The Pomp of the Lavilettes

The Pomp of the Lavilettes

The Project Gutenberg EBook Pomp of the Lavilettes, Entire, by Parker
#44 in our series by Gilbert Parker
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Title: The Pomp of the Lavilettes, Complete
Author: Gilbert Parker
Release Date: August, 2004 [EBook #6217] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on September 27,
2002]

Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POMP OF
THE LAVILLETTES, BY PARKER ***

This eBook was produced by David Widger

[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of the
file for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making
an entire meal of them. D.W.]

THE POMP OF THE LAVILETTES
By Gilbert Parker

INTRODUCTION
I believe that 'The Pomp of the Lavilettes' has elements which justify
consideration. Its original appearance was, however, not made under
wholly favourable conditions. It is the only book of mine which I ever
sold outright. This was in 1896. Mr. Lamson, of Messrs. Lamson &
Wolffe, energetic and enterprising young publishers of Boston, came to
see me at Atlantic City (I was on a visit to the United States at the time),
and made a gallant offer for the English, American and colonial book
and serial rights. I felt that some day I could get the book back under
my control if I so desired, while the chances of the book making an
immediate phenomenal sale were not great. There is something in the

nature of a story which determines its popularity. I knew that 'The Seats
of the Mighty' and 'The Right of Way' would have a great sale, and
after they were written I said as much to my publishers. There was the
element of general appeal in the narratives and the characters. Without
detracting from the character-drawing, the characters, or the story in
'The Pomp of the Lavilettes', I was convinced that the book would not
make the universal appeal. Yet I should have written the story, even if
it had been destined only to have a hundred readers. It had to be written.
I wanted to write what was in me, and that invasion of a little secluded
French-Canadian society by a ne'er-do-well of the over-sea aristocracy
had a psychological interest, which I could not resist. I thought it ought
to be worked out and recorded, and particularly as the time
chosen--1837--marked a large collision between the British and the
French interests in French Canada, or rather of French political interests
and the narrow administrative prejudices and nepotism of the British
executive in Quebec.
It is a satisfaction to include this book in a definitive edition of my
works, for I think that, so far as it goes, it is truthfully characteristic of
French life in Canada, that its pictures are faithful, and that the
character-drawing represents a closer observation than any of the
previous works, slight as the volume is. It holds the same relation to
'The Right of Way' that 'The Trail of the Sword' holds to 'The Seats of
the Mighty', that 'A Ladder of Swords' holds to 'The Battle of the
Strong', that 'Donovan Pasha' holds to 'The Weavers'. Instinctively, and,
as I believe, naturally, I gave to each ambitious, and--so far as
conception goes--to each important novel of mine, an avant coureur.
'The Trail of the Sword, A Ladder of Swords, Donovan Pasha and The
Pomp of the Lavilettes', are all very short novels, not exceeding in any
case sixty thousand words, while the novels dealing in a larger way
with the same material--the same people and environment, with the
same mise-en-scene, were each of them at least one hundred and forty
thousand words in length, or over two and a half times as long. I do not
say that this is a system which I devised; but it was, from the