The Small House At Allington
Chapters 10 to 12

chapter list

[7-9]   [13-15]

Chapter 10
Mrs. Lupex and Amelia Roper

Decency and propriety
Decency and propriety are here described as entities which "flee" Mrs. Roper.  This is similar to many classical personifications, particularly that of Aidos, or Propriety, found in Hesiod's Works and Days, line 200, who is described as forsaking humanity at the end of the world, a far more dramatic context than Mrs. Roper's situation.  [EB]

Here he had strung together his rhymes
John Eames is described as having composed poetry about his love for Lily Dale while walking through the woods near Guestwick Manor.  This parallels the situation of the archetypal pastoral youth who pines for his beloved in idyllic rural settings.  [EB]

 

Chapter 11
Social Life

Did Paris receive much gratification from the ten years' siege at Troy
This reference compares Cradell's role in motivating his admirer Mrs. Lupex into quarrelling with Amelia Roper to Paris' role as Helen's lover in inciting the Trojan War.  The allusion is further strengthened by parallels between Helen's husband, Menelaus, and Mr. Lupex, who feels that he is losing his wife's affection to Cradell, who--like Paris--is a younger man.  Trollope here draws a humorous contrast between the relatively mundane event of the women's argument and the epic battle recorded in works such as the Iliad.
Cassell's Dictionary of Classical Mythology  [EB]

 

Chapter 12
Lilian Dale Becomes a Butterfly

Wood nymphs and water nymphs
The Countess De Courcy in her letter to Crosbie refers to the women of Allington as "nymphs."  In classical mythology nymphs were natural spirits who took the form of beautiful maidens.  Later in the letter the countess describes her daughters as nymphs of a less rustic variety.  Trollope has made implicit links between an idealized pastoral settings and rural Allington, and here a character extends the parallel through this direct, though sarcastic, allusion.
Cassell's Dictionary of Classical Mythology  [EB & RR]

Your late Elysium
The Countess De Courcy's letter also sarcastically makes a comparison between Allington and Elysium, the fields of constant happiness and beauty in Hades where the fortunate are able to spend the afterlife.  The allusion has a humorous function of foreshadowing as it quickly becomes clear that Crosbie's courtship of Lily in Allington truly served as a refuge free of complications, in contrast to his future affairs at Courcy Castle.
Cassell's Dictionary of Classical Mythology  [EB]

Alexandrina De Courcy
This name of one of Lady De Courcy's daughters is a feminized, Anglicized version of the Greek name Alexandros.  This name may contain references to more than one classical figure.  Alexandrina's ambitious pursuit of Crosbie is reminiscent of the strong-willed Greek leader Alexander the Great.  Alexander is also another name used to refer to Paris, whose adulterous relationship with Helen causes the Trojan War.  Similarly, Alexandrina interferes with Crosbie and Lily's engagement and causes trouble for them both.
Cassell's Dictionary of Classical Mythology  [EB]

Lady Julia De Guest
Julia, a feminine form of the name Julius, was a name for Roman women.  This name is particularly associated with the famous Julio-Claudian dynasty of the Roman Empire, reflecting Lady Julia's high status and pride in her position.  [EB]

[7-9]   [13-15]

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