The Rich Lady
The word "laodicean" means luke-warm or reluctant, or indecisive, or capricious, and this word applies exactly to Paula Power, the heroine of Thomas Hardy's eponymous novel, published in 1881. Paula is a puzzling character. At the outset of the novel, she is young - twenty-two or three - beautiful, and has just inherited the considerable fortune left her by her late father, a successful railway engineer. She is also mistress of Castle Stancy, a magnifient abode dating from Norman times. But this largesse is not enough to make her mistress of her own fate. Poorly educated by the standards of today, she seeks a husband.
The New Architect
George Somerset is a newly-qualified architect who is traveling about Wessex, and sketching historical buildings in preparation for the practice that he is seeking to establish. His travels take him to Castle Stancy. Struck by its grandeur, he asks permission to explore its interior. Inside, he happens upon a plain, young woman. George learns that Charlotte de Stancy is not mistress of the castle, but the best friend of Paula. In the longer term, he and Paula meet at a dinner gathering.
The Established Architect
At dinner, George meets Mr Havill, an established architect. The two men enter into an argument over the origins of the stonework of the castle. Days later, Paula offers George the job of restoring the oldest, ruined part of the castle. George declines, saying that such a significant project should only be offered to the winner of a competition, judged by a member of the Institute of British Architects. Paula agrees.
The Young Photographer
This does not do anything to reduce Mr Havill's rancour against George. "Good God - a girl worth fifty thousand and more a year - to throw herself away on a fellow like that," he remarks to his young photographer, William Dare. Havill is, of course, referring to the growing 'friendship' between George and Paula. Dare is an adventurer, and the seeds of a plan to prosper are sown in his mind. He suggests a scheme for secretly copying the "excellences" of Somerset's building design so that it forms the basis of Havill's entry. Later, we see William Dare in the company of Captain de Stancy, Charlotte's brother.
The De Stancys
The De Stancys live in a modern villa, in the vicinity of the castle. Dare suggests the suitability of a marriage between the Captain and Paula. "But I ought to have married your mother, if anybody," remarks the Captain. Now, we are in no doubt as to who William Dare really is. Here, Hardy struggles a little. He was too subtle a writer to descend into gothic cliches of good and evil. But the scheming of the male De Stancys is only somewhat redeemed by the character of Charlotte. It was only her looks that were damaged through centuries of injudicious breeding. Her nature is sunny throughout, though, and Hardy portrays a touching friendship between her and Paula.
Castle Stancy
The castle is at the heart of the story, the centrifugal force around which all the characters rotate; are corrupted, purified or tested in some way. It is the castle that leads George to Paula, the castle that holds Paula in its medieval spell, that sparks the rivalry between George and Havill, and triggers the rest of the story's events. Paula's infected mind falls prey to a photographer's trick, executed by Dare, that leads her to believe George Somerset is a less than upright character. Brokenhearted, she travels to Europe, but her party is shadowed by Captain de Stancy. It is his desire to get back 'his' castle, not true love, that drives his wooing.
Lady de Stancy
"It's so dreadfully reasonable that we should marry. I wish it wasn't." Initially, Paula resists, but on hearing that the Captain's father is dead and that he is now 'Sir William', she gives in to her yearning to crown her new money with an ancient title. But that same streak of conservatism saves her from an unhappy marriage. On the morning of their wedding, she discovers Sir William's true relation to William Dare - and dismisses him. To cover her shame, she flees to Europe.
The Broken Bond
Free of the castle and the De Stancys, Paula follows her heart - and George Somerset. He has resumed traveling and sketching. In an almost fairytale episode, she tracks him to a house in France where he is recovering from a fever. They declare their love, and marry before returning to England. Mr and Mrs Somerset never go back to Castle Stancy. It burns down the night of their arrival in Toneborough. But its pernicious influence remains. In a scene that is almost comic, Paula turns to George and says "I wish my castle wasn't burned, and I wish you were a De Stancy."
The Novel
A Laodicean is by no means a 'perfect' novel. The plot meanders quiet a bit - like many Victorian novels, it was first published in serial form - and Hardy's insertions of his architectural knowledge into the story are handled with less than subtelty. But it was this same book that, many years ago, first sparked my interest in the subject. I love the characters and return to it, again and again.
Sources
A Laodicean by Thomas Hardy, Introduction by Barbara Hardy, Macmillan, London, 1975
Mary Phelan - I am an art historian, magazine editor, design philosopher and fiction writer. I am also a sometime artist and photographer.
