The Tower of London

 The Tower of London: A Historical Romance, by William Harrison Ainsworth, illustrated by George Cruikshank

 This was a fun read -- I got it from Gutenberg.  It's an early Victorian historical novel, published serially in 1840, and it's all about Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen.  The story starts with her entering the Tower as Queen (July 1553), and ends with her execution (February 1554).  But really, the main character of this story is the Tower itself; Ainsworth wrote his story so that he could talk about the Tower of London, and at least half of the illustrations are of specific rooms in certain towers.  Only the other half show the action of the story, all of which takes place in the Tower.  

Jane's reign and imprisonment are the setting of the story, but much of it involves intrigue behind the scene, both "upstairs and downstairs," as you might say.  The Spanish and French ambassadors plot against Jane and each other, along with a complicated cast of nobles.  I didn't know that Lady Jane lived so long after Mary's accession to the throne, so I had to look that up.  Mary didn't really want to have to execute her cousin, and tried to get out of it.  Mary is portrayed as an enthusiastic Catholic eager to re-convert the country, but Ainsworth treats her remarkably sympathetically and not as a bloodthirsty villain, as I expected from somebody writing in 1840.

Meanwhile, there is an equally complex story amongst the staff.  The lovely Cicely has two suitors, and one is Nightgall, the keeper of the dungeon.  Then there are the three giant brothers, Og, Gog, and Magog, who guard the place (and are also illegitimate sons of Henry VIII, which makes meeting Mary and Elizabeth a little embarrassing sometimes!), and the dwarf Xit.  Ainsworth crams in plenty of chasing around labyrinthine dungeons, clambering over tower roofs, and daring escapes or rescues.  Oh yes, and torture scenes, a comic masque, executions, and a battle or so.

And he puts in a whole lot of historical information about the Tower, ranging from its foundation all the way to 1820 when he likes.  If a room or tower has been demolished since the 1500s, he lets us know.  He lingers lovingly over prisoners' carvings in the walls.

 This was a neat book to read.  I would love to be able to see as much of the Tower as Ainsworth describes, and will happily read any amount of chasing around dungeons.  The prolix early Victorian prose is not my favorite style, but the Cruikshank illustrations are wonderful (and sometimes gruesome).  I've really been having fun getting random old books from Gutenberg, and I highly recommend it as an inexpensive and fulfilling pastime.

 
 
 


 


Comments

  1. i'm also a Gutenberg fan; i get a lot of my posts from there, including this book which i thought was pretty good... Ainsworth was prolific; i've read some of his other books as well, but not all by any means... i'd recommend "Rookwood" and "Jack Sheppard"...

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  2. Deep cut, Ainsworth. He was once so popular. How's the prose?

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  3. Tom, on the heavy side, but not to the point that it's unreadable. James Fenimore Cooper is worse. But still, very early Victorian and prolix.

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