any less real or the description less realistic.
Burnett is especially successful in describing life on the estate and all sorts of types and gradations of snobbery, which has long been widespread in old England (remember, for example, servants talking about their masters) and which also captured some representatives of the New World.
The final lines of the story, which speak of an unexpected turn in the views of the avid Republican Mr. Hobbs, are now read not only with a smile, but with surprise at the insight of the writer, who managed to discern this phenomenon on the other side of the ocean.
Frances Hodgson Burnett died in America on October 29, 1924. She made her last public appearance shortly before her death, at a celebration of Mary Pickford, who contributed greatly to the success of The Little Lord with her acting. Her son Vivien died in 1937 during a shipwreck while rescuing drowning people. He saved two men and two women before dying himself. It was a death worthy of Fauntleroy, the newspapers wrote.
IN Central Park in New York it's worth modest monument heroes Burnett, who, according to her in my own words, “with all the best that is in me, I tried to make the world happier.”
N. M. Demurova
I became familiar with the expression “little Lord Fauntleroy” much earlier than I read the book; it was a synonym for “lovely child” - sometimes quite serious, sometimes extremely ironic.
And I thought that the little lord was one of those Victorian, sweetly correct boys who lingered in literature for a long time and whom Mark Twain, in his parodies, delighted in blowing up and hanging in pieces on trees.
But finally I got to the book itself.
So, once upon a time a British lord banished his best, kindest and most charming son for marrying a poor American woman; did not express any sorrow when this son died, and the American woman was left alone with his grandson. But now both of his eldest sons have died, the lord involuntarily wanted to get to know his only heir and writes him out of America to a rich family estate.
Of course, gradually his childish charm will melt his heart, and everything will end well (I don’t think this can be considered a spoiler:)
That is, formally everything is as expected: this is a book about good, very good boy, to his very good mother and grandfather, who, without any options, will also become good :)
But the short, sentimental story touched and made me smile so much that it became my personal cure for melancholy and runny nose (along with other Burnett stories: “A Little Princess” and “The Secret Garden”)
What's the secret?
Why “The Little Lord” is real literature, a classic of the genre; and the story - well, for example, by Charskaya - sweet fairy tale and good craftsmanship?
Firstly, a bright “villain”. An interesting antagonist in any story, from a comic book adaptation to a detective novel, is half the battle; and the portrait of the old Earl of Dorincourt was a great success for the author!
“It must be confessed that by the time Lord Fauntleroy appeared on the scene, the Earl was bored with his age, gout and loneliness. After a long life full of pleasures and entertainment, it was sad to sit alone in luxurious chambers, putting his sore leg on a bench, getting angry and shouting, in order to have a little fun, at the frightened footman, who hated the very sight of him. The old count was too smart not to know that the servants could not stand him and that even the guests who visited him from time to time did not come out of love for him, although some were entertained by his caustic speeches, in which he gave no mercy to anyone. While he was healthy and full of strength, he often went out, pretending that he liked it, although in reality he did not receive any pleasure; but when his health began to fail, he was fed up with everything and he locked himself in Dorincourt with his gout, books and newspapers. However, it was impossible to read all the time, and he was increasingly overcome by, as he said, “boredom.” Long days and the nights made him sad, and he became more and more irritable and intolerant.”
Secondly, main character. Despite his “goodness,” he is lively, real and very charming. His maturity and kindness receive a convincing author's explanation: he is not just a “little lord,” he is also a “little man” who sincerely tries to support his widowed mother to the best of his childish strength. As you know, in families with tragedies, children grow up faster.
“And therefore, when he realized that his father would not return again, and saw how sad his mother was, he was gradually overcome by the idea that he should try to make her happy. He was still just a child, but he thought about it when he sat on her lap, kissed her and laid his curly head on her shoulder, and when he showed her his toys and picture books, and when he climbed onto the sofa to lie next to her. her. He was still small and didn’t know what else he could do, but he did everything he could, and didn’t even suspect what a comfort he was to her.”
Thirdly, myself creative method Burnett. She makes excellent use of science fiction techniques.
Judge for yourself: she makes one fantastic assumption (in her case it is a handsome, lively, smart, kind and trusting boy) and builds a real world around it. This world is forced to change after meeting with the “phenomenon”, and the changes affect all layers of society.
“To tell the truth, His Excellency the Earl of Dorincourt was thinking these days about many things that he had never thought about before, and in one way or another all his thoughts were connected with his grandson. The main quality in the count's character was pride, and his grandson flattered her in everything. Thanks to this pride, the count began to find new meaning in life. He enjoyed showing his grandson to people. Everyone knew how disappointed he was in his sons; and therefore, demonstrating the new Lord Fauntleroy, the Earl felt a sense of triumph, for the new Lord Fauntleroy could not disappoint anyone.”
Moreover, the fantastic assumption does not contradict modern scientific realities and is hypothetically possible. Cerdic Fauntleroy is just such a hypothetically possible child; who said you can't be smart, beautiful and kind at the same time? It’s just that such a combination of qualities is extremely rare; and here Cerdic’s unique biography partly explains the uniqueness of his character. (Moreover, there was a real prototype of Cedric - Francis Burnett’s youngest son, Vivian. He died during a shipwreck in 1937: he saved two men and two women before he died himself. Newspapers wrote "A death fit for Lord Fauntleroy").
Francis Burnett paints an ideal child in an imperfect world; and she describes this world accurately and insightfully, softening, but not keeping silent. Here she has a lot in common with Dickens.
“In truth, Mrs. Errol discovered many sad things when she began to visit the poor people in the village, which seemed so picturesque when viewed from the moorland. Up close everything was not nearly as beautiful as at a distance. Where she expected to see prosperity and hard work, she discovered idleness, poverty and ignorance. She soon learned that the village of Earlsboro was considered the poorest village in the area. To manage the estate, people were always chosen who knew how to please the count, who were not at all affected by the misfortunes and ruin of the poor tenants. And therefore, many things in the village were neglected and only got worse day by day. As for Earl's Court, it was simply a disgrace - rickety houses, unhappy, sick, distrustful people. When Mrs. Errol first saw these huts, she shuddered. Such poverty and desolation looked even more deplorable in the village than in the city.”
Concluding the list of advantages of the book, of course, we must remember wonderful humor stories. He comes from those family stories, funny mistakes and slips of the tongue, the comical seriousness of a child’s conclusions about the world... everything that mothers love to remember with their adult children and in Once again laugh together.
“Don’t you always wear the earl’s crown?” Lord Fauntleroy asked respectfully.
No,” the count answered with a gloomy grin, “she doesn’t really suit me.”
Mr. Hobbs said you always wear it,” Cedric noted. - True, then he said that perhaps you sometimes take it off when you want to put on a hat.
Yes,” the count agreed, “sometimes I take it off.”
Then one of the footmen turned away and coughed strangely, covering his face with his hand.”
Rating: 10
I read this book when I myself was not much older than the hero of the book. But even at the age of nine, I was unpleasantly surprised by the primitive plot and moralizing with which this work is imbued.
The main character is so cloyingly correct and so endowed with such virtues as honesty, modesty, kindness, politeness that he deserves only one thing - ascension to heaven alive, because such perfect creatures have no place to live among sinful people.
As an antagonist little hero his grandfather, who is an English lord, speaks. He is a callous, narcissistic man, obsessed with class prejudices and the national superiority of the British over the rest of the world. Once upon a time, his son fell in love with an American woman, which is why the lord did not recognize this marriage and as a result, young Cedric’s father was forced to stay in a foreign country. So, according to the logic of the plot, the conflict between the British and the Americans (the boy is an ardent patriot of the USA, and the old lord is British Empire) there is a conflict between different generations one family, burdened by the social aspect. However, there is no conflict. The boy is so holy and behaves so correctly that the old lord does not have the slightest chance of avoiding repentance, reconciling with his daughter-in-law and opening his arms to his grandson. well and national conflict between the Anglo-Saxons living along different sides Atlantic Ocean, and it’s not worth a damn, because both the USA and England are good countries and they have nothing to share among themselves. Anyone who knows even a little history of the XIX century, will understand what the joke is. Well, okay, in the end, children don’t necessarily need to know about adult problems and conflicts.
Such things as logic and common sense are absent from the book. I’ll give you a particularly tasty example that has stuck with me for the rest of my life. The old lord had three sons: two fools and one smart. Smart died before his father forgave him for his unequal marriage, and the other two turned out to be mediocre wasters who greatly upset their parent. And so, when the lord outlived all his children and because of the threat of suppression ancient family was forced to recognize the young American as his heir, he decided to raise him... that's right, another mediocre waster of life. At the age of nine, I didn’t know what “failspam” was, otherwise I would certainly have used this gesture after reading such nonsense.
To all of the above, it is worth adding the fact that “The Little Lord” is written so sweetly, and the characters are so cardboard, that I have great doubts that now there will be a child who will like such a drudgery. However, I am sure that even a hundred years ago there were not so many children among children who liked such nonsense. Rather, Burnett wrote for their parents, because her work paints the image of the Ideal Boy, against the background of which living children, no matter how good they are, look like hooligans and blockheads.
The most important thing in the life of any person is family. And it is very important that everyone understands from childhood how important it is to maintain respect and love in the family. However, this does not mean that you should not be attentive to strangers; they also need warmth and help. When you read the short children's novel Little Lord Fauntleroy by Francis Burnett, you remember this repeatedly. The book was written more than a hundred years ago, but it is still very loved by readers. Parents give it to their children to read in order to instill good feelings in them. The novel captivates with the atmosphere of England at the end of the 19th century, but at the same time shows a society whose morals not everyone will like.
The little boy Cedric lives in New York with his mother. After the death of their father, their family experiences financial difficulties; their mother somehow finds money to ensure a more or less normal existence. She teaches the boy to be kind, sympathize with others, and treat their problems with understanding. However, due to their poverty, Cedric is unlikely to have a bright future.
One day, a lawyer comes to the house where Cedric lives with his mother and reports that the boy is the heir of a famous count in Great Britain. This news is both pleasing and saddening, because at the request of the Count, mother and son will have to be separated. When Cedric arrives to his grandfather, he sees a completely different world. Grandfather wants to raise an heir as prim and arrogant as himself. However, Cedric is not ready to change his ideals. Gradually, he influences his grandfather, showing him how important it is to be responsive and attentive, how important it is to show kindness and help other people.
The work belongs to the genre of Children's Books. It was published in 1886 by the Dobrye Kniki publishing house. The book is part of the "Real Boys" series. On our website you can download the book "Little Lord Fauntleroy" in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format or read online. The book's rating is 4.41 out of 5. Here, before reading, you can also turn to reviews from readers who are already familiar with the book and find out their opinion. In our partner's online store you can buy and read the book in paper form.